Getting your loved one an assessment is the process in which a medical professional will apply different assessment techniques to figure out what your loved one is struggling with.
Learn more about the legal process for admitting a patient for assessment here
An assessment is the gathering of information and then evaluating this information for a person who might be displaying what is considered “abnormal behaviour.”
Abnormal Behaviour: when a person acts and behaves in a way that it impairs their ability to function in a way that they normally would.
As you observe your loved one, you’ll agree that sometimes they might not be able to properly report on their own state. For example, a person who is experiencing a manic episode might think they are totally fine and there is no problem. A clinician needs to fully understand the emotional and psychological state of the person, but this might be impossible at the time of assessment. It’s important for a clinician to have a full picture of your loved one’s past behaviour and experiences, and current behaviour. There are so many pieces to this puzzle that these assessments will take time and may use various methods.
Remember! It’s okay to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to be part of the process. Ask them what you can expect and what the process will involve. Families need to be included.
Methods Used For Assessments:
The key to an assessment really depends on the assessment tools used by the clinician and health team.
What are some methods used?
Biological Assessments: Did you know that a thyroid that is not functioning can mimic anxiety and depression? It’s important for a doctor to do a full assessment to ensure there are no other medical conditions involved. This might include:
brain scans, or neuroimaging which can provide information about the structure and function of the brain. This might include:
– MRIs (Magnetic Resonance Imagining)
– fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging)
– PET scans (Positron Emission Tomography).
What would these do? Researchers can look to see if there are different connections between brain regions that are causing impairments leading to any disruptive thinking, or reduced connectivity that might point towards schizophrenia, for example.
Assessment of Intelligence: Did you know that these were the first assessment tools used by psychologists? An example you might come across is the most recent test: the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-IV). This specific test was designed to measure intelligence for adults and older teens. You can learn specifically more about it here.
Psychological Assessment (Interviews):
These are the most common types of assessments. This method allows a mental health worker or team to gather information about symptoms, why they are happening, etc., in a face to face format. During these interviews the clinician can capture all aspects of the patient’s life, including medical history, relationships, etc.
Unstructured Interview Style: a patient can often be under incredible stress to begin with and so this format gives the clinician a chance to let the patient lead the conversation. The questions can be open ended and, therefore, puts the patient more at ease, which helps because often sensitive information is shared during these interviews.
Semi Structured Interview Style: In this style, there are pre-set questions that guide the interviewer, but also allows for space for the clinician to follow up on specific responses.
Structured Interview: This consists of have a strict wording in the questions that are delivered to the patient. This style of interview might be done in order to match a patient with a specific issue to an expert in this specific field.
How Can Family Be Involved?
It’s important that your loved one’s mental health team know that you are accessible to them in order to answer questions. Many pieces of the puzzle can be collected from family, especially family who are present during all of their ups and downs.
Don’t be afraid to speak up. I know it can be frightening to talk about all that has happened. We fear judgement from others, and even feel that being honest might cause our loved one to be angry at us. But, again.. it’s so important for the mental health team to have a full picture so that they can properly apply the right diagnosis and a treatment plan.
BE WARNED: you may be asked to explain things over and over. It seems like every time my loved one was admitted, I had to re-explain things again and again.
Some Tips:
- Write everything down:
- Write all the information they give to you down, that includes any dates that meetings take place and any terms that they use that you might need following up on. It’s not uncommon to be nervous and fearful when your loved one is being assessed, and so writing things down helped me stay focused.
- Write down all of your questions! Especially the ones you think of after your meetings with the doctors, which happened to me many times. I would even think of a question in the middle of the night and wanted to make sure I had it ready for the next meeting.
- Write down terms they give you. They might even tell you a diagnosis without fully explaining things to you. Ask them to explain it. Yes, they might be hurried and rushed to get to the next patient, but it’s important to fully understand what they are labelling your loved one for the next 20 years or so of their life.
- Ask questions: I only got good at this later. I felt like if I was questioning the doctor they would assume I didn’t believe them. Asking questions is not disrespectful, it just means you want to have a better understanding of the current situation and the for the future.
If there is anything I’ve learned over the last 10 years of dealing with all of this… is that I have to speak up. I need to be truthful, even if it is embarrassing, and I need to be bold when trying to better understand things. Many times I had to google my own definitions, or read or watch some videos to better understand a term as well.
Resources To Learn More About Assessments:
- Canadian Mental Health Association: Getting Help: Here
- The Therapy Centre: How to Get a Mental Health Diagnosis in Ontario: Here
- University of Saskatchewan: Clinical Assessment: Here
References:
Abnormal Psychology (6th Edition), David J.A. Dozois
Braver Together 
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