Sections
The Psychiatric Interview of Older Adults: Introduction | History | Family Assessment | The Mental Status Examination | Rating Scales and Standardized Interviews | Effective Communication With the Older Adult | Key Points | References | Suggested Readings
Excerpt
The foundation of the diagnostic workup of the
older adult experiencing a psychiatric disorder is the diagnostic
interview. Unfortunately, in this age of increasing technology in
the laboratory and standardization of interview techniques, the
art of the clinical interview has suffered. Also, time pressures
limit clinicians' ability to perform a thorough diagnostic workup.
Nevertheless, such a workup will save valuable time over the course
of an older adult's illness. In fact, there is no substitute,
even with modern technologies, for a thorough initial assessment
of the older adult. In this chapter, I review the core of the psychiatric
interview, including history taking, assessment of the family, and
the mental status examination; describe structured interview schedules
and rating scales that are of value in the assessment of older adults;
and outline techniques for communicating effectively with older
adults.