Mental Health Assessment
Why It Is Done
A mental health assessment is done to:
- Find out about and check on mental health problems, such as Reference anxiety Opens New Window, Reference depression Opens New Window, Reference schizophrenia Opens New Window, Reference Alzheimer's disease Opens New Window, and Reference anorexia nervosa Opens New Window.
- Help tell the difference between mental and physical health problems.
- Evaluate a person who has been referred for mental health treatment because of problems at school, work, or home. For example, a mental health assessment may be used to find out if a child has Reference learning disabilities Opens New Window or behavior disorders such as Reference attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Opens New Window (ADHD), Reference conduct disorder Opens New Window (CD), or Reference obsessive-compulsive disorder Opens New Window (OCD).
- Check the mental health of a person who has been placed in an institution or arrested for a crime, such as drunken driving or physical abuse.
| By: | Reference Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: Reference January 12, 2011 |
| Medical Review: | Reference Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
Reference Lisa S. Weinstock, MD - Psychiatry |
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