Mental Health Assessments at Mercy Health
A mental health assessment is a series of tests and questions conducted by a psychological or medical professional. It is a tool to help them assess your symptoms and decide on the amount of care you require from outpatient services to inpatient treatment.
You can bring your friend along or even a representative through your local council or through a service such as Rethink.
Screening
A screening mental health assessment is an examination to determine if a patient functions on a healthy psychological and social level. This kind of assessment can also be used to diagnose neurological disorders and certain illnesses. It can be employed as a screening tool for depression, substance abuse and other disorders. These types of assessments generally are shorter and less expensive than the comprehensive professional evaluations offered by mental health professionals.
In general, a screening assessment involves a short interview with the person who is being evaluated and questions about current and past symptoms as well as the time they began and how long they've been experiencing them for. The patient could be asked to provide details about her family history or if she has been diagnosed with a condition of another kind. It is important to discuss with a healthcare professional about the patient's thoughts and feelings.
During the screening the healthcare provider can ask the patient to discuss any concerns or fears she may have. The doctor will also inquire about any medication the patient is currently taking and how it's working. It's a good idea to bring a family member or friend to the interview.
After mental health assessments will likely administer some tests. These tests will vary depending on the type of test that is being done. Rating scales can be utilized to assist patients in understanding complicated emotions and feelings. These tests can be useful in determining the severity of a disorder and in making plans for treatment.
Other assessment tools include symptom lists, which are lists that list possible symptoms and can be used to diagnose a specific disorder. These tools should be used with caution since they do not take into consideration all the biological, psychosocial, and cultural factors in the life of a patient.
Another way in how the patient's thoughts and feelings are analyzed is through an analysis of her thought content. This will assess the capacity of her brain to form coherent ideas and to make connections between things that seem unrelated to one another. Thought content analysis can be used to detect disorders like hallucinations, whether they are auditory, visual or olfactory; delusions, such as the belief that someone is a special person, has a status, or is being victimized by others and phobias.
Diagnosis
Mental health assessments can help identify the cause of a patient's symptoms, like anxiety or depression. They also aid doctors to determine the best treatment for their patient. Mercy's behavioral health specialists are able to conduct an exhaustive and thorough evaluation. They will ask about the patient's current medications as well as herbal supplements and over-the-counter medicines. They will also inquire if there is a family history of mental illness.
During the diagnosis stage of the mental assessment, the doctor will conduct a physical exam of the patient in order to rule out any neurological disorders or diseases which may be contributing to their symptoms. This includes evaluating motor function, reflexes, sensation, posture and gait. In addition, the physician will perform a neurological examination of eye movements as well as visual field to see whether they are normal.
The doctor will also evaluate the patient's cognitive functioning which includes capacity to think and reason as well as remember. He or she will take a look at the patient's appearance to determine if they are dressing appropriate for their age and if they are maintaining a good level of hygiene. He or she will also observe the patient's thoughts and emotions to get a better understanding of the issues that are affecting them.
Psychologists can use various instruments and tests to determine a patient's mood, thinking, and behavior. They can, for instance, test a patient's anxiety or depression by asking them questions or completing an informal questionnaire. They can also conduct more thorough test to determine the levels in the brain of certain chemicals.
A psychiatric evaluation can also include a discussion of the patient's situation in society and relationships. It can also involve an examination of the patient's previous experiences like childhood traumas. In order to provide the best possible care it is crucial to know the patient's mental, social and development history.
Treatment
Everyone experiences tough times. However, if you or someone you love has symptoms that aren't normal, it could be time to get help. A mental health assessment helps determine the cause and the best treatment options to aid. It is usually performed by a psychologist, psychiatrist or a medical doctor.
During the exam, the healthcare professional will ask questions direct and observe objectively. They will also look at the patient's past history, including any family history, prior mental illness, and any medications that the patient is currently taking. The healthcare provider may also want to know about any non-prescription medications, nutritional supplements and herbal remedies that the patient is taking, as well. This is because certain physical conditions can have similar symptoms as mental disorders and the healthcare professional needs to determine if they are a result of mental illness.
The healthcare professional may also ask about the patient’s work, social life and family. They will look for signs of a lack of motivation, issues in maintaining relationships and avoiding situations which cause negative emotions. They will also determine if there are suicidal thoughts or thoughts. They will inquire about their life and habits. The healthcare professional may also suggest other physical examinations, like blood tests or computed tomography scans (CT scans) to identify the physical causes behind the symptoms.
The nature of the thoughts will be evaluated through direct questions and an examination of the topics discussed during the interview. A thought disorder is an abnormal method of thinking that may include hallucinations, perceptions of people, objects or events that are not there; delusions - conviction of false beliefs, despite evidence to the contrary; obsessions and compulsions that result in repetitive behavior; and lack of associations - the tendency to make irrelevant connections between non-related topics.
The healthcare professional will discuss the results with the patient after the psychiatric examination. They will then prescribe an appropriate treatment plan. The treatment will comprise the combination of psychotherapy and medication, dependent on the diagnosis of the patient and personal needs. When the patient is better and is removed from the clinic. Ongoing assessments can be helpful in measuring the effectiveness of treatment. These assessments can be carried out in many ways, such as asking patients to complete questionnaires on a regular basis or using software such as Quenza to assess factors such as cognition and mood.
Follow-up
At the conclusion of every encounter, clinicians need to assess the impact of therapeutic interventions on clients' lives. Indicators may include whether the client has achieved their initial aims for seeking therapy, such as greater life domain satisfaction or if they are more resilient in the face of challenges. Alternatively, clinicians may need to monitor the progress of a patient through an entire treatment pathway for example, a continuous series of mindfulness-based meditation sessions.
Therapists could, for example utilize Quenza's "Life Domain Satisfaction", a pre-loaded activity that asks clients to rate their satisfaction on the scale of 10 points with 16 different aspects of their lives. This is a good way to measure progress as it allows clients to monitor their health over time. It also provides valuable indicators for assessing mental health improvements.
The Cultural Formulation Interview is another tool that can be utilized to gather qualitative data as part of the mental health assessment. It is designed to give clinicians an accurate understanding of the patient's culture CFI comes with additional modules that can be used to collect additional information from caregivers and family members.
Formal dissection of specific cognitive abilities is a simplistic approach towards the patient. It involves testing a variety of tasks, including memory, attention and higher-ordered reasoning capabilities. The ideal time to do this is near the close of the encounter between doctor and patient to get the patient's cooperation instead of provoking resistance.
A questionnaire for evaluation of patients is a vital instrument that can be administered to patients following their discharge from psychiatric clinics. These questionnaires allow an evaluation of the responses of the patient and the responses of other patients in the same clinic. They also serve as an indication of progress that can be measured over time.