Taking a good psychiatric history -- Mental health assessment of anxiety and depression -- Assessing risk to self: suicide and self-harm -- Information gathering in psychosis -- Information giving and shared decision making in psychosis -- Working with families and young people -- Assessment of mental capacity -- Dealing with emotions -- Breaking bad news in mental health -- Mental health consultations in primary care : managing the heartsink patient. Health care professionals working with patients with mental health issues face some of the most complex communication challenges in medicine. Consider for a moment the common problems that patients present with to both psychiatric services and primary care. Health professionals will be consulting with patients at risk of self-harm and suicide, who have disordered thought processes, who may de delusional or paranoid, with problems os capacity in old age or of confidentiality with young people.