©GRACEAMELIA 2024/2025 ACADEMIC YEAR. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
FIRST PUBLISH OCTOBER 2024
Clinical Examination of the Psychiatric Patient Exam Practice
Questions and Answers
What is the primary goal of the psychiatric interview and assessment? - Ans:✔✔-identification of mental
and emotional disorders and clinical diagnosis
What are some challenges of the psychiatric interview and assessment? - Ans:✔✔-differentiating
between normal and abnormal in emotions and behavior, and determining whether there is actual
"functional impairment" (disorder/illness vs. eccentricity)
What are some of the multiple roles of the interviewer? - Ans:✔✔-data gathering, gearing the interview
to the level of the patient, making the interview both diagnostic and therapeutic
What are some of the elements of the psychiatric interviewer's technique? - Ans:✔✔-establishing
rapport, allowing adequate time and a comfortable setting
*this can take more time than the normal H&P
What is the rationale for an open-ended interviewing approach? - Ans:✔✔-establishing rapport,
efficiency, assessment of thought process
*there are limits to open-ended questions
Page 1/6
, ©GRACEAMELIA 2024/2025 ACADEMIC YEAR. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
FIRST PUBLISH OCTOBER 2024
What is the rationale for a closed-ended interviewing approach? - Ans:✔✔-pertinent positives and
negatives, identification of disorder type for the specific patient (certain personality traits are
characteristic of certain disorders)
What is the psychiatric chief complaint? - Ans:✔✔-the patients own terms
What is involved in the psychiatric HPI? - Ans:✔✔-longitudinal course and response to treatment
(important for clinical diagnosis)
identify social factors relevant to the onset/exacerbation of the illness (why now?)
What is involved in the past psychiatric history? - Ans:✔✔-initial signs and symptoms, response or lack of
response to treatment
What is the significance of the PMH for psychiatric patients? - Ans:✔✔-up to 30-50% of psyche patients
have significant medical co-morbidity
medical disorder etiologically (causation) related in up to 5-30% of patients
in particular attend to neurologic and endocrine disorders
Page 2/6
FIRST PUBLISH OCTOBER 2024
Clinical Examination of the Psychiatric Patient Exam Practice
Questions and Answers
What is the primary goal of the psychiatric interview and assessment? - Ans:✔✔-identification of mental
and emotional disorders and clinical diagnosis
What are some challenges of the psychiatric interview and assessment? - Ans:✔✔-differentiating
between normal and abnormal in emotions and behavior, and determining whether there is actual
"functional impairment" (disorder/illness vs. eccentricity)
What are some of the multiple roles of the interviewer? - Ans:✔✔-data gathering, gearing the interview
to the level of the patient, making the interview both diagnostic and therapeutic
What are some of the elements of the psychiatric interviewer's technique? - Ans:✔✔-establishing
rapport, allowing adequate time and a comfortable setting
*this can take more time than the normal H&P
What is the rationale for an open-ended interviewing approach? - Ans:✔✔-establishing rapport,
efficiency, assessment of thought process
*there are limits to open-ended questions
Page 1/6
, ©GRACEAMELIA 2024/2025 ACADEMIC YEAR. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
FIRST PUBLISH OCTOBER 2024
What is the rationale for a closed-ended interviewing approach? - Ans:✔✔-pertinent positives and
negatives, identification of disorder type for the specific patient (certain personality traits are
characteristic of certain disorders)
What is the psychiatric chief complaint? - Ans:✔✔-the patients own terms
What is involved in the psychiatric HPI? - Ans:✔✔-longitudinal course and response to treatment
(important for clinical diagnosis)
identify social factors relevant to the onset/exacerbation of the illness (why now?)
What is involved in the past psychiatric history? - Ans:✔✔-initial signs and symptoms, response or lack of
response to treatment
What is the significance of the PMH for psychiatric patients? - Ans:✔✔-up to 30-50% of psyche patients
have significant medical co-morbidity
medical disorder etiologically (causation) related in up to 5-30% of patients
in particular attend to neurologic and endocrine disorders
Page 2/6
