Psychiatric Interviewing and Assessment

Robert Poole is a community psychiatrist with an interest in the psychological, social and cultural aspects of mental illness. He has wide experience as a postgraduate educator having been a Royal College Clinical Tutor and Examiner, a University Postgraduate Tutor and Chairman of a regional psychiatric training committee. Robert Higgo is currently the consultant psychiatrist for an Assertive Outreach Team in Liverpool, dealing with difficult to engage and complex client groups. He is a Royal College tutor and joint programme director for the Merseyside Rotational Training Scheme in Psychiatry.

Acknowledgements; Introduction; Part I. What Am I Trying to Find Out Here?: 1. Diagnosis; 2. History; 3. Mental state and psychopathology; 4. Cognitive state assessment and organic disease; Part II. The Main Principles of One to One Interviewing: 5. Office based psychiatric assessment; 6. Understanding and managing relationships with patients; Part III. The Difficult Interview: 7. Difficulties relating to psychosis; 8. Unpopular patients; Part IV. Self Awareness: 9. Values and beliefs; 10. Culture; 11. Who should I be?; Part V. Out of the Clinic: 12. Interviewing with other team members; 13. Interviewing families and other informants; 14. In the community; Part VI. Drawing it all Together: 15. Personality; 16. Risk and safety; 17. Note keeping, letters and reports; Afterword. Getting alongside patients.