Mental Health Assessment - What Happens If You Are Unhappy With Your Mental Health Assessment?
It is essential to seek assistance if you are experiencing problems with your mental health. Mental illness can be as serious as physical disease.
Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and dignity, regardless of gender, age or race. APP acknowledges the need to fight discrimination.
What is a mental health assessment?
A mental health assessment is a test that is used to determine how one is functioning psychologically socially and developmentalally. It also helps diagnose diseases like depression and neurological diseases such as dementia.
A healthcare professional will talk to the patient and observe their physical state during the initial assessment. They might inquire about the patient's symptoms as well as what's been happening. They also will assess how the person thinks, makes decisions and remembers (cognitive functioning).
When assessing there are a variety of tests that are conducted. They could be formal, standardized tests or informal, non-standardized tests. They could include a problem checklist, a memory test or self-report screening tools such as the GHQ or MMSE. These tools may be administered by general practitioners or mental health professionals.
Sometimes, laboratory tests are necessary to diagnose an illness. These tests could include blood or urine samples. The tests are generally not painful. The only discomfort is caused by the injection of blood which may feel like a small pinch or itching. In more serious instances, an MRI or EEG scan may be required.
It is important for a healthcare professional to have the most complete picture when conducting an assessment. This includes taking into account the patient's lifestyle, family history and their environment. This information will be considered when deciding on the best course of treatment for the patient.
What should be done during an assessment for mental health services?
The examination should be an opportunity for healthcare professionals to listen and comprehend the situation for you. It is essential that you use this opportunity to discuss your concerns and ask questions. You should also be given sufficient information regarding the various options, allowing you to make an informed decision.
You should be greeted in a warm, friendly and compassionate manner by the staff upon arrival (NICE 2009b). Individuals who want to sit in solitude or in a group must have a comfortable waiting area.
During the mental assessment, your doctor will ask you about your thoughts and feelings, and how they impact your daily life, and whether or not you've attempted to manage your symptoms by yourself. Your doctor will also be observing your behavior. For instance, they might look at how you speak and whether you are able to make eye contact. They will also test your memory and ability to think by asking you simple questions such as recalling short lists or the names of common shapes and objects.
If you fall within section 2 of the Mental Health Act, your AMHP will be there to guide and support you throughout the process of assessing you. You can bring along a relative or friend to your assessment or choose to have a professional advocate represent your interests and opinions. They can be professionals like lawyers or even charity workers.
Some people have difficulty to discuss their emotional wellbeing with healthcare professionals, especially in the case of previous negative experiences. Some children do not realise that changes in their mood or behaviour are a cause for worry, and others might not know who to for help. It is important that healthcare professionals are aware of the consequences of previous poor experiences and that they work hard to establish a trusting relationship.
What should I do if unhappy with the results of the test?
If you've been referred to under the Mental Health Act and you are not satisfied with the results you can file a complaint to the CQC. See our guide on making a complaint for more information.
People who use mental health services usually have multiple appointments with a variety of professionals and may find it difficult to keep track of them all. It is crucial to be as honest and transparent as possible with the person who is evaluating your condition. If you aren't you could give the doctor wrong impressions of your health condition and this could impact your treatment.
A mental illness is a condition that may alter your mood, thoughts and behavior. It can cause problems with work, relationships and day-to-day activities. The most common disorders are depression, anxiety disorders and schizophrenia. You can get support for a mental illness from your physician as well as your family and friends or by visiting the nearest NHS CAMHS.
The right diagnosis and treatment is essential to improving your mental health. NHS England is working hard to ensure that everyone receives right treatment at the right time. This means reducing the time taken to get treatment and ensuring that the correct information is accessible to all who require it. We are also making adjustments to the way we record and share data to help with this.
We want all local mental health services to be able to record and share data in the same manner as other NHS organizations. This will improve the safety of patients and improve the quality of the care. We want all healthcare providers to have access to accurate and current information in real-time, no matter where they are. This is part of the NHS's mission Data Saves Lives which aims to reduce the barriers to information sharing across the health and healthcare system.
What should happen if I want to get a second opinion?
You are able to decide to take action if you think that health experts involved in the assessment of your situation do not take your opinions seriously. You could ask the manager of your mental health services for a different specialist to examine the situation with you, or you could contact one of the NHS helplines to get assistance in your area. If you reside in England the NHS offers a service called EIT which sends an emergency response team to your home. You can also contact local volunteer groups, or charities such as Mind or Rethink for advice.
You could decide to get an additional opinion from a different doctor or medical specialist, or even your GP. It is recommended to do this in the event that you aren't sure of your diagnosis or treatment options or if the doctors disagree about the best option for you.
A study published in the American Journal of Medicine found second opinions to be of great value and costing less than what the first opinion would have cost. The experts can provide new perspectives and insights that could alter the course of the patient's treatment.
Another reason to seek an additional opinion is that the initial healthcare provider or doctor may have overlooked a possible cause or effect of your symptoms. This can be due to various reasons, including misdiagnosis and simply not paying attention carefully to your story.
Dementech can arrange for an individual mental assessment with one of our psychiatrists. We provide standard consultations of 50 minutes, and we collaborate with the majority of major private insurance companies to ensure that your psychiatric treatment is covered. If you don't have health insurance, we are able to offer excellent treatment at an affordable price.
What should happen if I require a second opinion from a specialist?
You are likely to be able to get an additional opinion if you are dissatisfied with the mental health assessment results. You don't have a legal right to this however, doctors are very unlikely to refuse to arrange it for you. You can ask your GP or the mental health services to make it happen. They should be able give you the details of local advocacy services.
The specialist will examine and possibly conduct further tests, such as blood tests or an X-ray. The specialist will discuss their findings with you and the treatment options available to you. mental health check could involve medication, hospitalization or other options. The doctor should take into account your gender, age social background, your social background, religious beliefs, sexual orientation as well as your disability, religious beliefs when discussing your concerns with you.
A second opinion is beneficial because it lets you compare medical advice from different experts and to get an entirely new perspective on your medical situation. It can help you gain confidence in your diagnosis and treatment options, and can provide more information on possible side effects.
You might have a very strong reason for wanting an additional opinion. For example, you might suspect that you have an uncommon or rare condition and want a different doctor to weigh in on your diagnosis and treatment options. You may have read about treatments that your provider does not offer and are interested in knowing if they are safe for you.
A private Psychiatrist will typically be able to visit you within several days and will typically have access to all your health records. They can also arrange for an online video consultation through Skype or Facetime and a medical report to be directly sent to your GP.