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Mental Health Assessment – The First Step to Diagnosing a Mental Health Problem When people seek help for mental health issues they may be overwhelmed by their feelings and don't know what to do. Fortunately, loved ones are often able to recognize when something is not right and encourage the person to take action. The assessment process is how therapists gather data and analyze it to determine a client's particular needs. It can be informal or formal, standardized or non-standardized, self-report or therapist-administered. Mental health A mental health assessment is a process where an expert examines the person to determine if they might have an issue with their mental health. Medical examinations, observations and tests are part of the process. The examination could take a long time and may require multiple appointments. It is essential to be honest with your health professional and answer all questions in a professional manner. This will allow the health professional to make an accurate diagnosis. Psychologists and psychiatrists use a variety of techniques to assess mental health. You may be given written or oral tests. These are known as psychological tests. They can include standardized tests that are designed to detect specific conditions. These tests are often used with interviews and observations to determine the condition of the person. The MMPI-2 test is among the most commonly used tests. It tests a range of mental disorders. Another test that is frequently used is the Y & Z Test, which evaluates a person's reaction to anxiety and stress. Mental health professionals will test the cognitive functioning of a patient during an assessment. This includes a description of the person's alertness, state of consciousness speech and motor activity, mood and feelings thoughts and perception and their attitudes and perception. They will also test the ability to follow directions, recall things and think abstractly. If you have concerns that your child might be suffering from an illness of the mind it is essential to take your child to a professional to be evaluated. It could be a psychiatrist, psychologist or counsellor. It is important that the professional has sufficient time to comprehend your child's situation and the way they feel. It is recommended that the child can be alone with the health professional for all or a portion of the evaluation. Explain to your child that the assessment is not a punishment and that you are hoping that the professional will be able to figure out what's happening to treat it. It could be helpful to remind them that everyone is down and anxious every now and then, but if these symptoms persist, they should to be addressed. Symptoms A mental health disorder can affect your perceptions, thinking, feelings and behaviour. It can make it difficult to cope with your daily life and relationships. Counselling and medication may help. Everyone is worried or sad at times, but it's more serious when these changes disrupt your life and keep happening. If someone you know has changes in their mood and their behavior that are disturbing or making it hard for them to function day-to-day, speak to them about it. If you suspect they are at risk of self-harm or suicide contact Triple Zero (000) immediately. Depression anxiety disorders, depression and other mental illnesses affect around 264 million people in the world. They can be characterized by symptoms like low mood, difficulty concentrating or sleeping, as well as changes in drinking and eating. It is caused by a variety of things, including brain chemicals, genes, or stress. Stressful events such as a car crash, a natural disaster, or war can cause it. Other causes are an ancestral history, certain drugs or physical health problems. There isn't a single test that can identify mental disorders. However, a diagnosis could be given by a psychiatrist, other medical doctors or clinical psychologists. Mental health professionals use a classification system known as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), which categorizes disorders like bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, and depressive disorder into categories. Alternative diagnostic methods include non-categorical models such as the ones developed by German psychiatrist Kraepelin during the 19th century and more recent ones, like the dimensional model. There is ongoing scientific debate on the relative merits of categorical and non-categorical systems. Stigmatisation can have negative outcomes for people who suffer from mental illness. There are many groups and organizations that strive to educate people on mental health issues and dispel the myths about them. The Royal College of Psychiatrists campaign Changing Minds and the Carter Centre located in the United States which provides fellowships to journalists for research and writing about mental illness and illnesses, are two examples. Diagnosis The first step in addressing your symptoms is to get a diagnosis of a mental illness. A diagnosis will aid your doctor in determining what's causing mood or behavior issues, and decide on the most effective treatment. Depending on the condition you may require outpatient treatment, hospitalization or medication. A mental health evaluation can assist your doctor to figure out if there is something else related to an illness that is physical, could be the cause of your symptoms. During the mental state examination the doctor will ask you questions to find out how you feel and think. They may also do an examination to look for things like muscle weakness, changes in your eyesight or trouble walking. They will ask you about any medication you take in addition to over-the-counter medications and supplements. There are many types of mental health tests that range from simple questionnaires to brain imaging techniques. Some tests are used to identify certain illnesses, like depression or anxiety. Others are used to test a person's functioning like memory or concentration. One of the most important aspects of a mental health evaluation is the cognitive evaluation that checks for any disorders that affect the way you think. Your doctor will test your alertness, capacity to concentrate and pay attention as well as your memory, reading comprehension, and the use of language to express yourself. They might even ask you to read an excerpt of a story and discuss it later, to test for paraphasic errors (mistakes in pronunciation), semantic errors (mistakes in meaning) and neologisms (meaningless words that are written exactly like real words, but have no significance). Some tests measure a patient's behavior or emotions, such as an inventory of personality. These tests can tell you if you are optimistic, pessimistic or empathetic or competitive, or if your personality is more inclined to be a person of trust or be competitive. Other tests evaluate the skills, capabilities and motivations, like workplace competence or values. Many mental health professionals prefer to use their own assessment tools. They can also combine these with other methods like interviewing clients or recording physiological functions. The MMPI-2 for instance, is the world's most widely used psychometric test, which examines how your thoughts, feelings and behaviors affect you. It includes 10 main clinical scales and three subscales to detect falsehood, defensiveness and inconsistencies in responses. Treatment Many people experience difficulties and some may even suffer from a mental disorder. private ptsd assessment can trigger a lot of problems that affect all those around. It can cause unemployment or homelessness, substance abuse as well as suicide, inadvertent incarceration and a lower quality of life. Treatment for mental disorders is extremely effective and can significantly improve the quality of life of a person. Treatment involves some kind of therapy and medication. Some patients require a stay in a psychiatric hospital. In a mental health assessment, the doctor can determine the level of thinking ability of the patient and how well he/she remembers and processes information (cognitive functioning). The doctor will look at and ask questions to the person. The doctor can also inquire about how the patient gets together with other people. The mental health assessment could include tests that measure short-term memory, which is the ability to recall information quickly after completing an intellectual task. The test could involve learning four concepts that are not related or sentences, objects, or even a person's name and address. After 3 to 5 minutes, you are asked to recall the information. The Beck Anxiety Inventory, a popular test that self-reports for anxiety assessment, is used to measure anxiety. In some instances the doctor may order an examination to rule out neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, which may exhibit similar symptoms to other mental disorders. In a physical exam the doctor will assess the person's reflexes and sensory perception. Also, he will examine their gait and posture. The doctor can also conduct urine or blood tests to rule out any infection or other illnesses that could interfere with the patient's mental health. Talking therapies and psychiatric medication are the most common treatments for mental disorders. Talking treatments include psychotherapy and group therapy. Antidepressants, mood stabilizers and benzodiazepines are the most commonly prescribed drugs. Psychiatric medications can ease symptoms, but it's not always efficient. The effectiveness of treatment is contingent on the severity and nature of disorder, the response of the patient and the length of time spent in treatment. Early treatment can stop symptoms from getting worse and make recovery more likely.