Newman Dickinson

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Mental Health Assessment The First Step to Diagnosing a Mental Health Problem When people seek mental healthcare they may be overwhelmed by their feelings They may not know how to deal with their feelings Fortunately loved ones are often able to discern when something is wrong and help the person take action Assessment is the process by which therapists gather and analyze information to identify the clients needs It can be informal or formal standardized or nonstandardized selfreport or therapistadministered Mental health A mental health assessment is a procedure in which a professional checks to see if someone might have a mental health issue A medical examination observations and tests could be part of the procedure The process may take a long time and may require several appointments It is essential to answer any questions honestly and be honest with your health professional This will allow the doctor to provide a precise diagnosis Psychologists and psychiatrists use different methods to assess your mental health They can offer you written or verbal tests These tests are referred to as psychological tests and may be standardized tests that look for specific disorders These tests are typically combined with observations and interviews in order to diagnose an individual The MMPI2 test is among the most frequentlyused tests It tests a range of mental disorders Another test that is commonly used is the Y Z Test which evaluates a persons reaction to anxiety and stress Mental health professionals will also evaluate the patients cognitive performance during the examination This includes an assessment of the patients alertness level of consciousness speech and motor activities moods and feelings thoughts and perception and their attitude and understanding They will also test their ability to remember things and abstractly think as well as follow instructions If youre concerned that your child has a mental health problem it is crucial to take them to get evaluated by a specialist This could be a psychiatrist psychologist or counsellor It is important to ensure that the appointment is enough time for the professional to understand what is happening to your child and how theyre experiencing It is recommended for the child to be with the professional during the entire or part of the assessment It is important to inform your child that going for an assessment is not an act of punishment and that youre hoping the expert can discover what is going on so it can be treated It might be helpful to remind your child that everyone experiences anxiety and depression at times however if the symptoms persist they need to be addressed Symptoms Mental health issues can alter how you think feel and behave It can make it difficult to manage your daily life and relationships Counselling and medication can help Everyone feels sad or worried at times however its more serious if these changes impede your life and continue to occur If someone you know is experiencing changes in their mood and behavior that are disturbing or making it hard for them to function daytoday speak to them about it If you think theyre at risk of selfharm or suicide call Triple Zero 000 immediately Depression anxiety disorders and other mental illnesses affect approximately 264 million people in the world The symptoms include mood swings difficulty getting enough sleep or concentrating as well as changes in drinking or eating It can be caused by a variety of things including genes brain chemicals or stress It can also be triggered by traumatizing events like a car accident natural disaster or war Other reasons could be the family history of mental illness or taking certain medications or issues with your physical health There isnt a single test to diagnose mental health issues However listen to this podcast could be determined by a psychiatrist or other medical doctors or clinical psychologists Mental health professionals employ a classification system called the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or DSM which divides disorders into categories such as anxiety disorder depressive disorder and bipolar disorder Alternative methods of diagnosis include noncategorical systems like those devised by German psychiatrist Kraepelin during the 19th century and more recent ones including the dimensional model There is a debate among scientists about the relative advantages of a categorical and noncategorical system Stigmatisation can have negative outcomes for some people with mental illness There are also many groups and organizations that strive to educate people about mental health issues and dispel the myths about them The Royal College of Psychiatrists campaign Changing Minds and the Carter Centre based in the United States which provides fellowships to journalists for research and writing stories about mental illness and illnesses are two examples Diagnosis The first step to manage your symptoms is to seek a diagnosis of a mental illness A diagnosis will aid your doctor in determining whats causing mood or behavior issues and decide on the most efficient treatment Based on the condition you might need hospitalization outpatient care or medication A mental health assessment could assist your doctor to figure out if something else like an illness that is physical could be the cause of your symptoms In the mental health exam your doctor will ask you questions about how youre feeling and thinking They might also conduct a physical examination to check for muscle weakness and changes in vision or trouble walking They will inquire about any medication you are taking that is not prescriptiononly and supplements There are many types of mental health tests that range from simple questionnaires to brain imaging techniques Certain tests are designed to identify certain illnesses like anxiety or depression Others are used to assess the persons performance like memory or concentration One of the most crucial elements of a mental health examination is the cognitive evaluation that looks for signs of disorders that affect the way you think Your doctor will test your alertness capacity to pay attention and focus as well as your memory reading comprehension and the use of language to express yourself They may even have you read a short story and then discuss it later to test for paraphasic errors mistakes in pronunciation as well as semantic errors mistakes in meaning and neologisms meaningless words that are written exactly the same way as real words but have no meaning Certain tests such as personality inventories measure a patients emotions or behaviors These tests can tell you if you are optimistic pessimistic or empathetic or competitive or if your personality is more likely to trust other people or be competitive Other tests evaluate the skills capabilities and motivations such as the workrelated competencies or the values associated with jobs Many mental health professionals prefer to use their own assessment tools They may also combine these tools with other methods such as interviewing clients or recording physiological functions The MMPI2 is one of the most commonly utilized psychometric tests in the world It evaluates your feelings thoughts and behavior It has 10 scales of clinical validity and three subscales to detect defenses lies and inconsistent responses Treatment Many people have tough times and some even have a mental disorder Mental illness can affect the whole family It can cause unemployment substance abuse and homelessness as well as inappropriate detention It can also cause suicide and a reduced quality of life Treatment for mental disorders is extremely effective and can significantly improve the quality of life of a person Treatment is a combination of therapy and medication Certain patients need to be in a mental hospital During a mental health assessment the doctor can find out how well the person thinks and how well he or she remembers and processes information cognitive functioning The doctor will ask the patient questions and will examine him or her The doctor will also question the person about their relationship with others The mental health assessment could include tests to measure shortterm memory that is the capacity to recall information quickly after completing an intellectual task The test may include learning four nonrelated objects or concepts like a sentence name and address and then being asked to recall them within 3 to 5 minutes The Beck Anxiety Inventory a popular selfreport test to measure anxiety is used to measure anxiety In certain instances the doctor may order an examination for physical health to rule out neurological disorders like Parkinsons disease or Alzheimers disease which can have similar symptoms to some mental disorders During the physical exam the doctor will examine the patients reflexes sense perception gait and posture The doctor may also perform tests on blood or urine to determine if there is an infection or other diseases which might affect the patients mental condition Talking therapies and psychiatric medication are the most commonly used treatments for mental disorders Talking therapies include psychotherapy and group therapy Medications are often prescribed as antidepressants benzodiazepines and mood stabilizers Psychiatric medications can ease symptoms but its not always effective The effectiveness of treatment is dependent on the severity and nature of disorder the response of the patient and the length of time in treatment Being treated early can stop the symptoms from getting worse and can make recovery more likely