what is psychiatric Evaluation?
A psychiatric evaluation is a comprehensive assessment process used to diagnose and formulate bespoke treatment plans for mental health conditions.
At Resolutions, psychiatric evaluations involve a thorough review of a client's mental health history, physical health history, current symptoms, social factors, and overall psychological functioning.
The goal is to understand the underlying biopsychosocial factors contributing to a client’s mental health issues and to determine the most appropriate course of treatment.
Components of a Psychiatric Evaluation
A psychiatric evaluation consists of certain key components:
- Health History: History of a mental health condition is the most common indicator of another or related mental health problem. Furthermore, many mental health issues are hereditary. Learning more about a client’s family history is important for the diagnostic process. Physical health matters here as well. Physical symptoms can help narrow down certain mental health issues, while physical conditions can help rule out others. Medication and treatment history are also important.
- Mental Status Examination: This is a structured assessment of the client’s cognitive, emotional, and psychological state, based on key questions, responses, and a combination of behavioral and emotional cues. An examination also includes observations on appearance, behavior, mood, thought processes, and perception.
- Psychological Testing: Mental health conditions recognized by the DSM-V have their own diagnostic criteria, and many of them have one or more diagnostic standardized tests and assessments, which can be used to determine severity or eligibility for a diagnosis. In cases where someone doesn’t fit the criteria, but may still struggle with a mental health problem, they may be diagnosed with an unspecified type of mental disorder (such as an unspecified anxiety disorder or mood disorder), until further symptoms come to light with time.
- Physical Examination and Lab Tests: Physical testing is important to rule out other conditions that may contribute to a person’s psychological health. For example, hormone problems indicated by blood tests, or an endocrine condition may explain mood swings or even sudden feelings of suicidality. Changes in appetite and weight which may be linked to an eating disorder can also be explained by a tumor.
Purpose of a Psychiatric Evaluation
A medical and psychiatric evaluation is important when treating mental health issues. While online tests and self-testing can help raise awareness about mental health and provide people with the impetus to visit a mental health professional and consider getting tested, a thorough evaluation matters because it can rule out other potential causes for mental health issues.
Providing a history and going through a lengthy physical and mental evaluation process can help specify what kind of conditions might be in question, which can help narrow down potential treatment options, and lead to a concrete plan of action.
Mental health diagnoses can change with time, the way physical health diagnoses can as well. Follow-up evaluations also help establish how effective treatment has been and create a timeline for improvements.
Psychiatric Evaluation at Resolutions
At Resolutions, psychiatric evaluations are conducted by experienced psychiatrists . Our approach is holistic, considering all aspects of an individual's life and health to provide a comprehensive assessment. Get in touch with us today to find out more about our diagnostic process, and our multimodal treatment approach.
CONTACT US
Call our admissions line below or fill out the following contact form to reach a Resolutions Therapeutic Services representative.
"*" indicates required fields