You are a psychologist in a primary care doctor’s office and one of the doctors approaches you and asks you to meet with his patient. He explains that the patient, Ms. “E”, is a 35 year-old, married, Black woman who disclosed to the doctor that she has occasional bouts of chest pain and discomfort. The doctor was unable to find a medical explanation for her symptoms, which left her feeling confused and stressed. The doctor would like you to meet with Ms. “E” to determine whether he might be suffering from a mental health condition and what any recommendations for treatment might be.
You do a brief review of Ms. E’s medical record. You see that she has two young children, works full time in human resources, and is a recently separated United States Air Force Veteran. When you enter the exam room, Ms. “E” begins to cry and is wringing her hands and looking down. She tells you that she has always been the “rock” of her family, but now feels that “I’m just a burden to everyone”. She complains of chest pain, sleep difficulties, anxiety, lack of motivation at work (despite good performance reviews), and loss of connection with her intimate partner. She states that twice this past week, she had three glasses of wine in the evening to help her calm down and sleep. She has never had any mental health treatment because “you just don’t do that in the military.”
1) Define clinical assessment to Ms. “E” and tell her about the key elements.
2) List five questions you would want to ask Ms. E in the clinical interview in order to make a diagnosis. Why did you choose these particular questions?
3) What could you say or do in order to help Ms. E feel more comfortable during the assessment process?
