Mental Health Assessment
A mental health assessment gives your doctor an overall picture of how well you feel emotionally and how well you are able to think, reason, and remember (cognitive functioning). Your doctor will ask you questions and examine you. You might answer some of the doctor's questions in writing. Your doctor will pay attention to how you look and your mood, behavior, thinking, reasoning, memory, and ability to express yourself. Your doctor will also ask questions about how you get along with other people, including your family and friends. Sometimes the assessment includes lab tests, such as blood or urine tests.
A mental health assessment may be done by your primary care doctor or by a psychiatrist, psychologist, or social worker.
A mental health assessment for a child is geared to the child's age and stage of development.
Why It Is Done
A mental health assessment is done to:
Find out about and check on mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, and anorexia nervosa.
Help tell the difference between mental and physical health problems.
Evaluate a person who has been referred for mental health treatment because of problems at school, work, or home. For example, a mental health assessment may be used to find out if a child has learning disabilities or behavior disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder (CD), or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Check the mental health of a person who has been hospitalized or arrested for a crime, such as drunken driving or physical abuse.