A mental evaluation, administered by a psychologist, can diagnose conditions such as anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia. Formal and informal assessments are used, and third-party perspectives may be sought. Treatment can improve a patient’s quality of life.
A mental evaluation, also known as a psychological evaluation, is a test or assessment administered by a psychologist. There are various reasons why a person might need to have a mental assessment. This type of assessment can be used to help a mental health professional diagnose a patient with conditions such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and OCD. Parents may want to get a mental assessment of their school-aged child if the child is struggling in class or acting out. Courts may require a psychological evaluation in cases where a person convicted of a crime pleads insanity.
A psychologist may choose to perform a formal or informal mental assessment, if not both, on a patient. During a formal mental evaluation, the mental health professional will administer a test, often in the form of a questionnaire, to help diagnose a patient. A mental health professional may give a patient more than one formal test, to evaluate various aspects of the patient’s condition. The types of questionnaires can range from intellectual tests to personality tests to emotional assessments.
Informal mental assessments are less structured. A psychologist will typically perform an informal mental assessment by having a more casual conversation with a patient and asking appropriate questions throughout the session. This can help a mental health professional gain additional insight into a patient’s thoughts, feelings, and daily routine.
It is common for a psychologist to want to talk to a spouse, adult child, or close friends of the person undergoing mental evaluation if the patient’s condition is serious. Some patients may not provide accurate information during informal assessments because they deny that they have a condition. Other patients may have suffered from anxiety or mood swings for so long that they consider certain abnormal behaviors normal. Getting a third-party perspective can help a psychologist see the full picture of what’s going on in a patient’s life.
Seeking a mental health assessment can be the first step toward someone with a psychological disorder getting treatment and leading a better quality of life. Many psychological disorders can be managed with prescription medications, cognitive therapy, and group therapy. Mental illnesses are just as serious as physical illnesses and can sometimes be debilitating and dangerous to both the sufferer and those around them. A mental assessment can be done again later in treatment, after a patient has tried different medications and therapies, to see if the person’s condition has improved.
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