Assessment and Diagnosis

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Psychological assessments are not required for everybody as they are  only performed when individuals show specific symptoms or require one  for diagnosis of an issue. The two groups of individuals who most often undergo psychological  assessments are children and students, however, adults also benefit from  psychological assessments.

Children may undergo a psychological assessment for many reasons. The main reasons include:

• To diagnose autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit disorders or other conditions
• To diagnose mental health issues such as anxiety or depressive disorders
• To diagnose behavioural disorders, such as ADHD
• Test intelligence and track intellectual development
• To determine socialisation problems, especially if subjected to bullying
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Similarly, adults may also undergo a psychological assessment for a multiple of reasons including:

• To diagnose mental health issues such as depression, anxiety,  bipolar, eating disorders, which may be due to ongoing issues in their  family, social, relationship or work/school life
• For behavioural management
• As a requirement of supportive drug therapies
• To gain a greater understanding of one’s individual process of thinking
• To affirm clinical findings
• To determine what treatment is best for one’s mental health issue

BENEFITS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENTS

Psychological assessments can be beneficial in many ways. Often used in identifying learning, development, psychiatric and  neuro-cognitive vulnerabilities in both adults and children, a  psychological assessment provides the ability to understand one’s own  cognitive thinking and behaviour. Because many of these factors impact academic and social performance,  psychological assessments are able to find methods and ways to address  any problems in these areas. For example, a child who participates in a  psychological assessment and undergoes treatment from this assessment  may perform better in school, become less shy and may become more  outgoing.

Another benefit of undergoing a psychological assessment is that it  can be extremely helpful for adults who may be struggling in areas of  their lives, including relationship problems, career and work stress,  family problems and much more. Psychological reports provide important  information not only about why an individual may be struggling with a  certain problem in their life but also the methods clients can adopt to  better approach these issues. Furthermore, a psychological assessment can narrow down and diagnose  specific issues an individual may be struggling with, including anxiety,  severe stress, depression and addiction. Undergoing a psychological assessment will help an individual and  their psychologist develop a treatment plan and will guide them towards  more positive mental health. 

By undergoing a psychological assessment, psychologists are able to  determine and produce positive treatment plans and coping strategies  that will guide an individual towards more positive mental health and  allow clients to gain a greater understanding of their cognitive  behaviours and the way they approach issues in their school, work,  family and social life.