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Mental Health Assessments An assessment is a crucial tool for helping people to know their mental health. Professionals use a variety tools to help with this that include self-reports and standard tools. A common one is a mental state examination, which helps counselors and doctors observe a client's appearance, attitude and activity, mood and emotions, thought content and insight. Symptoms Mental health problems can cause people to change their thoughts, emotions, and behavior. This can impact their ability to work and interact with others. Mental illness is a serious health issue. Many of the same conditions that affect physical health also affect mental health. Everyone experiences mood swings. However, if the changes are severe and last for a long time, it may be an indication of a mental illness. Common symptoms include changes in sleep and eating habits or levels of energy; an extreme increase or reduction in emotions like sadness, happiness, or anger; difficulty remembering or concentrating and being tired all the time. If you're concerned about your loved ones it's important to not ignore them. Calling mental health diagnostic assessment or seeing an experienced health professional in the early stages can help stop mental health issues getting worse. A lot of these changes are brought on by life events, like loss of the job, family issues or an accident that is serious. It is important to seek treatment for a mental disorder so that it doesn't affect your work and relationships. Certain illnesses can be treated with counselling or medication. Some conditions require hospital care. There are over 200 mental disorders that could be classified as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia anxiety disorders and depression. Some of them are serious and could be life threatening. Others are more mild and don't interfere much with everyday life, like some phobias. Mental health is affected in many ways, including genetics, genetic differences, life experiences and stress, lifestyle choices and how society treats its citizens. It is important to recognize that mental illness is not something to be ashamed of. Similar to heart disease and diabetes it is treatable and improved. Mental illness is treatable and many people can recover with the right treatment. This could include antidepressants or sedatives, or psychotherapy (talk-therapy). Combining treatments is usually the most efficient. Some people find that self-help groups and support groups can be helpful as well. History The history of mental health problems is an essential part of any evaluation. In addition to examining symptoms and performing psychological tests A psychiatrist needs to examine your medical history as well as whether you have any family members suffering from mental illnesses. They will inquire about your current medications, and any other drug or alcohol use you have encountered in the past. In some instances doctors may request you to write down your symptoms in an account book or bring a friend or family member along so they can be able to hear the whole story. For some people, a mental health assessment is the first step towards finding treatment for a problem. It is typically initiated by a physician or other professional who refers the patient but it could be initiated by the individual. The psychiatric evaluation will provide the professional with the information needed to make an informed diagnosis. Western civilization has viewed mental illness as a result of supernatural forces or demon possession for the majority of recorded time. This led to primitive treatments like drilling a tiny hole in the skull (trepanning). The 18th and 19th centuries saw the rise of a more humane approach to treating the mentally ill, as doctors began to abandon these superstitions and adopt logical explanations/theories for their patients. The term “mental health” is used in both ways: to describe a state of well-being; and as an umbrella concept that covers both psychiatry as well as psychotherapy. Mental health is being pushed to become a separate discipline. However there isn't a complete distinction between it and psychiatry. Mental health is defined in different ways in different cultures, but the majority of them contain aspects like self-realization, satisfaction and happiness as well as a complete understanding of one's surroundings. However, these criteria are influenced by cultural values that may exclude adolescents who haven't yet fully realized their potential, those who have low incomes, those who live in impoverished communities and minorities who are subject to discrimination and rejection. Other assessment tools are employed to assess the mental health of a person and wellbeing, such as the DSM-5 checklist which contains the symptoms of specific disorders and the Life Events Checklist, which can screen for potentially traumatic or distressing events in the life of a patient. Physical Examination The physical examination of a patient who is suspected of having a mental health issue is usually performed by a doctor or psychiatrist. The examination can be part of a general physical examination, or when the doctor suspects that a patient has a particular illness such as schizophrenia, dementia or abuse of drugs. The test is an excellent opportunity to evaluate the patient's general appearance and also the way in which they respond to questions, their mood and whether they are hungry, thirsty or sleepy. The physician who examines will ask the patient questions about how long they've had symptoms and any family history of mental health problems. The doctor will want to be aware of whether the patient has ever taken any medication, including over-the counter supplements and drugs. A psychiatric assessment is important to determine what is happening within a person and what kind of treatment is appropriate. A diagnosis is essential and, depending on the final diagnosis a patient might require inpatient care or medication. The diagnosis is typically done in an inpatient hospital, but some people have a mental health assessment done in their own home by an accredited professional. One of the main parts of a mental health assessment is a test of cognitive function. This includes the capacity of paying attention, retaining and organizing information, solving problems, and making decisions. It also includes basic social skills, such as the ability to communicate with others. To assess cognition, an individual is required to answer open-ended or standardized questions, and then write short stories. The assessment of thought content is a process of the examination of a variety of things, such as hallucinations that can be visual, auditory or olfactory. thoughts of having special powers and status or fear of being disregarded by other people; paranoid thinking or irrational fear or obsessions and compulsions; looseness of connections (making no connections between different subjects); and depressive and suicidal thoughts. Sometimes, clinical tests are needed as an adjunct to an assessment of mental health including blood work or magnetic resonance imaging to rule out other illnesses and disorders that could cause similar symptoms as mental illnesses. Tests The mental status exam is a method to evaluate a patient by observing and asking questions. A health care provider observes the patient's mood and behavior and levels of activity, and their general appearance. It could also include the use of written or verbal tests that include the standard rating systems used to evaluate symptoms. The MMPI-2 is a common depression test. There are a variety of other tests that can be used to assess anxiety as well as intelligence, and autism. The medical history of the patient and physical examination will provide important information that can be used to determine if the symptoms are caused by mental illness or a medical issue such as diabetes, hypothyroidism or abuse of drugs. In addition, some physical conditions, such as selective brain lesions, or certain types of tumors exhibit similar symptoms to those of psychological disorders and may require laboratory or clinical tests like blood tests, CT scans or MRI as an adjunct to a mental health assessment to determine an accurate diagnosis. Psychological testing can be an important part of mental health assessments. It can provide valuable information about how the patient thinks and interacts with others, as well as how he recalls information. The data gathered from these tests can aid the health care professional identify different symptoms like hallucinations (the perception of an object, person or event that isn't real) or looseness of association (the tendency to make irrelevant connections between different subjects). A psychiatric evaluation may involve questions regarding the patient's family history, which includes psychiatric illness and other illnesses. It will cover how long the symptoms have been present, the extent of their effects, and whether they affect everyday activities. The patient will be asked about any past psychiatric illnesses and the treatment they received. The patient must be honest with their answers as this will allow the health professional to get a clearer picture of the condition of the patient. During the interview the health professional will also pay attention to how the patient talks and how they interact with others. They will also inquire of the patient about any prescription or non-prescription medicines and supplements they take and how these affect their mental health.