Psychological Testing

The mind is a complex system that is a result of your experiences, genetics, personality, and environment. In order to properly treat mental illness, we strive to collect all of the information in regards to who you are and how you function. One of the most important pieces of information is the psychological testing and evaluation we conduct for patients. Getting a detailed look into your personality, views, and struggles will help us to see what may be contributing to your problems in order to put together a comprehensive plan of care.

Why Perform Psychological Testing?

When we are unable to determine your diagnosis from the psycho-social assessment, we need a more thorough way to analyze your symptoms There are two reasons for undergoing psychological testing – analyzing and diagnosing.

– Analyzing

The first step we take before beginning treatment or developing a treatment plan is to get a full understanding of your case and the causes and symptoms. The best way to accomplish this is to analyze your unique traits, behavioral patterns, and thought patterns. Putting these findings together helps us create a specific treatment plan based on your information and also helps us to make sure you are diagnosed properly. The best way to effectively treat mental health issues is to take a broad look at your case and apply both targeted and broad treatments.

– Diagnosing

Once we have undergone the initial psychological testing to better identify your symptoms and traits, we can then diagnose the problems. Without proper testing, the diagnosis could be wrong and result in mistreatment or prescribing the wrong medications. A rushed or guess diagnosis could result in your condition never being cured and could also cause it to worsen if treatment is not applied correctly.

Psychological testing can be helpful in diagnosing psychological disorders and analyzing unique personality profiles. The test provides a detailed profile that includes objective information about the patient’s condition and highlights specific issues that may benefit from more targeted interventions. Psychological testing is often recommended as an additional tool to more accurately evaluate for ADD/ADHD, bipolar and mood disorders, autism spectrum disorders, and personality disorders.

The Importance of Psychological Testing

Psychological testing can be a critical step in getting your treatment on the right track from the start. It helps get you and your psychologist on the same page and allows for a much more informed, productive and trusting dynamic.