2025 Psychiatry Kimyan Moodley
,2025 Psychiatry Kimyan Moodley
Psychiatric Assessment ................................................................................................................................................. 3
Mental Health Care Act (No.17 Of 2002) ...................................................................................................................... 12
Basic Principles Of Psychopharmacology ................................................................................................................. 16
Allied Health Professionals And Mental Health ......................................................................................................... 19
Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry ................................................................................................................................. 25
Suicide ............................................................................................................................................................................ 26
Aggression..................................................................................................................................................................... 30
Psychotic Disorders ..................................................................................................................................................... 33
Anti-Psychotics ............................................................................................................................................................. 45
Bipolar Disorders .......................................................................................................................................................... 52
Mood Stabilisers ........................................................................................................................................................... 60
Depressive Disorders ................................................................................................................................................... 63
Antidepressants ............................................................................................................................................................ 71
Anxiety Disorders ......................................................................................................................................................... 74
Trauma And Stressor-Related Disorders .................................................................................................................... 82
Obsessive-Compulsive & Related Disorders ............................................................................................................. 87
Substance Use Disorders ............................................................................................................................................. 88
HIV And Mental Health .................................................................................................................................................. 97
Neurocognitive Disorders .......................................................................................................................................... 102
Personality Disorders ................................................................................................................................................. 106
Eating Disorders ......................................................................................................................................................... 107
,2025 Psychiatry Kimyan Moodley
The psychiatric assessment is a process to determine the presence of psychiatric S+S and understanding the
patient as an individual and within various contexts. It helps to establish a diagnosis that will lead to specific
investigations and a management plan. It is comprised of the ffg:
1. History taking (patient and collateral information)
2. Mental status examination (MSE)
3. Physical examination
IDENTIFICATION/DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
NAME HOSPITAL NO.
DATE OF BIRTH
AGE GENDER
RACE MARITAL STATUS
ADDRESS
EMPLOYMENT EMPLOYED UNEMPLOYED DG PENSION MEDICAL
Specify: BOARDING
LEVEL OF EDUCATION LANGUAGE
RELIGION HANDEDNESS
MHCA STATUS VOLUNTARY ASSISTED INVOLUNTARY
NAME AND CONTACT
DETAILS OF
RELATIVE/FRIEND
ROUTE OF REFERRAL
• Was the patient in another hospital previously? Why were they referred? How long was the patient in that
hospital? What diagnosis did the patient give them? What treatment did they receive?
• Who brought the patient in and why? What relationship do they share with the patient?
• Did the police bring the patient in? Why was the patient in police custody?
PRESENTING COMPLAINT
• What the patient reports, verbatim.
• Onset, duration of symptoms.
• Precipitant and temporal relationship of sxs; evolution of sxs; aggravating and relieving factors.
• Ass. medical and psychiatric problem.
• Relationship of symptoms to substance.
• Response to medication.
• Impact of symptoms on ADLs, family functioning, occupational functioning and social functioning.
PSYCHIATRIC SYSTEMIC ENQUIRY
• Psychotic cluster: Hallucinations, delusions, negative symptoms
• Mood cluster: Depression, mania, hypomania
• Anxiety cluster: Worries, panic attacks, phobias, social anxiety
• Obsessive compulsive and related disorders: Obsessions and compulsions
• Trauma and stressor related disorders
• Cognitive cluster
, 2025 Psychiatry Kimyan Moodley
• Ictal cluster
• Somatic symptoms and related disorders
• Conversion cluster
• Feeding and eating disorders
PAST PSYCHIATRIC HISTORY
FIRST ILLNESS EPISODE
FIRST CONTACT WITH PSYCHIATRY,
PSYCHOLOGY, TRADITIONAL HEALER
PREVIOUS PSYCHIATRIC DIAGNOSIS
NO. AND DETAILS OF PREVIOUS
ILLNESS (precipitants, duration, severity,
response to rx, duration of remission)
NO. AND DETAILS OF ADMISSIONS
(MHCA status, duration, treatment, date
of most recent admission)
PREVIOUS RESPONSE TO RX
(pharmacological, psychological, social,
ECT)
ADHERENCE
DETAILS OF PREVIOUS SUICIDE
ATTEMPTS AND SELF-HARM
SUBSTANCE USE HISTORY
Onset, precipitant/s, amount, effects, pattern of use, features of abuse and dependence, medical and psychiatric
complications, attempts to stop, stage of change
• Cigarettes (nicotine)
• ETOH
• Cannabis
• Other drugs
• Caffeine
• OTCs and prescription Rx
• Environmental/occupational exposure
PAST MEDICAL AND SURGICAL HISTORY
NEUROLOGICAL (head trauma, epilepsy,
delirium, CNS infections, headaches)
NON-NEUROLOGICAL (DM, HPT, thyroid
disease, GORD, asthma, TB, HIV, syphilis,
cardiac disease, renal failure, liver disease)
OBGYN (contraception, pregnancy status,
LMNP)
PREVIOUS SURGERIES
ALLERGIES
PAST AND CURRENT RX
FORENSIC HISTORY
• Cautions, charges, convictions, prison sentences
• Pending court cases
• Screen for antisocial behaviour
