In US culture, it's very common to greet a person by asking, "Hey! How are you?" The goal is not so much to stop and begin an intensive conversation on their day. Rather, culturally, it's accepted as a substitute for saying hello. The response is also a bit scripted: ""Ok ", "Fine ", or "Good" are all common off the cuff answers.
So perhaps it's a bit cultural, but most people don't discuss how they are feeling unless they are specifically asked that question by someone who they feel they can answer honestly.
When a psychiatrist is collecting your history, they will often asked "How is your mood?" This question often confuses people, as they think it's the same as asking "How are you?" Unless a psychiatrist is very specific during their interviews, a patient will usually respond to questions about mood with "I'm ok."
I usually like to phrase questions about mood another way, by instead asking, "If you had to use an emotion word, how would you say you are feeling? Emotion words are things like happy, sad, or frustrated, if that helps."
While there are formal screeners to that help with the diagnosis of mood disorders and also help to track their severity, checking in on a person's mood every appointment can provide critical data. Additionally, when starting psychotherapy, learning more about a person's ability to communicate how they are feeling can be very helpful in building a treatment plan for them.
I like to let patients know that it is completely fine if they don't know how to exactly convey how they are feeling. A patient only needs to try their best to describe what they are feeling and the interview can proceed from there. Psychiatrists by training can help people navigate communicating complex experiences. This work, and any psychoeducation involved, helps determine how best to proceed with care.
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