Mental health testing

Mental health testing (Mental health assessment)

Mental health testing gives the clinical practitioner an overall picture of how well the person feels emotionally and how well the person is able to think, reason, and remember. The clinical practitioner will also pay attention to the person’s mood, behaviour, thinking, reasoning, memory, and ability to self-express, as well as how well the person gets along with other people, including family and friends. Psychometric instruments are often used together with clinical observations and collateral information-gathering during mental health testing.

Mental health assessment is done to:

(a) Arrive at an accurate diagnosis of mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression.

(b) Differentiate between mental and physical health problems.

(c) Evaluate a person who has been referred for mental health treatment because of problems at school, work, or home.

(d) Assess the mental health of a person who has been hospitalized or arrested for a crime, such as drunk driving or physical abuse.