American Psychiatric Association Practice Guidelines for the Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders 2004 PSYCHIATRIC EVALUATION OF ADULTS: A Quick Reference Guide > PSYCHIATRIC EVALUATION OF ADULTS: A Quick Reference Guide Sections: A. Purpose of the Evaluation, 1. Establish aims of the evaluation., 2. Expect general evaluations to be time intensive., 3. For consultations:, B. Site of the Evaluation, 1. Adjust goals and evaluative approaches to the setting., 2. Consider if the setting meets the needs of the patient., 3. Document factors of the setting that may limit the evaluation., 4. Use inpatient settings to optimize safety, provide intensive and continuous observation, and provide multidisciplinary treatment and collaborative decision making., 5. Use outpatient settings to provide greater patient autonomy and longitudinal perspective on the patient’s symptoms., C. Domains of the Evaluation, 1. Understand that evaluations vary in scope and intensity., 2. Generally, consider the domains in Table 1 systematically. , 3. Also consider aspects of the patient's developmental history that may be associated with an increased risk of later psychiatric illness (Table 2). , D. Process of the Evaluation, 1. Methods of Obtaining Information, 2. The Process of Assessment, E. Special Considerations, 1. Maintain the patient’s privacy and confidentiality., 2. Address legal and administrative issues., 3. Understand and address the needs of patients from special populations.. Topics Discussed: confidentiality; diagnostic tests, routine; examination, mental state; functional assessment; physical examination; privacy; psychiatric evaluation; psychiatric history; psychiatric interview and evaluation; risk assessment; substance use disorders. Excerpt: " Based on Practice Guideline for the Psychiatric Treatment of Adults, Second Edition, originally published in June 2006. A guideline watch, summarizing significant developments in the scientific literature since publication of this guideline, may be available. Psychiatric evaluations vary according to their purpose. This guide is intended primarily for general, emergency, and consultation evaluations for clinical purposes...." DOI: 10.1176/appi.books.9780890423370.145003 The content above is only an excerpt. For full access subscribe now or log into your account below. You can also purchase 24- or 48-hour access; learn more Username: Password:   FORGOT your subscriber username and/or password? Get a reminder via email: The email I registered with is:  Not a subscriber? Subscribe Today PsychiatryOnline is a powerful website that features DSM-IV-TR® and The American Journal of Psychiatry as the cornerstones of an unsurpassed collection of psychiatric references, including books, journals, and self-assessment tools. PsychiatryOnline’s innovative platform makes these resources easy and convenient to use, offering Precise and powerful searching across books and journals. Quick pathways to related material. Mobile access from any computer with a Web connection. Ability to download any book section to PDA. Links from bibliographic references to the full text of journal articles. References to material not located in the PsychiatryOnline collection lead you to PubMed. Learn more about PsychiatryOnline Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing PsychiatryOnline@psych.org or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.).