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Mental Health Assessments A mental health assessment is a crucial instrument for helping people understand their mental well-being. Professionals utilize a variety of tools to help with this that include self-reports and standard tools. A typical one is a mental status examination, which helps doctors and counselors purposefully look at a client's appearance, attitude and activities mood and emotions, thought content and insight. Signs and symptoms Mental health issues can cause people to alter their emotions, thoughts and behavior. These can affect their ability to work and socialize with others. Mental illness is a serious health condition and many of the same factors that affect our physical health are also related to our mental health, including heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Everyone experiences fluctuations in their mood. If these changes are drastic and last for a long period of time, they could be a sign you suffer from a mental disorder. The most common signs are changes in sleeping and eating habits or levels of energy; an extreme increase or reduction in emotions such as sadness, happiness, or anger; difficulty recalling or concentrating on things and being tired all the time. It is important to not dismiss your concerns about someone you care about. Early intervention can prevent mental health issues from getting worse. A lot of these changes are caused by life events, like losing a job, family problems or an accident that is serious. It is essential to seek treatment for a mental disorder so that it doesn't affect your work and relationships. Some of these illnesses may be treated through counselling or medication. Some conditions require hospital treatment. There are more than 200 classified mental disorders, like depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Some of these are very serious and could be life-threatening. Some phobias are less severe and don't impact daily life as significantly. The mental health of a person is affected by many factors, including genetics and biological variations, life events, lifestyle choices, stress and the way in which society treats its members. It is essential to understand that mental illness shouldn't be shamed. It can be treated just like heart disease. Mental illness is treatable, and many people recover after appropriate treatment. This could include antidepressants or sedatives, as well as psychotherapy (talk-therapy). Combining treatments is typically the most effective. Some people find that self-help and support groups can be beneficial as well. History The background of mental health issues is a crucial element of any assessment. A psychiatrist should also know your medical history, and whether you have relatives with mental illness. They'll also inquire about your current medications and any prior drug use or alcoholism you might have had. In some instances, a doctor might require you to keep a log of your symptoms or bring along a friend or relative so they can get a full description from their perspective. A mental health assessment can be the first step for certain people to get treatment for a specific issue. It is typically initiated by a doctor or another professional who refers the person to the doctor, but can be initiated by the person. The psychiatric evaluation will provide the professional with the information needed to establish a clear diagnosis. Western civilization has viewed mental illness as a result of supernatural forces or demonic possession for the majority of recorded time. This led to primitive treatments like drilling a small hole in the skull (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” is used today in two ways: as a method to describe a state of wellbeing, and also as a term that covers the fields of psychiatry and therapy. Mental health is now being pushed to become an independent discipline. However it hasn't been an absolute distinction between it and psychotherapy. Mental health is defined differently in different cultures, but the majority of them contain aspects like self-realization, satisfaction, happiness, and mastery of one's surroundings. These criteria are influenced however, by cultural values and can exclude people who aren't reaching their full potential, those living on low incomes and those living in areas of poverty and minorities who experience discrimination and reject. Other assessment tools are utilized to help determine the health of a person's mental state, including the DSM-5 checklist, which includes lists of symptoms for specific disorders and the Life Events Checklist, which can be used to identify potentially traumatizing or stressful events in a patient's life. Physical Examination The physical examination of a patient with a suspected mental health problem is generally performed by a medical professional or psychiatrist. The examination may be part of a general physical examination, or when doctors suspect a specific illness such as dementia, schizophrenia or abuse of drugs. The exam provides an opportunity to assess the person's appearance, their emotional state and their response to questions. The doctor will ask about the duration of symptoms and whether there is a family history of mental illness. The doctor will also want to find out if the patient has ever taken any medication, including over-the counter medications and supplements. A psychiatric assessment is important to identify what is happening within a person and what type of treatment might be beneficial. A diagnosis is vital, and sometimes a person needs inpatient care or medication depending on the final diagnosis. The diagnosis is usually taken at an inpatient hospital, but some individuals undergo an assessment of mental health done at home by an accredited professional. The assessment of cognitive function is an important part of a mental assessment. This includes the ability to pay attention, remembering and organizing information, resolving problems, and making decisions. It also includes fundamental skills such as the ability of interfacing with other people. To evaluate cognition, an individual is asked to respond to open-ended or standard questions and write short stories. The assessment of thought content requires the examination of a variety of things, such as hallucinations that could be visual, auditory or tactile; delusions of special powers and status or fear of being disregarded by others; paranoid thoughts; irrational fears as well as compulsive and obsessive behavior and compulsions; a lack of connection (making no connections between different subjects); and depressive and suicidal thoughts. Diagnostic tests, such as magnetic resonance imaging or blood tests are usually required to complete the mental health assessment. These tests can help rule out other diseases and disorders which may trigger similar symptoms to mental illness. Tests The mental state examination focuses on the various aspects of a patient's condition through direct questioning and objective observation. It involves a health professional watching the patient's behavior, mood, activity level and general appearance. It could also involve an array of written or verbal tests, which include the standardized rating scales used to evaluate the symptoms. The MMPI-2 is a standard depression test. There are many other tests to assess anxiety, intelligence levels and autism. The patient's medical history and physical examination will provide important information that can be used to determine whether the symptoms are due to a mental disorder or a medical issue such as hypothyroidism, diabetes, or drug abuse. Some physical conditions like certain types of tumors or selective brain lesions, can present with similar symptoms to mental disorders. These conditions might require testing in a clinic or laboratory, like blood tests, CT scans, or MRIs as an addition to a complete mental health assessment. Psychological testing is an important part of mental health assessments. It can provide valuable information about how the patient thinks and interacts with others, as well as how he remembers things. These tests can be useful to identify symptoms such as hallucinations, or the tendency to make irrelevant connections between subjects. what is a mental health assessment may include questions regarding the patient's family history, which includes psychiatric illness and other ailments. It will include how long symptoms have been present and their severity and whether they interfere with everyday activities. It will also ask about any previous psychiatric illness the patient has experienced and the treatment they received in the past. The patient must be honest with their answers as this will allow the health professional to obtain a better understanding of the state of the person. During the interview, the health care professional will also listen to the way the patient speaks and how they interact with others. They will also inquire of the patient about any prescription or non-prescription medications and supplements they take and how these affect their mental health.