Psych eval (What to expect)

In this brief blog, we will be discussing psych eval, an online psych eval, tests in psych eval, and more information about psych eval.

What is the definition of a psych eval?

The definition of a psychological evaluation is a kind of mental health assessment where a healthcare professional such as a family doctor, psychologist, or psychiatrist evaluates you if you have a mental health illness.

This kind of evaluation will be using a variety of equipment that will be used to determine if the client has this kind of condition.

This kind of evaluation is typically the first kind of intervention that will be used to assess if the client has this kind of condition.

This kind of evaluation will enable the client to talk or get tested by a variety of psychological tests that will assess if the client has a certain mental health condition.

This kind of evaluation can reach an objective conclusion that can really tell that the client has a certain mental health condition.

This is because this kind of evaluation is going to be thorough based on the client’s presenting symptoms.

The clinician who will be doing this kind of evaluation will be trained and licensed to do this psychological assessment.

This is because the mental health professional should know what test results indicate from the test manual and how some factors might be affecting the client in the midst of testing.

Symptoms and signs that will make you eligible for a psych eval

The recognition of the symptoms that might indicate a mental health illness can help an affected people to seek help immediately.

The American Psychological Association stated that there are symptoms and signs that can indicate that the person needs to take this kind of evaluation.

The following are the symptoms and signs that will indicate that the client needs this kind of evaluation:

• Social withdrawal (Lacking interest in associating with others, especially best friends and family.)
• Complications with thinking (Having concerns with memory, concentration, speech, and logical and rational thought.)
• Decreased functioning (Having significant complications at school, work, or social activities. This kind of symptom involves stopping previously enjoyed activities and has trouble in performing routine tasks)
• Apathy (Lack of motivation and want to attend to familiar tasks)
• Disconnected feelings (A compelling and difficult to control the idea of being disconnected from oneself or surroundings. A feeling of reality has been altered in some way in this kind of symptom)
• Increased sensitivity (Being impacted or overwhelmed by sensory information such as sights, sounds, and touch. Preventing situations in fear of overarousal)
• Mood changes (Suddenly rapid or dramatic alterations in emotions.)
• Unusual behaviour (Acting in unconventional ways of manifesting peculiar behaviours)
• Alterations in sleep or appetite (Rejecting personal care caused by changes in sleep and eating patterns.)
• Irrational thinking: (Unrealistic thought patterns that affect day-to-day functioning. These kinds of patterns could involve intrusive thoughts, magical thinking, or unusual and exaggerated beliefs.)
• Anxiety or paranoia (Fears or suspicions of others, circumstances, or one’s surroundings.)
  

What is the overall process of a psych eval?

As mentioned before, this kind of evaluation will include a variety of tools such as behavioural observations, psychological tests, and some medical examinations.

The tools that will be used in this kind of evaluation will be based on the suspected psychological condition that you might be suffering in.

This kind of evaluation can be typically done in 20 to 90 minutes.

This kind of evaluation can also be done online or through a mental health professional. 

There are samples of this evaluation on the Psychology Today website.

Types of psychological evaluations in the psychology field

The following are the typical forms of this evaluation:

Physical exam

Some physical conditions may manifest as a mental health condition in some patients.

This is why there is a need for the physical exam to rule out the possibility that the client is actually having a physical condition than a mental health condition. 

You should also tell your doctor if you have been taking medications for your physical condition.

Lab tests

You may also be asked to finish a urine test, blood test or drug test.

The doctor may also ask you about the side effects you have experienced when taking medications or drugs.

Mental health history for the evaluation

You are asked if you have been observing symptoms of a mental health illness for how many times and if your family members might also have this illness.

Personal history

Healthcare professionals will be asking you about your personal background and this includes your traumatic experiences that you have encountered in life.

You might also be asked about your marital status, occupation, and lifestyles.

Mental evaluation

You will then be asked about your symptoms that are related to your mental health illness such as your thoughts and behaviours.