,2025 Psychiatry Kimyan Moodley
Psychiatric Assessment ................................................................................................................................................. 3
Mental Health Care Act (No.17 Of 2002) ...................................................................................................................... 12
Basic Principles Of Psychopharmacology ................................................................................................................. 16
Allied Health Professionals And Mental Health ......................................................................................................... 19
Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry ................................................................................................................................. 25
Suicide ............................................................................................................................................................................ 26
Aggression..................................................................................................................................................................... 30
Psychotic Disorders ..................................................................................................................................................... 33
Anti-Psychotics ............................................................................................................................................................. 45
Bipolar Disorders .......................................................................................................................................................... 52
Mood Stabilisers ........................................................................................................................................................... 60
Depressive Disorders ................................................................................................................................................... 63
Antidepressants ............................................................................................................................................................ 71
Anxiety Disorders ......................................................................................................................................................... 74
Trauma And Stressor-Related Disorders .................................................................................................................... 82
Obsessive-Compulsive & Related Disorders ............................................................................................................. 87
Substance Use Disorders ............................................................................................................................................. 88
HIV And Mental Health .................................................................................................................................................. 97
Neurocognitive Disorders .......................................................................................................................................... 102
Personality Disorders ................................................................................................................................................. 106
Eating Disorders ......................................................................................................................................................... 107
,2025 Psychiatry Kimyan Moodley
The psychiatric assessment is a process to determine the presence of psychiatric S+S and understanding the
patient as an individual and within various contexts. It helps to establish a diagnosis that will lead to specific
investigations and a management plan. It is comprised of the ffg:
1. History taking (patient and collateral information)
2. Mental status examination (MSE)
3. Physical examination
IDENTIFICATION/DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
NAME HOSPITAL NO.
DATE OF BIRTH
AGE GENDER
RACE MARITAL STATUS
ADDRESS
EMPLOYMENT EMPLOYED UNEMPLOYED DG PENSION MEDICAL
Specify: BOARDING
LEVEL OF EDUCATION LANGUAGE
RELIGION HANDEDNESS
MHCA STATUS VOLUNTARY ASSISTED INVOLUNTARY
NAME AND CONTACT
DETAILS OF
RELATIVE/FRIEND
ROUTE OF REFERRAL
• Was the patient in another hospital previously? Why were they referred? How long was the patient in that
hospital? What diagnosis did the patient give them? What treatment did they receive?
• Who brought the patient in and why? What relationship do they share with the patient?
• Did the police bring the patient in? Why was the patient in police custody?
PRESENTING COMPLAINT
• What the patient reports, verbatim.
• Onset, duration of symptoms.
• Precipitant and temporal relationship of sxs; evolution of sxs; aggravating and relieving factors.
• Ass. medical and psychiatric problem.
• Relationship of symptoms to substance.
• Response to medication.
• Impact of symptoms on ADLs, family functioning, occupational functioning and social functioning.
PSYCHIATRIC SYSTEMIC ENQUIRY
• Psychotic cluster: Hallucinations, delusions, negative symptoms
• Mood cluster: Depression, mania, hypomania
• Anxiety cluster: Worries, panic attacks, phobias, social anxiety
• Obsessive compulsive and related disorders: Obsessions and compulsions
• Trauma and stressor related disorders
• Cognitive cluster
, 2025 Psychiatry Kimyan Moodley
• Ictal cluster
• Somatic symptoms and related disorders
• Conversion cluster
• Feeding and eating disorders
PAST PSYCHIATRIC HISTORY
FIRST ILLNESS EPISODE
FIRST CONTACT WITH PSYCHIATRY,
PSYCHOLOGY, TRADITIONAL HEALER
PREVIOUS PSYCHIATRIC DIAGNOSIS
NO. AND DETAILS OF PREVIOUS
ILLNESS (precipitants, duration, severity,
response to rx, duration of remission)
NO. AND DETAILS OF ADMISSIONS
(MHCA status, duration, treatment, date
of most recent admission)
PREVIOUS RESPONSE TO RX
(pharmacological, psychological, social,
ECT)
ADHERENCE
DETAILS OF PREVIOUS SUICIDE
ATTEMPTS AND SELF-HARM
SUBSTANCE USE HISTORY
Onset, precipitant/s, amount, effects, pattern of use, features of abuse and dependence, medical and psychiatric
complications, attempts to stop, stage of change
• Cigarettes (nicotine)
• ETOH
• Cannabis
• Other drugs
• Caffeine
• OTCs and prescription Rx
• Environmental/occupational exposure
PAST MEDICAL AND SURGICAL HISTORY
NEUROLOGICAL (head trauma, epilepsy,
delirium, CNS infections, headaches)
NON-NEUROLOGICAL (DM, HPT, thyroid
disease, GORD, asthma, TB, HIV, syphilis,
cardiac disease, renal failure, liver disease)
OBGYN (contraception, pregnancy status,
LMNP)
PREVIOUS SURGERIES
ALLERGIES
PAST AND CURRENT RX
FORENSIC HISTORY
• Cautions, charges, convictions, prison sentences
• Pending court cases
• Screen for antisocial behaviour
