A psychiatric evaluation is conducted to identify a mental disorder to facilitate effective treatment for the condition. A professional and trained psychiatrist conducts a mental evaluation. A parent or legal guardian must be present if a child is being evaluated.
During a psychiatric evaluation, a psychiatrist asks you several questions. Lab tests are sometimes necessary, depending on the patient’s symptoms. Your psychiatrist will then determine if your symptoms match any mental health concerns.
What Is a Psychiatric Evaluation?
Psychiatric evaluations analyze a patient’s mental health status. Mental health professionals such as psychiatrists, doctors, and psychologists conduct them. People experience adversity from time to time, but it is abnormal for destructive emotions to persist indefinitely.
When symptoms such as sadness, difficulty concentrating, or social anxiety interfere with a person’s daily life, it is important to seek treatment. The earlier a person begins therapy for a mental disorder, the easier it is for them to regain their healthy mental state.
Evaluation by a psychiatrist is the initial step in obtaining good mental health care. A patient should anticipate answering several questions, undergoing a physical examination, and filling out some documents.
What to Expect During a Psychiatric Evaluation
Mental health assessments can include formal questionnaires, checklists, surveys, interviews, and behavioral observations. Typically, the extent of an evaluation depends on your needs and the severity of your condition.
Testing takes between 60 and 90 minutes, depending on the need for testing. It can be performed in person or online. The following as some of the most common forms of psychological assessments:
Review of Patient History
Our psychiatrist or medical staff asks you a few preliminary questions about yourself when you enter a psychiatric examination. Some of the information they enquire about includes your name, age, marital status, names of family members, and most importantly, what motivated you to make an appointment.
A patient’s medical history is crucial since it allows us to understand who you are. Other aspects of a patient’s history include their medical history, prescription medications they have used in the past or are currently taking, and information about their birth, youth, education, and career.
Our doctor also inquires about your relationships and whether you have a history of drug and substance abuse. Finally, the physician might ask about your cultural background and formal religious views. Your medical history allows us to plan the best treatment for you to avoid drug reactions and increase your chances of overcoming your mental disorder.
Mental Status
The mental status evaluation (MSE) is included in all medical examinations and can be seen as the psychological equal of the physical exam. Its objective is to statistically and qualitatively evaluate various mental functions and behaviors at a specific moment.
The MSE gives crucial information for diagnosing and assessing the disorder’s cause and treatment response. Observations made throughout the interview are included in the MSE, which begins when the doctor meets the patient for the first time. Information regarding the patient’s behaviors, thoughts, and disposition is collected.
At an appropriate moment in the examination, a formal MSE is conducted to collect precise information regarding the patient’s cognitive functioning. Specific test results are combined with prior informal assessments of mental conditions. For instance, an interview with you provides the psychiatrist with extensive information regarding attention span, memory, and cognitive organization. During the official examination, specific questions reveal the degree of attention or memory problems.
Physical Examination/Tests
Physical and mental health information is connected. As part of the diagnostic process for mental illness, our primary care physician does a thorough physical exam. Alterations in one’s disposition and way of thinking are two symptoms that a certain neurological condition is underway. Identifying the underlying conditions averts the worsening of your mental health.
A thyroid imbalance can severely affect mental health as some of its symptoms are psychological issues. Therefore, if your physician needs any additional inquiries, they demand further medical tests, including blood tests.
Psychiatric Evaluation in Miami
Mental health illnesses are curable and are not a sign of weakness or emotional instability. Seeking help is vital as it allows you to address the root cause of the problem for a lasting solution.
At Elevate Psychiatry in Miami, our psychiatrists provide inpatient and outpatient care to children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly throughout South Florida. We are a globally renowned medical facility that assists families in overcoming even the most complicated and difficult-to-treat mental disorders.
Contact us to book an appointment if you or a loved one is experiencing a mental health disorder.