You will also be asked about your efforts in securing and controlling these symptoms. 

Your clinician will monitor your behaviour and physical appearance when you visited the office.

Cognitive evaluation

This is where the clinician will be asking about your thinking patterns and how good you are at retrieving information that you have recently learned.

In this case, the clinician will be more likely to make you take intelligence tests or some tests that can gauge your thinking patterns.

Completing self-evaluations

You will then be asked to finish a self-assessment on how you perceive your own thinking patterns and behavioural patterns.

In the online therapy platform, this assessment is used to get you matched with a therapist who can help you with your current needs.

This assessment can help you gauge if you are in need of individual therapy that can help you treat your emotional and mental needs.

In this case, this assessment is there to help you fit with a therapist or counsellor who can help you in your recent flunk.

Why do we need to take a psych eval?

You will need to take this kind of evaluation where there is a need for you to take this assessment.

You might be taking this kind of evaluation due to a drastic change that has occurred in school.

For instance, you might instantly be getting bad grades instead of good ones which some teachers of yours might find vexing.

This kind of evaluation can also be useful in detecting if there is an issue in your mental health.

This is the most typical reason for having this kind of evaluation in affected people.

This kind of evaluation can lead you to get a therapist that can help you with your current needs. 

In some instances, you might be referred to another therapist that might be outside the mental health centre where you took this kind of evaluation since the mental health centre might not be having therapists that can help you with your mental health condition which is why you should be referred.

What you can do about your mental wellbeing after a psych eval?

After this kind of evaluation, you should start taking care of yourself in the long run but still be careful about getting some relapses that might occur in some aspects of your life.

The following are guidelines that you can do to take care of your mental wellbeing:

Make a List of Your Symptoms and Symptom-Related Concerns

In the midst of your mental health condition, you might feel like your whole life has become a cluttered mess without a way of organizing it.

This is why you should make a list of your symptoms to help you get organized and monitor yourself if you are doing well or not.

Take a Look Into Potential Mental Health Disorders That Might Be Relevant To You

You are not allowed to diagnose yourself but you can look at some mental health disorders to take them into account.

This can lead you to know when you can seek counselling or therapy to help you. 

You could start by looking at the most typical mental health disorders and monitor if your symptoms match the mental health disorder.

Enhance Your Self-Care Routine For Your Mental Wellbeing

Self-care can also help you in the long run in regards to your mental wellbeing, especially if you do this routine every day.

You can use this before going through counselling if you find yourself feeling mentally ill that you can’t handle it only with self-care. 

This will help you minimize the stress that you might be feeling right now.

You might also find in the first try that counselling or therapy is threatening for you. 

When you are able to attend this evaluation, you should know that you are showing courage by taking this evaluation.

There are other choices you can try when traditional therapy or counselling is too costly for you. 

Some websites have counsellors where you can get free therapy in.

This is a convenient way of getting counselling or therapy which can help you get the help you need at any time or any day.

You can also have this online counselling or therapy which can enable you to keep up with your daily commitments whether for family time or friend time which can allow to minimize your stress and still take care of yourself in the long run

BetterHelp: A Better Alternative

Those who are seeking therapy online may also be interested in BetterHelp. BetterHelp offers plenty of formats of therapy, ranging from live chats, live audio sessions and live video sessions. In addition, unlimited messaging through texting, audio messages and even video messages are available here.

BetterHelp also offers couples therapy and therapy for teenagers in its platform. Furthermore, group sessions can also be found in this platform, covering more than twenty different topics related to mental health and mental illness. The pricing of BetterHelp is also pretty cost-effective, especially considering the fact that the platform offers financial aid to most users.

Conclusion 

In this brief blog, we have discussed psych eval, an online psych eval, tests in psych eval, and more information about psych eval.

If you have any questions about psych eval, please let us know and the team will gladly answer your queries.

FAQs: psych eval

Citations

betterhelp. What I Need To Know About A Psych Evaluation.

Talkspace. What is a “Psych Evaluation?”.