Mental Health Assessment

Mental Status Evaluation

Why It Is Done

A mental health assessment is done to:

• Find out about and check on mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, and anorexia nervosa.
• Help tell the difference between mental and physical health problems.
• Evaluate a person who has been referred for mental health treatment because of problems at school, work, or home. For example, a mental health assessment may be used to find out if a child has learning disabilities or behavior disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder (CD), or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
• Check the mental health of a person who has been placed in an institution or arrested for a crime, such as drunken driving or physical abuse.

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Author:	Jeannette Curtis	Last Updated: December 24, 2007
Medical Review:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Donald Sproule, MD, CM, CCFP, FCFP - Family Medicine
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