Assessment of mental health problems is a challenging area of practice that covers a range of symptoms and behaviours – and involves building a trust relationship with service users while also using specialist skills. Using a values-based approach focused on engaging and working in partnership with the service user, this book is designed to take you from the core building blocks of assessment through to practice-based guidance about mental health behaviours, and concludes with case studies 'on the ground'.

The first section of the book explores core aspects of assessment such as communication skills and engaging the service user, and explores how assessment guides the nursing process as a whole. The next section will be ideal for quick reference during practice and looks at 23 different clinical behaviours that nurses will assess, under 4 categories:
• Physical factors in mental health
• Behavioural aspects in mental health
• The role of thoughts in mental health
• Feelings in mental health

The final section gives 4 case studies of different assessment stories which relate to the different types of clinical behaviour you will encounter.

This practical book is essential reading for student nurses and all healthcare staff involved in the assessment of people with mental health problems.