{
Caseworkers’ Roles
in Mental Health
Assessments
Christine Tirado, MSHS
May 27, 2015

Who Do We Serve?

Statistics
 Depression
 About 31 percent of
Americans in poverty say
they have at some point
been diagnosed with
_________ compared with
15.8 percent of those not in
poverty.
 PTSD
 ________ affects 3.5% of the
U.S. adult population—
about 7.7 million Americans
and about 37% of those
cases are classified as severe.
 Domestic Violence:
 1 in 3 Women & 1 in 10 Men
will experience _________in
their lifetime, 63% of
homeless women have been
victims of ___________.
 Anxiety
 An estimated 40 million
adults in the U.S., or 18%,
have ___________.
 Bipolar Disorder
 Every year, 2.9% of the U.S.
population is diagnosed
with ________, with nearly
83% of cases being classified
as severe.
 Suicide:
 _______ is the 10th leading
cause of death in the US for
all ages.
 There is one ______ for every
estimated 25 _____attempts.

The Importance of
Assessments

What Do Case Managers Do?
 Assess the initial problem
 Explore clients’ backgrounds in areas such as
education, relationships, work history & legal history
 Co-Construct plans with clients to address their current
needs
 Help clients identify strengths and utilize their natural
supports.
 Utilize observations to collaborate with other service
providers & natural supports
CASE MANAGERS ARE FRONTLINE STAFF!

Mental Status Exam
An exam that describes observations of the way a client thinks, acts,
talks, and looks.
Informal MSE’s can be done to assess:
Thinking process
Feeling state
Behavior
Understand the way the person functions emotionally and
cognitively
Enable case worker to communicate effectively with
mental health providers

DSM -5
 Non-axial System
 Axis I, II, III: Mental Health, Personality D/O,
Medical
 Axis IV: psychosocial & environmental problems
 Axis V: Disability (GAF)
 Get familiar with symptoms of common mental
health diagnoses

Recommendations
 To Increase Communication/Interviewing Skills Try:
 Motivational Interviewing
 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Techniques
 To Improve with Goal Setting try:
 Stages of Change
 To increase Suicide Prevention Skills try:
 Question, Persuade, Refer (Q.P.R)
Contact:
DHMAS
Connecticut Clearing House
Connecticut Women’s Consortium
REGIONAL (RECOVERY) NETWORK OF PROGRAMS

References
American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth
Edition. Arlington, VA, American Psychiatric Association, 2013.
Combs, H. Mental Status Exam. Retrieved May 6, 2015 from
http://depts.washington.edu/psyclerk/secure/mentalstatusexam.pdf
Cox, J.L., Holden, J.M. and Sagovsky, R. (1987). Detection of postnatal depression:
Development of the 10-item Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. British
Journal of Psychiatry, 150, 782-786.
National Alliance on Mental Illness (2015). Mental Health Conditions. Retrieved on March 24,
2015 from https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health- Conditions
SAMHSA-HRSA Center For Integrated Health Solutions. Retrieved May 6, 2015 from
http://www.integration.samhsa.gov/clinical-practice/screening-tools
Summers, N. (2012). Fundamentals of Case Management Practice: Skills for the Human
Services. (5th Ed), (pp.43-65) Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole
Wood, J. (2012). Survey Finds Depression Twice as Common Among the Poor. Psych Central.
Retrieved on March 24, 2015, from http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/10/31/survey-finds-
depression-twice-as-common-among-the-poor/46942.html