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Mental health evaluations are a popular way for professionals to assess an individual’s mental state. There are many types of mental disorder tests out there, but some are generally more common than others. If you have an upcoming mental health test and are feeling nervous about it, you’ve come to the right place for more information. Let’s examine some of the most popular assessments and what they evaluate.
What Is a Mental Health Test?
A mental health test helps give a medical professional (doctor, psychiatrist, counselor, etc.) a complete picture of a person’s current emotional and mental state. The mental health assessment can also review how well an individual thinks, reasons and remembers. Ultimately, the psychiatric evaluation is meant to highlight if a person is currently dealing with a mental health condition, such as depression, anxiety disorder or PTSD.
There are many types of mental health assessments, but generally, they’re a set of standard questions asked by a therapist to an individual.
Children can also go through a mental health evaluation, but the questions and experience are adjusted to be age-appropriate.
Importance of Mental Health Evaluations
Often, people who are struggling with a mental health condition may not fully realize how deeply their condition is impacting them. For example, 54.7% of American adults with a mental illness don’t receive any treatment for their condition. This could be for a variety of reasons, but denial about their condition is likely a contributing factor in many cases.
A mental health evaluation serves two purposes:
- It helps the individual differentiate between physical and mental health problems, which is crucial for getting the treatment needed.
- It can help diagnose a person’s mental health condition.
A professional knows how to interpret a mental health assessment to catch content that implies a specific mental health condition.
Preparing for a Mental Health Test
A mental health assessment can feel intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. You can prepare yourself for the test by taking the following steps:
- Ask yourself how your mental health has been and what specific symptoms you’ve been experiencing.
- Have you had feelings, thoughts, patterns or behaviors that have been unusual or bothering you?
- How often do you have symptoms, and how long do they last?
- How do you respond to these symptoms?
- How do you feel overall compared to 6 months ago and 1 year ago?
- Prepare to be honest with your answers.
Take a moment to reflect on your answers before your mental evaluation. Remember, there are no wrong answers, and you’re taking this test to get answers for yourself.
Common Mental Health Assessments
Some of the more typical mental health assessments include the following.
1. Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2)
The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2) is the most common and widely used mental health assessment professionals use to diagnose mental health conditions.
The MMP was created in the 1930s and published by Charley McKinley and Stuart Hathaway at the University of Minnesota in 1942. Since then, it’s been modified and revised several times to match current psychology research and beliefs. The current version of the MMPI-2 test has 567 true-or-false questions and takes most people 60 to 90 minutes to finish.
The MMP-2 is mostly used by mental health professionals to diagnose mental health conditions. However, it’s also used by some employers hiring in high-risk professions to determine a person’s mental stability.
The answers in the MMPI-2 are grouped into 10 clinical scales that help identify different psychological conditions. For example, scale two is for depression. However, many mental health conditions have overlapping symptoms, so these scales aren’t perfect measurements. Instead, psychologists have to read the results as a comprehensive picture.
This isn’t a test you have to study or practice for. Instead, come prepared to give honest answers and allow the therapist to evaluate you based on their training.
2. Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI)
Some mental health assessments focus on specific disorders. For example, the Beck Anxiety Inventory psychiatric evaluation is one of the most popular tools for evaluating anxiety disorders.
The Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) is a questionnaire consisting of 21 questions that fall into a four-point scale that assesses the intensity of anxiety symptoms an individual experienced in the past week. The questionnaire gives the person a score from 0 to 63, with the categories breaking down as follows:
- 0-7 points: Minimal anxiety
- 8-15 points: Mild anxiety
- 16-25: Moderate anxiety
- 26-63: Severe anxiety
The questions on the BAI test focus on anxiety symptoms. Respondents are asked how often they were bothered by specific symptoms (such as the fear of dying or hot/cold sweats) in the last few weeks. They rate each symptom on a four-point scale, from 0 (not at all) to 3 (severely bothered me a lot).
The BAI assessment was invented in 1961 by Aaron T. Beck and his colleagues.
Patients can use the BAI to track their treatment progress. For example, patients can retake the test after several months of treatment. They can then compare their initial and current scores to see how their anxiety has improved over time.
3. Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)
The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is an assessment test to screen, diagnose and monitor the severity of depression. It’s a simple evaluation with only nine questions. Individuals get a score out of 27 that illustrates the likelihood they’re suffering from major depression.
The questionnaire is directly based on the nine diagnostic criteria measurements for major depressive disorder in the DSM-5. The PHQ-9 applies to individuals age 12 or older.
The PHQ-9 was created in 1999 by Drs. Robert L. Spitzer, Janet W.B. Williams and Kurt Kroenke.
Leaving Mental Health Assessments to the Professionals
Many of the popular mental health assessments are available to take online for free. They’re easy to interpret online, too, with some research. However, it’s generally not recommended you take a self-evaluation approach. These tests have some nuances and are best understood by a mental health professional. A professional therapist or counselor can break down the results, offer a diagnosis and recommend the next steps for treatment.
Get a Mental Health Assessment at FHE Health
If you’re struggling with your mental health, know you deserve answers now. FHE Health is an experienced, full-service mental health treatment center that helps individuals get the help they need. Let us administer your mental health test so you can get an explanation, diagnosis and treatment plan for your mental health. Contact us today to get started.
