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Mental Health Assessments An assessment is an essential tool for helping people to assess their mental health. There are many tools, ranging from standardized to self-report, used by professionals for this purpose. A mental status exam is among the most commonly used. It permits counselors and doctors to look at a client’s appearance, attitude, and activity. They can also track their mood, emotions, and thoughts. Signs and symptoms People who suffer from mental health issues often experience changes in their thoughts, emotions and behavior. This can impact their ability to work and interact with others. Mental illness is a real health condition and many of the same factors that affect our physical health are also connected to our mental health, including heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Everyone experiences ups and downs in their mood. However, if these changes are severe and persist for a long period it could be a sign of mental illness. Some common symptoms are changes in sleep, eating, or levels of energy; an extreme reduction or increase in emotions such as sadness, happiness or anger; difficulties recalling or concentrating on things and feeling exhausted constantly. If you have concerns about someone close to you, it's important not to ignore them. Early intervention can stop mental health issues from getting worse. A lot of these changes are triggered by life events, such as losing an employment opportunity, family issues or a serious accident. It is crucial to seek treatment for mental illness in order to ensure that it doesn't interfere with your work or relationships. Certain conditions can be treated with medication or counselling. Some conditions require hospital treatment. There are more than 200 recognized mental disorders, such as anxiety disorders, depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Some of them are extremely severe and can be life threatening. Some phobias are milder and don't impact daily life as significantly. Mental health is affected in a variety of ways, including genetics, life experiences, biological differences and stress, lifestyle choices, and how society treats its citizens. It's important to understand that mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of. Like heart disease or diabetes, it can be treated and improved. Mental illness is treatable and many people can recover with proper treatment. This could include antidepressants or sedatives, as well as psychotherapy (talk-therapy). Combining treatments is often the most efficient. Some people find that self-help and support groups are helpful, too. History A mental health history is an important part of any assessment. In addition to examining symptoms and performing psychological tests, a psychiatrist will need to examine your medical history and if you have had any relatives with mental illness. They will also ask you about your current medications as well as any past drug abuse or alcoholism that you may have had. In some instances doctors may request that you keep a log of your symptoms, or bring along a friend or relative to obtain an accurate description from their perspective. For some who are suffering from mental health issues, a mental health evaluation is the first step to getting treatment for a problem. It is usually triggered by a referral from a physician or other professional, but it could also be initiated by the individual themselves. The psychiatric assessment will provide the medical professional with the information needed to make an accurate diagnosis. For the majority of recorded history, Western civilization's view of mental illness was based on supernatural forces and demonic possession, leading to primitive treatment practices like drilling a hole in the head (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 health; and as an umbrella concept that covers psychiatry as well as psychotherapy. Mental health is now being pushed to become its own discipline. However there isn't an absolute separation between it and psychotherapy. Mental health is defined in different ways in different cultures, but the majority of them include aspects like self-realization, satisfaction and happiness, as well as mastery of one's surroundings. These criteria are influenced however, by the values of the culture and can exclude people who haven't reached their full potential, those who live in low-income areas, those who live in areas of poverty and minorities who experience discrimination and are resentful. Other assessment tools can be used to assess a person’s mental health. These include the DSM-5 Checklist, which the lists of disorders that are specific to each as well as the Life Events Checklist which can screen for potentially distressing or traumatic events that occur in the life of a patient. Physical Examination The physical examination of the patient who is suspected of having a mental health problem is generally conducted by a medical doctor or psychiatrist. The assessment may be a part of the physical exam, or it could be conducted when a health professional believes that a particular illness such as dementia, schizophrenia or abuse of drugs is at play. The exam is a good opportunity to assess the person's general appearance, and also the way in which they respond to questions, their mood and whether or not they are thirsty, hungry or sleepy. The doctor will ask about the duration of symptoms and if there is a family history of mental illness. The doctor will want find out if the patient has ever taken any medication, including over-the counter drugs and supplements. A psychiatric assessment is crucial because it can help figure out what's going on inside the person and what treatment is most likely to help. A diagnosis is crucial and, based on the final diagnoses, a person may need inpatient care or medication. The diagnosis is typically done in a hospital, although some people have an assessment of mental health done at home by a licensed professional. One of the major components of an assessment of mental health is a test of cognitive function. This is the ability to pay attention to information, organize and remember it to solve problems, and make decisions. It also includes basic social skills, including the ability to interact with others. To assess cognition, an individual is asked to respond to open-ended or standardized questions and complete short stories. The evaluation of thought content involves a variety things, such hallucinations, which can be auditory or visual or olfactory or tactile, delusions of status, special powers or being targeted by others, paranoid thoughts obsessive-compulsive behaviour, irrational fear such as compulsions and compulsions, loose associations (making irrelevant links between different subjects), and suicidal or depressive thoughts. Diagnostic tests, like magnetic resonance imaging or blood tests, are often required to complement an assessment of mental health. These tests can help to rule out other disorders and diseases that may cause similar symptoms to mental illness. Tests The mental status test is a method of evaluating an individual patient's mental health by watching and asking questions. Click In this article observes the patient's mood and behavior and level of activity, and their overall appearance. It could also involve the use of oral or written tests, which include standardized rating scales that evaluate the symptoms. The MMPI-2, for example, is a common test that is used to measure depression. There are many other tests that can be used to assess anxiety, intelligence and autism. The medical history of the patient as well as physical examination will provide important information that can be used to determine if the symptoms are due to a mental disorder or a medical condition like hypothyroidism, diabetes, or drug abuse. Certain physical conditions, such as certain types of tumours or selective brain lesions, can also present with similar symptoms as psychological disorders. These conditions may require a lab or clinic test, like blood tests, CT scans, or MRIs as an addition to a complete mental health assessment. Psychological testing is a crucial element of an assessment of mental health and can provide valuable information about how a patient is able to think, remembers and interacts with other people. These tests can be useful to identify symptoms such as hallucinations, or the tendency to make irrelevant connections between different subjects. A psychiatric health assessment may also include questions about the patient's family history of mental illness and other diseases. It will also inquire about the length of time the symptoms have been present and the extent of their effects, and whether they interfere with everyday activities. The patient will be asked about any previous psychiatric illnesses and the treatment they received. The patient should be honest in their answers, since this will allow the health professional to obtain a better understanding of the condition of the patient. During the interview the health professional will also pay attention to the way the patient speaks and how they interact with others. They will also inquire about any drugs or supplements the patient is taking, both prescription and non-prescription and how they affect their mental health.