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Article: Assessment and diagnosis
- Article from:
- Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Assessment and diagnosis
Definition
The psychological assessment is a structured interview that gathers information from and/or tests a person to evaluate a mental health complaint.
Purpose
The psychological assessment (also called the biopsychosocial or psychiatric assessment) gathers information to diagnose any mental disorder that the person may have; it is the first step in treating a diagnosed disorder. The process typically starts with a chief complaint or presenting problem
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this is usually what prompts the person to seek help. A complete psychological assessment should include:
biopsychosocial history
- neurological assessment
- psychological testing (if applicable)
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