WHAT IS A PSYCHIATRIC EVALUATION ?
A psychiatric evaluation is essential to help identify the disorder and help you get the best treatment for your condition. A professional and experienced psychiatric clinician conducts a psychiatric evaluation. If a child is being evaluated, their parent or guardian is required to be there.
HOW IS A PSYCHIATRIC EVALUATION CONDUCTED?
During the evaluation, your clinician will ensure that no other physical conditions are causing the symptoms that made you come in for an assessment. A typical psychiatric evaluation session could take between 40 and 60 minutes.
You’ll be asked a series of questions to help the clinician understand why you’ve decided to come in and what symptoms you’ve been exhibiting.
If you have a history of drug or alcohol use, it’s essential to disclose this to your clinician. They will also take any family history of mental health conditions into consideration. The questions will vary from your treatment history to developmental and social history.
WHAT TO EXPECT DURING YOUR EVALUATION?
During a psychiatric evaluation, you’ll be asked a series of questions by your clinician. Depending on what symptoms you have, some lab tests might also need to be carried out in some instances. After this is done, your clinician will diagnose if your symptoms match any mental health conditions.
Some mental health conditions that you could be diagnosed with include:
- Anxiety
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Depression
- Eating disorders
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
You might feel nervous or anxious during an evaluation. It helps to remember that the clinician is there to help you find a solution to your problem.