PCN 644 Topic 2 DQ 2

PCN 644 Topic 2 DQ 2

What are some strengths and challenges of MCMI-IV for assessing mental status? Do you feel that this MCMI-IV is a good method to assess emotional status? Why or why not? Provide specific examples to support your position

Over the course of its development, the MCMI-IV has undergone improvements and adjustments. However, there is still a weakness in the assessment instrument. This weakness is the lack of details in symptoms to be expected in older adults. There is a need for this assessment tool to take into consideration the limitations of older adults during the assessment (Schaie & Willis, 2011). Consequently, the MCMI-IV has numerous strengths such as the assessment tool does not consider somatic symptoms. This perspective is viewed by some people as a benefit since the MCMI-IV should be used to measure mental symptoms hence giving a bright outlook on the psychological issues the patient is facing. Also, the MCMI-IV uses scales during the evaluation of a patient. This use of scales is an advantage since it provides information mainly on the client’s scores in several clinical fields for the different sections (Millon et al., 2015). I do not think that the MCMI-IV is a suitable instrument for assessing emotion because not all symptoms that are measurable can be linked to a feeling. For example, the symptom ‘dependent’ does not point to any particular emotion.

Reference

Millon, Theodore, et al. The Millon® Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-IV (MCMI®-IV). 2015, http://www.millonpersonality.com/inventories/MCMI-IV/.

Schaie, K. Warner, and Sherry L. Willis, editors. Handbook of the Psychology of Aging. 7. ed, Elsevier, Acad. Press, 2011.