Primary Aims of the First Psychiatric Interview

1-What are the primary aims of the first psychiatric interview?

2-How should the initial interview be organized?

Two scholarly sources references are required unless stated otherwise by your professor.

The first psychiatric interview serves several essential purposes in psychiatric assessment and treatment planning. The main aims include:

Establishing Rapport and Therapeutic Alliance: Building trust is crucial for obtaining accurate information and ensuring cooperation throughout the course of treatment.
Collecting a Comprehensive Psychiatric History: This includes medical, psychiatric, family, developmental, and social histories, as well as current psychosocial stressors.
Performing a Mental Status Examination (MSE): To assess the patient’s current cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functioning.
Formulating a Differential Diagnosis: Based on the data gathered, clinicians begin to consider potential psychiatric diagnoses.
Assessing Risk: This includes evaluating the risk of harm to self or others, as well as risk from others (e.g., abuse, neglect).
Initiating a Treatment Plan: Based on initial findings, clinicians may begin outlining treatment options, including therapy, medications, or referrals.

A well-structured initial psychiatric interview typically follows this format:

Introduction and Orientation
- Clarify the purpose of the interview and confidentiality limits.
- Establish rapport.
Chief Complaint (CC)
- Patient’s own words describing why they are seeking help.
History of Present Illness (HPI)
- Detailed exploration of symptoms: onset, duration, severity, triggers, and functional impact.
Past Psychiatric History
- Previous diagnoses, treatments, hospitalizations, medication history, and outcomes.
Medical History
- Current and past medical conditions, medications, allergies.
Family History
- Mental health and medical issues in immediate and extended family.
Social and Developmental History
- Education, employment, relationships, substance use, legal issues, early childhood development.
Mental Status Examination (MSE)
- Observational assessment of appearance, behavior, mood, affect, thought process/content, perception, cognition, insight, and judgment.
Risk Assessment
- Suicidal or homicidal ideation, self-harm, violence, abuse, or neglect.
Formulation and Plan
- Preliminary diagnostic impression and outline of initial treatment recommendations.

American Psychiatric Association. (2016). The American Psychiatric Association Practice Guidelines for the Psychiatric Evaluation of Adults (3rd ed.). American Psychiatric Publishing.
Trzepacz, P. T., & Baker, R. W. (1993). The Psychiatric Mental Status Examination. Oxford University Press.