Final Project: Part II MSE Report
Appearance
Elaine Roffman, the interviewee on whom the mental status examination was performed, was well-dressed for the interview. The clothes and the shoes she wore were appropriate for activities that required a public appearance. A visual examination of her person did not indicate any extraordinary physical characteristics. Elaine looked the age of 87 years that she stated when the video was taken. There was a good rapport between the interviewer and the interviewee. It was evident that the interviewee was comfortable as evidenced by the regular and appropriate eye contact. Her relations with the interviewer was well as evidenced by the expression on her face, and her responses whenever she was prompted by the interviewer. The interviewee appeared restless whenever she was prompted for answers to questions with which she was unfamiliar. For instance, the interviewer prompted Ms. Roffman to name the vice president at the time. Her nonverbal behavior involved shifting her feet and hands, moving her head back and forth, rubbing her thighs using her thumbs and shaking her left leg. After a while, she gave some fleeting comments after which she said that she would have to think further about the question. However, the interviewer noted that some of this nonverbal behavior was also evident even when she was prompted for answers to questions for which she was expected to know the answers. For instance, she still rubbed one of her thighs with her thumb and also nodded her head when she was required to indicate her name and her date of birth. She exuded confidence when giving the answers to each of the answers despite the nonverbal behavior.
Mood/Affect
Ms. Roffman was very cooperative with the interviewer throughout the length of the assessment. She volunteered information when prompted and responded positively to probes by the interviewer for in-depth information. Ms. Roffman was also in a cheerful mood throughout the assessment period. Apart from the few times she appeared in deep thought, especially when she was asked questions whose answers she was unsure, she kept smiling throughout the assessment period. She was not too excited at any point in her assessment. Even when she was posed with questions that sparked her interest, she remained calm. Her affect was appropriate. It was evident that she was interested in the questions being asked. This was indicated by the fact that she sat upright, maintained eye contact periodically, and was attentive throughout the assessment period. Ms. Roffman did not appear irritated at any point by the behavior of the interviewer or the questions posed. Even when the interviewer probed for more information, Ms. Roffman was keen to offer the information. Ms. Roffman did not appear anxious at any point during the assessment. Even when she was fidgety, her demeanor was restless at her worst. The subject did not appear manic or depressed. There are times when she appeared to think retrospectively. There was no indication of depression even in those instances.
Speech/Language
The speech patterns of Ms. Roffman were normal. Her words were articulated coherently. Her choice of words and diction enabled the comprehension of what she was saying. There were no words which were notably broken or slowed. The manner in which the she sounded her answers was articulate. Ms. Roffman seemed to express her thoughts every time she spoke. The interviewer noted that Ms. Roffman had difficulties understanding the questions as they were posed. She also experienced difficulties processing the meaning of a question to determine what answer was required of her. For instance, the interviewer gave her a short-term memory test comprise of five words. When asked to give anything that was common with the words, Ms. Roffman’s reply did not indicate an understanding of the question asked. Even when the interviewer paraphrased her question to make it simpler, Ms. Roffman’s response still indicated a lack of understanding of the question asked. When the interviewer asked Ms. Roffman of her name, her year of birth, and the questions regarding the incident that occurred in the parking garage, her answers indicated an understanding of the questions even though some of the answers were not accurate.
Thought Process
Ms. Roffman remained attentive, focused, and concentrated throughout the assessment. She was keen when being addressed by the interviewer. Her thoughts were directed towards the objectives of the assessment. She also remained on the topic apart from the few incidences when she displayed a lack of understanding of the questions asked. It is during these instances when her thought process was erroneous. Ms. Roffman displayed tangentiality. This occurred whenever she could not comprehend the questions that were posed by the interviewer. With regards to person/place/time, Ms. Roffman was self-aware. She was also aware that she was in the interview room (place), the reason she was in the interview room, and the other woman who was in the interview room. However, Ms. Roffman found it challenging to remember the date.
Thought Content and Perception
There was no evidence that Ms. Roffman was delusional or experienced any hallucinations. However, the assessment identified evidence of dementia. Her long term memory was accurate as evidenced by her ability to remember the year of birth and her name. The interviewer found fault in the medium-term memory of Ms. Roffman. Although she could remember her residential community, she found difficulties remembering the address of the name of the vice president. The subject did not exhibit any suicidal ideation. She also showed a limited awareness of her environment and shows evidence of insight.
Summary and Recommendations
The person interviewed to give an account of the incident that occurred in the garage was Ellaine Roffman, an 85-year-old woman. Despite her advanced years, Ms. Roffman showed a presence of mind, attentiveness, retrospection, and a good train of thought. Ms. Roffman did not exhibit any delusional tendencies or hallucinations. However, there was evidence of dementia. While her long-term memory was intact, the medium-term memory was flawed. Her ability to describe the incident in the garage accurately is greatly hampered by the fact that her short-term memory. The subject struggled with new memories. This is also affected by the fact that she showed evidence of difficulties processing and deciphering the meaning from the questions asked (Hicks, n.d.). She would give inappropriate answers from time to time. There are many positives in that she is attentive, can speak coherently, and has a normal mood and disposition. I recommend that Ms. Roffman is of sound mind, and that any negative elements derived from the assessment such as dementia are the effects of the ageing process. I also recommend that future interviewers should pose shorter questions (Gordon & Fleisher, 2011). This will help her in processing and deciphering the meaning from the questions (Goldberg, 2008).
References
Goldberg, C. (2008). A practical guide to clinical medicine: The mental status exam. The Regents of the University of California. Retrieved from http://meded.ucsd.edu/clinicalmed/mental.htm
Gordon, N. J., & Fleisher, W. L. (2011). Effective interviewing and interrogation techniques. London, England: Elsevier Ltd.
Hicks, J. (n.d.). Forensic report writing tips. Forensicmind.com. Retrieved August 17, 2012, from http://www.forensicmind.com/assets/docs/Report+Writing+Tips+(psych).pdf
