Clinical Assessment

Clinical Assessment

PSY / 270

January 13, 2013

What other information would you like to learn during the interview with the family? What questions would you ask?

I would have asked what has recently changed at home, (ex. changes in daily schedule, behavior, attitudes, or even discipline.) especially around the time the daughter's behavior changed. Are there any changes at school?

In addition to the clinical interview, what other clinical assessment tools should you consider? Why?

The clinical assessments tools that I would you use are sentence-completion test, and drawings. I think at Clara's age, doing these simple tests would be easier for her to understand.

Although you need more information to begin treatment, what factors might you take into consideration in designing an effective intervention for this family?

The factors that I would take consideration in designing an effective intervention for this family would be things such as what triggers her tantrums; her attitude towards those around her before and after her behavior changed; or changes in her surroundings.

If you were preparing to diagnose Clara, you would refer to the DSM-IV classification system to evaluate her condition on five separate axes. What type of information would go into each axis? You are not asked to enter a diagnosis, only describe the kind of information that would be entered in each axis.

In axis I, Clara would receive a mood disorder. If clinician judged that Clara also displayed a life history of dependent behavior. She might then also receive an Axis II diagnosis of dependent personality disorder. The remaining axes of DSM-IV guide diagnosticians in reporting other factors. Axis III asks for information concerning relevant medical conditions from which the person is currently suffering. Axis IV asks about special psychosocial or environmental problems the person is facing, such as school or housing problems.

Do you think that diagnosing Clara would be beneficial or harmful? Explain why.

I think psychiatrists really shy away from diagnosing people way too much. A tentative diagnosis would be beneficial, and once its accuracy has been verified by an improvement on the corresponding treatment, I'd say a "label" can be helpful to a person, including a child, in understanding the different experiences they face and feeling that their experiences are valid and real.