Conducting a mental health evaluation. Beginning and ending the interview
Mental status evaluation questions/tasks
Questions about signs, symptoms, and other behavior patterns
Standard terms and statements for wording psychological reports. Introducing the report. Beginning the report: preliminary information
Referral reasons
Background information and history
The person in the evaluation. Behavioral observations
Responses to aspects of the examination
Presentation of self
Emotional/affective symptoms and disorders
Cognition and mental status
Abnormal signs, symptoms, and syndromes
Personality patterns
The person in the environment. Activities of daily living
Social/community functioning
Couple and family relationships
Vocational/academic skills
Recreational functioning
Other specialized evaluations
Completing the report. Summary of findings and conclusions
Diagnostic statement/impression
Recommendations
Prognostic statements
Closing statements
Useful resources. Treatment planning and treatment plan formats
Formats for reports, evaluations, and summaries
Treatments for specific disorders and concerns
Listing of common psychiatric and psychoactive drugs
Psychiatric masquerade of medical conditions
Appendices. Abbreviations in common use
Annotated readings in assessment, interviewing, and report writing.