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Mental Health Assessments Assessments are a vital instrument to help people know their mental health. There are many instruments, from standard to self-report, used by professionals for this purpose. A common one is a mental health exam, which allows counselors and doctors examine a person's appearance, attitude and activities mood and emotions, thoughts, and insight. Symptoms Mental health issues can cause people to alter their mood, thoughts and behavior. These changes can affect their ability to work and socialize. Mental illness is a serious health issue. Many of the same conditions that can affect physical health can also affect mental health. Every person experiences ups and downs in their mood. However, if the changes are severe and persist for a long period it could be a sign of a mental illness. Common symptoms include a change in sleeping, eating habits or energy levels, an extreme change in mood or emotion like anger, sadness or happiness, trouble recalling or concentrating, and feeling exhausted constantly. If you are concerned about someone close to you it's important to not ignore them. Calling a helpline or seeing a health professional early can help stop mental health issues becoming worse. A lot of these changes are caused by life events, such as loss of the job, family issues or a serious accident. It is essential to seek treatment for a mental illness to ensure it doesn't interfere with your work and relationships. Certain of these disorders can be treated with counselling or medication. Some conditions require hospital care. There are more than 200 classified mental disorders, including depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. Some of them are extremely serious and could be life-threatening. Certain phobias are less severe and don't affect your daily life as severely. Mental health of an individual is affected by many factors, including genetics, biological differences as well as life events, lifestyle choices, stress and the way society treats its members. It is important to realize that mental illness shouldn't be treated with shame. Just like heart disease or diabetes it is treatable and improved. Mental illness can be treated and many people recover after the right treatment. This could include psychotherapy (talk therapy) or medication such as antidepressants or sedatives. Combining treatments is often the most efficient. Support groups and self-help groups can be beneficial to certain people. History The history of mental health problems is a crucial element of any assessment. Apart from examining symptoms and performing psychological tests A psychiatrist needs to know your medical history and whether you have any relatives with mental illnesses. They will ask about your current medications, as well as any drug or alcohol abuse you might have encountered in the past. In certain instances doctors might require you to keep a journal of your symptoms, or bring an individual or a relative along so they can get a full description from their perspective. For some people, a mental health assessment is a first step in finding treatment for a problem. It is often triggered by a doctor or other professional referring the person, but can be initiated directly by the person. The psychiatric assessment will give the doctor with the information they need to establish an appropriate diagnosis. For the majority of recorded the history of mankind, Western civilization's view of mental illness was based on supernatural forces and demonic possession, leading to primitive treatment practices such as drilling a hole into 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 two ways: to refer to a state of health; and as a broad concept that encompasses both psychiatry and psychotherapy. While there is a general movement to separate mental health apart from psychiatry and establish it as a separate discipline however, this distinction is not yet been fully recognized. The definition of mental health has varied from culture to culture but the majority of systems contain elements such as self-realization, feeling of accomplishment, happiness; and control over one's environment. These criteria are influenced however, by cultural norms, which can exclude those who aren't reaching their full potential, those living on low incomes or in impoverished areas, and minorities that experience discrimination and are resentful. Other assessment tools can be used to assess the health of a person's mental state. They include the DSM-5 Checklist that the lists of disorders that are specific to each, and the Life Events Checklist which can check for distressing or traumatic events in a patient’s life. Physical Examination A medical doctor or psychiatrist will typically conduct a physical examination of a patient suspected of having mental health issues. The exam can be part of a routine physical examination or when the doctor suspects that a patient has a particular disease, such as dementia, schizophrenia, or drug abuse. The exam provides an opportunity to examine the person's appearance, their emotional state and how they respond to questions. private mental health diagnosis uk I Am Psychiatry examining physician will ask the patient questions about how long they've been suffering from symptoms and any family history of mental health problems. The doctor will also want to know if the person has ever used any medications, including over-the counter supplements and drugs. A psychiatric evaluation is essential to determine what is happening inside a person and what type of treatment might be beneficial. A diagnosis is crucial and, depending on the final diagnosis the patient may require inpatient treatment or medication. The diagnosis is usually taken in a hospital. However, some individuals might be able to have a mental exam done at home by a licensed professional. Assessment of cognitive function is an important component of a mental test. This includes the ability to focus to details, organize and recall information as well as solve problems and make decisions. It also includes basic social skills, like the ability to communicate with others. In order to assess cognition, an individual is asked to answer open-ended or standard questions and write short stories. The evaluation of thought content can be a complex process like hallucinations, which may be visual or auditory or olfactory or tactile, false perceptions of status, awe-inspiring abilities or fear of being a target for others, paranoid thoughts, irrational fear, obsessive-compulsive behavior or compulsions, as well as the loose associations (making irrelevant links between different subjects) as well as suicidal or depressive thoughts. Diagnostic tests, like magnetic resonance imaging or blood tests, are frequently required to supplement an assessment of mental health. These tests can help rule out other disorders and diseases that may cause similar symptoms to mental illness. Tests The mental status exam is a method to evaluate an individual patient's mental health by watching and asking questions. It involves a health professional monitoring the patient's behavior mood, level of activity and overall appearance. It could also involve a series of written or verbal tests, such as standard rating scales that assess symptoms. The MMPI-2 is a well-known depression test. There are a variety of other tests that assess the level of intelligence, anxiety and autism. A patient's medical history and physical exam will provide important information that can help determine if the symptoms are linked to a psychological condition or medical condition such as hypothyroidism, diabetes, or drug abuse. In addition, some physical ailments like selective brain lesions, or certain types of tumors present with similar symptoms to psychological disorders and may require clinical or laboratory tests such as blood tests, CT scans or MRI as an addition to a mental health assessment to establish an assessment. Psychological testing can be important in mental health tests. It can give valuable information on how the patient thinks about others, interacts with them and remembers things. The information obtained from these tests can help the health care professional detect various symptoms, such as hallucinations (the perception of an object, person or event that is not real) or a lack of association (the tendency to draw irrelevant connections between subjects). A psychiatric assessment may include questions regarding the patient's family history, including psychiatric disorders and other ailments. It will include how long symptoms have been present and their severity, as well as how they impact daily activities. The patient will be asked about any past psychiatric illnesses and the treatment they received. It is important for the patient to be honest about their answers as it will allow the health professional discern the extent of the patient's health. During the interview the health care professional will be listening to the patient's voice and how they interact. They will also ask the patient about any prescription or non-prescription drugs and supplements they are taking and how these affect their mental health.