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Mental Health Assessments A mental health assessment is an essential instrument for helping people assess their mental health. There are a range of instruments, from standard to self-reports, that are that professionals use to help with this. A mental status exam is one of the most frequently used. It permits counselors and doctors to look at a client’s appearance, attitude, and activities. They can also note their mood thoughts, emotions, and mood. Symptoms Mental health problems can cause people to alter their mood, thoughts and behaviour. These can affect their ability to work and socialize with other people. Mental illness is a serious health condition. Many of the same conditions that can affect physical health also affect mental health. Every person experiences ups and downs in their mood. However, if these changes are dramatic and last for a long time it could be an indication of a mental illness. Common symptoms include a change in sleeping, eating habits or energy levels, a drastic increase or decrease in feelings like anger, sadness or joy, a difficulty in recalling or concentrating, and feeling exhausted all the time. It is important to not dismiss your concerns regarding someone you love. Making contact with a helpline, or contacting an expert in health can help stop mental health issues becoming worse. Many of these changes are brought on by life events like losing the job, family issues or an accident that is serious. It is crucial to seek treatment for mental illness to ensure that it doesn't interfere with your relationships or work. Certain illnesses can be treated with counselling or medication. Some conditions require hospital treatment. There are more than 200 distinct mental disorders, such as anxiety disorders, depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Some of them are life-threatening. Others are more mild and do not interfere with daily life, for example certain phobias. A person's mental health is affected by many factors, including genetics, biological differences as well as life events stress, lifestyle choices and the way society treats its members. It's important to understand that mental illness is not something to be ashamed of. It can be treated as is heart disease. Mental illness can be treated and many sufferers will recover with proper treatment. This can include medication such as antidepressants or sedatives, as well as psychotherapy (talk-therapy). A combination of treatments is often the most efficient. Support groups and self-help groups can be beneficial to some people. History A mental health history is a crucial part of any assessment. A psychiatrist should also know your medical history, and whether you have relatives with mental illness. They will also ask you about your current medications and any prior drug use or alcoholism you may have experienced. In some instances doctors may request you to record your symptoms in journals or bring a family or friend member along so they can hear the full story. For more information , a mental health assessment is the first step to seeking treatment for a condition. Often it is triggered by a recommendation by a physician or another professional, but it can also be initiated by the individual themselves. The psychiatric examination will provide the professional with the information needed to make an accurate diagnosis. Western civilization has seen mental illness as the result of supernatural forces or demon possession for the majority of recorded history. This resulted in primitive treatments like drilling a small hole into 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 its own discipline. However there isn't a complete distinction between it and psychotherapy. The definition of mental health is different from culture to culture but most systems incorporate elements such as self-realization, a sense of accomplishment; happiness; and a sense of control over one's environment. These criteria are influenced however, by cultural norms and can exclude people who aren't reaching their full potential, people who live in low-income areas, those who live in areas of poverty and minorities who experience discrimination and reject. Other assessment tools can be used to assess the health of a person's mental state. They include the DSM-5 Checklist that lists of specific disorders, and the Life Events Checklist which can check for distressing or traumatic events that occur in the life of a patient. Physical Exam A medical doctor or psychiatrist typically conducts the physical exam of a patient who is who is suspected to have an issue with mental health. The exam may be part of the overall physical examination, or it can be done when a health care provider believes that a specific illness such as schizophrenia, dementia or addiction to drugs is involved. The test gives the opportunity to assess the person's appearance and emotional state, and how they respond to questions. The doctor who is examining will ask the person questions about the length of time they've had symptoms and any family history of mental health issues. The doctor will also inquire about any medications the patient is taking or has used in the past including prescription medications and supplements. A psychiatric evaluation is essential to discover what is going on inside a person and what type of treatment is appropriate. A diagnosis is vital and often a patient requires inpatient care or medication based on the diagnosis. The diagnosis is typically taken at a hospital, although some people have an assessment of their mental health in their own home by an accredited professional. Assessment of cognitive function is an important component of a mental test. This includes the ability of paying attention, retaining and organizing information, resolving problems, and making decisions. It also includes basic social skills, like the ability to communicate with others. The assessment of cognition involves testing a person's spontaneity and the quality of their speech by having them answer open-ended questions or complete standardized short stories. The assessment of thought content involves the examination of a variety of things, such as hallucinations that could be auditory, visual or olfactory. thoughts of having special powers and status or fear of being disregarded by others; paranoid thoughts or irrational fear; obsessive and compulsive behavior and compulsions; lack of association (making irrelevant connections between different subjects); and depressive and suicidal thoughts. Often clinical tests are required as an adjunct to a mental health assessment like blood tests or magnetic resonance imaging to rule out other conditions and disorders that may cause similar symptoms as mental illnesses. Tests The mental state examination focuses on multiple aspects of a patient's condition by direct questioning and objective observation. A health care provider observes the patient's behavior and mood, their levels of activity, and their overall appearance. It could also include an array of verbal or written tests, including the standard rating systems used to evaluate symptoms. The MMPI-2 is a standard depression test. There are more information that can be used to assess anxiety as well as intelligence, and autism. The patient's medical history and physical examination can provide valuable information that can be used to determine whether the symptoms are related to mental illness or a medical issue such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, or drug abuse. Certain physical ailments, such as certain types of tumours or selective brain lesions, can present with the same symptoms as psychological disorders. These conditions might require laboratory or clinic testing for blood tests, CT scans, or MRIs, in addition to a full mental health examination. Psychological testing can be important in mental health tests. It can give valuable information on how a patient thinks and interacts with others, as well as how he recalls information. The information obtained from these tests can aid the health care professional to detect various symptoms, like hallucinations (the perception of an object, a person or event that isn't real) or looseness of association (the tendency to make unrelated connections between subjects). A psychiatric health assessment may include questions regarding the patient's family history of mental illness and other diseases. It will include the time since symptoms were present and their severity, as well as how they impact daily activities. The patient will be asked about previous 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 care professional to gain a better understanding of the patient's health. During the interview, the health care professional will listen to the patient's speech and how they interact. They will also inquire of the patient about any prescription or non-prescription medicines or supplements they are taking and how they affect their mental health.