Recognising Signs of Deterioration in a Person’s Mental State
During national consultation for the National Consensus Statement: Essential elements for recognising and responding to deterioration in a person’s mental state the Commission identified the need to develop consensus on a set of signs that can be used for monitoring deterioration in a person’s mental state. The Commission engaged Gaskin Research to undertake the project and provide a report on Recognising Signs of Deterioration in a Person’s Mental State.
The authors conducted a literature review and interviews with key stakeholders to generate a list of signs. They then undertook a sequential survey process to develop consensus on the signs, resulting in a proposed set of 28 clusters of signs, arranged into five indicators:
- Reported change
- Distress
- Loss of touch with reality or consequences of behaviours
- Loss of function
- Elevated risk to self, others or property.
These five indicators provide an overarching framework for monitoring deterioration in a person’s mental state, and are outlined in the signs of deterioration in a person's mental state table.
The Commission will undertake further work with stakeholders on the alignment of the proposed signs with existing systems to ensure safe and effective response to deterioration in a person’s mental state.
An updated literature review was conducted in 2019.
Contact us
If you would like further information about any of the Commission’s work in mental health, please email: mentalhealth@safetyandquality.gov.au