Mental Health Assessment - What Happens If You Are Unhappy With Your Mental Health Assessment?
It is important to get assistance if there is a problem with your mental health. Mental illness can be as severe as physical illness.
Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, regardless of age, gender or ethnicity. APP recognizes the need to fight discrimination.
What is a mental health assessment?
A mental health evaluation is an assessment that determines how someone is functioning socially, psychologically, and also in the development stage. It can also be used to identify conditions like depression or neurological diseases like dementia.
During an initial assessment the healthcare professional will talk to the patient and observe them physically. They may also ask questions about their symptoms or the difficulties they've gone through. They will also test the person's capacity to think and reason, as well as remember (cognitive function).
In an assessment various tests are conducted. They can be formal, standardized tests or informal, non-standardized tests. These tools could include a checklist of problems as well as a memory check or self report screening tool such as the GHQ or MMSE. These tools can either be administered by general practitioners or by mental health professionals.
Sometimes, patients will require tests in the lab to diagnose a disorder. These might include urine or blood samples. Usually these tests aren't painful. The only discomfort may be the injection of the blood sample which could be a little painful or itching. In more serious cases it is possible that an MRI or EEG scan may be required.
It is important for a healthcare professional to have the most accurate picture when conducting an assessment. This means taking into account the history of the patient's family as well as their lifestyle and environment in which they live. This information is considered when deciding on the best treatment for the patient.
What can happen during an assessment at a mental health service?
The assessment is a chance for healthcare professionals to be attentive and understand the situation for you. It is advisable to use this opportunity to express your concerns and ask any questions you have. You should also receive sufficient information regarding the various treatments, to allow you to make an informed decision.
The staff should greet you in a warm and friendly manner with respect and empathy, upon arrival (NICE 2009b). Anyone who wants to wait on their own or in a group should have a comfortable waiting area.
During the mental assessment, your doctor will ask you about your thoughts and emotions, how they impact your day-to-day life and whether or not you've tried to manage your symptoms by yourself. Your doctor will also look at your behavior. They may examine your speech patterns or if you keep eye contact. They will also test your memory and ability to reason by asking you questions that are simple such as recalling lists of short sentences or the names of common shapes and objects.
If you fall under section 2 of the Mental Health Act, your AMHP will support and guide you throughout the process of assessing you. You can invite your friend or relative to your appointment or opt to have an advocate who is a professional representing your interests and opinions. They could be volunteers like charity workers, or professionals, like lawyers.
Some people find it difficult to discuss their emotional wellbeing with healthcare professionals, especially if they have had previous negative experiences. Children may not realize that changes in their moods or behaviour can be a cause for anxiety. Some families might not know where to go for help. It is essential that healthcare professionals are aware of the impact of previous negative experiences and work to establish trust.
What should I do if I'm not happy with the assessment?
If you've been assessed under the Mental Health Act and you are not happy with it you can file an appeal to the CQC. For more information, read our guide on how to file a complaint.
It can be challenging for people who use mental healthcare services to keep track of all their appointments. It is crucial to be as honest and open as possible with the person who is evaluating you. If you are not then the professional could get a wrong picture of how you are doing and this can affect your care.
Mental illness can affect your mood and mental thinking. It can lead to problems with work, relationships and day-to-day activities. Common conditions include anxiety disorders, depression and schizophrenia. You can get help for mental illness by speaking to your GP or family members and friends, or going to a local NHS CAMHS service.
Making sure you receive the right assessment and treatment is key to improving your mental health. NHS England works hard to make sure everyone receives the appropriate treatment at the right time. This includes reducing delays and ensuring the right information is readily available to anyone who requires it. We are also making adjustments to the method we record and share data to help with this.
We want to see all local mental healthcare services be able record and share data the same as other NHS organisations. This will improve safety and quality of the care. We want all providers to have access accurate and current information in real-time, no matter where they are. This is part of the NHS's commitment to Data Saves Lives, which aims to reduce the barriers to effective sharing of data across the health and social care systems.
What do I do if need to get a second opinion about something?
You may decide to take action if you think that health professionals involved in the assessment of your case don't take your concerns seriously. You can ask your manager to send a different professional out to review your situation, or call an NHS helpline in your area for support. If you live in England the NHS provides a service known as EIT that will send out a crisis response team to your home. You can also seek assistance from local voluntary groups or charities, such as Mind or Rethink.
You might want to seek a second opinion, either from a medical professional or another physician. Your GP is also able to offer a second opinion. You should do this when you're not sure about your diagnosis or treatment options, or when the doctors aren't agreeing on the best option for you.
A study published in the American Journal of Medicine found second opinions to be of great value and costing only a fraction of what the first opinion would have been. Experts can provide fresh perspectives and information that can alter the course of a patient's treatment.
A second opinion is necessary in the event that your healthcare professional has overlooked a possible cause for your symptoms. This can be due to a number of reasons, such as misdiagnosis or simply not paying attention carefully to your story.
Dementech can arrange a private mental assessment with one of our psychiatrists. We offer 50-minute consultations and cooperate with the majority of major private insurance companies to ensure that psychiatric treatment are covered. If you don't have health insurance, we can still provide excellent care at a reasonable cost.
What should I do if require a second opinion from a specialist?
If assess mental health are dissatisfied with the results of your mental health evaluation and you want a second opinion, it should be possible to get this. It's not an official right however, most doctors are willing to facilitate it. You can contact the mental health service or your GP to arrange this. They should be able give you information about local advocacy services.
The specialist will examine and may perform additional tests such as blood tests and X-rays. The specialist will discuss their findings with you and the treatment options available to you. This could include hospitalization, or other options. When discussing your case your doctor, the doctor must consider your gender, age, gender and social background as well as your sexual orientation, disability, religion as well as your religious or cultural beliefs and your sexual preference.
A second opinion can be useful because it allows you to examine the advice of different experts and to gain a new perspective on your health situation. It can help you feel more comfortable regarding the diagnosis and treatment options and can also give you more details on the possible side consequences of each option.
There may be a justification to seek a second opinion. For instance, you could think you may have a rare or unusual illness and want a different doctor to weigh in on the diagnosis and treatment options. You may have heard about treatments that your doctor does not provide and you want to know if these are suitable for you.
A private Psychiatrist will usually be able to consult with you within several days and will normally have access to your medical records. They can also schedule an appointment via video on Skype, Facetime or a phone call, and then send a medical report directly to your GP.