MENTAL TESTS 1
University affiliation
Theprocess of treating the people suffering from the problems ofpsychology is usually not straightforward. The clinicians and thepsychologists are supposed to employ certain tests, which aims at theexamination and the assessment of the mental functional ability ofthe client and his or her mental status. Therefore, no one candecline the essence of the comparative analysis of the client’sfunctional impairment, coupled with the tests of symptom severity(Benjamin,2013). Thetests that can be administered for the issues of symptom severityinclude the SIRS-2, which is the Structured Interview of the ReportedSymptoms, and the MMSE, which is the Mini-Mental State Examination.On another perspective, the examinations required in testing thefunctional impairment entail the Burns Brief Inventory ofCommunication and Cognition, and OFAB, which is the Ohio FunctionalAssessment Battery (Boone, 2013).Furthermore, it also crucial to select the aptest test for EmmaKinch the virtual client, after doing the comparison and analysis ofthe tests. These tests can be done on the client who shows manydifferent symptoms, which depicts a likely presence of dementia.
SIR-2
TheSIR-2 test purposes to ascertain if the person is faking the mentalillness or the cognitive deficit. It usually uses some simplequestions that need to be read aloud to assess and evaluate theclient. Consequently, the test requires the yes or no answers fromthe client. It contains 172 items (Benjamin,2013) that compare the clientbehavior, which has been observed, and that which has been reported.The physician covers the symptoms as severity, improbable, rare,absurd, and subtle. One limitation ofSIR-2 is that it has only been tested with interviews that arestructured and therefore, care should be taken to ensure the measurescover a wider range of symptoms or otherwise it may lead to falsepositives. The interviews are also time consuming to be administeredtaking more than two hours to administer for patients with manyproblems.
MMSE
MMSEis a short measure of the mental status, which is often administeredindividually. The test measures the examinable cognitive status inthe adult clients. Its chief intention is to screen an individual andassess if he or she is suffering from cognitive impairment. It goesahead to test the severity of the cognitive impairment at aparticular point in time (Boone, 2013). The test follows thealterations in the cognition, all through the treatment period, andthe physician can jot down the responses. Nevertheless,the test has a limitation of miscalculating dementia in theuneducated older individuals which brings unreliability of clinicaland research practice in middle and low income countries with highproportion of illiteracy in older adults. It also has the limitationof the need to alter scores for age, ethnicity, and education andalso for the case of probable issues with copyrights. Anotherlimitation is that it does not diagnose changes in cognitive functionand should therefore not replace a comprehensive clinical assessmentof the mental state.
Comparison between SIRS-2 test and MMSE test
BothMMSE and SIRS-2 relates to the mental conditions of the client,concerning the cognitive ability. Nonetheless, SIRS-2 is usuallylonger as it takes around 65 minutes to administer, whereas the MMSEcan take just 15 minutes. The time differences are crucial for thevirtual client, Emma Kinch because she needs a shorter examinationsince she has outbursts and mood swings. Additionally, while theSIRS-2 will be checking if Emma is feigning or not, the MMSE willcheck her mental condition, regarding the deficits of cognitiveability.
Noone can deny the fact that MMSE is more suitable to apply to EmmaKinch, as compared to SIRS-2. MMSE test is often brief. Thus, it willnot be overwhelming for her. It is also more reliable, and it hashigh sensibility and high predictive value (Boone, 2013). More so, itwill help to quantify the cognitive impairment level of Emma Kinch,as opposed to the SIRS-2 test.
Testing for functional impairment
Thetest is meant to assess if Emma has the chief neuropsychiatricdisorders. The functional decline of Emma can be attributed to themany elements that include the medical illness like hypothyroidism,or to the recent demise of her husband. It is hence imperative toascertain the extent of the functional deficits severity of EmmaKinch, to help her.
Burns Brief Inventory of Communication andCognition
Thetest determines the impaired cognitive, or the communication skillsof the client, because of the neurological lesion. It also assists inselecting the best suitable treatment. For the virtual client EmmaKinch, the test cannot be easy since it comprises of the right andleft hemisphere inventories (Boone, 2013). Therefore, the test may beboth intrusive and overwhelming to her, because of her observedbehaviors and symptoms. One of itslimitation is that it cannot be used as a standalone techniquebecause it does not diagnose a patient but used in patients whoalready have a clear diagnosis as per a medical examination.
OFAB
OFABdetermines the client’s functional extent of abilities to developthe measurable objectives. It lasts about a quarter an hour(Rabinovitz, 2012),and it targets the adult people that experience small to massivecognitive ability impairment. Onelimitation of OFAB is that its application requires the evaluators tobe highly experienced to select and evaluate precise functionalassessment constructs which are pertinent to the available case.
Comparing functional impairment tests
OFAB test can be said to be the most preferredfor Kinch. Its component information is more valid and reliable. Moreso, it measures the client’s functional skills, which are essentialfor the evaluation. Its outcomes can assist in determining Emma’sfunctioning level, using the observed skills (Rabinovitz,2012). Additionally, the results willexhibit the array of the behavioral or cognitive functioning of Emma,a contrast to Burns Brief Inventory of Communication and Cognitiontest.
Conclusion
Theclient outcome measures are very essential. Comparing and analyzingthe symptom severity and functional impairment tests can determinethe best test for the client, as in the case of the virtual client,Emma Kinch. For Emma, the chosen tests were deemed more appropriatebasing on her observed and reported symptoms, the outcomes of themedical diagnosis, and the outcomes of the behavioral and cognitivetests. The tests will offer appropriate information to Emma’sPsychologist, to ensure that she is given the best and mostappropriate treatment, which will enhance the quality of her life.
References
Boone, K. (2013). Assessmentof feigned cognitive impairment. NewYork: Guilford Press.
Rabinovitz,B. (2012). Temperament,executive control, and ADHD across development.
Universityof North Carolina Press
Benjamin,B. (2013). Diagnosticand statistical manual of mental disorders.
Washington,D.C.: American Psychiatric Association.