Mental Health Evaluation

Most people feel nervous just hearing about a mental health assessment. Others can’t think about assessment because of fear about what “being diagnosed “means. Understanding and working through this fear is important because avoiding an assessment can mean more time lost, less clarity, and sometimes even well-being.

What is a Mental Health Evaluation?

Mental health evaluation is a formal interview between you and a mental health professional, usually a psychiatrist, psychologist, or licensed clinician. The purpose of this interview is to discuss how your experiences and related symptoms have impacted your life. You do not “pass/fail” during this evaluation, since it is a composite picture of mental health that places your feelings in context and clarifies some of the emotional patterns you might be experiencing. However, these emotional patterns may have been overwhelming and/or confusing to you.

Some assessments occur as part of routine clinical care, and others have a legal purpose, such as in a forensic mental health assessment done for the benefit of a judge, lawyer, or judicial system in order to understand a person’s mental state relevant to the case and/or proceeding. Forensic assessments are of practical benefit for the court because they provide an unbiased and professionally based opinion about an individual’s condition, which will drive the informed and equitable decision-making process for the court.

But no matter the setting, the misunderstanding about what happens in an evaluation fuels fear.

Fear of Being “Labeled” or “Judged”

One of the biggest fears people have when they have mental health issues is how their diagnosis will affect them. Many people fear that being diagnosed means being “broken” or being unable to change, but this fear stems from stigma. Mental health diagnoses are seen as a weakness or a chance to place limits on people’s lives forever. A mental illness has nothing to do with whether someone has a flaw in their personality; mental health professionals use it as a way to assess what services may be useful for individuals based on determined patterns of behavior.

Social stigma continues to exist; many people fear being perceived poorly by others if they obtain a mental health diagnosis. They worry they may lose power, prestige, and relationships because of the potential implications of having this diagnosis. This mental barrier is intense and prevents individuals from utilizing resources that can improve their lives.

The Anxiety Around Self-Perception

It’s one thing to worry about how others will respond. It’s another to wrestle with how you might see yourself afterward. The fear of having a diagnosis goes deeper than what is going to happen to you. A lot of people have issues with how they will accept themselves after receiving a diagnosis. Often, people think they should be able to “handle it by themselves” and associate asking for help with being a failure. They might also think that if no one else notices a problem, it must not be a true problem. This internal resistance can create another level of avoidance.

This dynamic mirrors a level of psychological theory called the “fear of social judgment,” which can lead a person to avoid situations where they feel they may be evaluated by either self or others.

Overthinking and Self-Diagnosis

It’s somewhat amusing that when someone avoids something, they can often be drawn into a trap where they will try diagnosing themselves. As a result, they will spend hour upon hour on forums, search engines, and symptom checklists to try to determine what could be happening to them. Although that may give them a little control in the moment, it will ultimately lead to confusion, obtaining incorrect information (misinformation), and increased anxiety. When diagnosing oneself, it will take away any professional context, therefore creating more uncertainty rather than reducing it.

Most people have an internal conflict of “Should I already have the necessary information?” or “What if I am really sick?” These questions create a stress-filled cycle and cause a formal assessment to be seen as frightening instead of empowering.

Legal Evaluations: An Added Layer of Fear

The presence of a mental health evaluation for court, such as custody disputes, competency evaluation, probation conditions, or fitness to stand trial, can increase fear in individuals involved. The stakes seem higher, and people fear that the outcome of their evaluation will determine legal judgments, sentencing, or parental rights.

It is necessary to appreciate that court-ordered evaluations are not intended to serve as a punishment, but rather, are evaluative tools of objectivity and fairness. Evaluators who meet court standards provide input to judges; the judges will ultimately rely upon the evaluator’s input to help them make their decisions in the best interests of all parties involved.

These evaluations are performed by professionals who are strictly evaluating facts, with no judgment on the results. Professionals will review present behaviours, level of cognition and risk, capacity for support, and environmental context. Evaluators provide reports to the court without bias or any form of opinion.

Why Avoidance is Costly?

When individuals choose to skip a mental health evaluation, they will continue to have the same mental health problems, but they will have a longer time to be uncertain about what to do, more severe issues due to untreated problems, and there will be opportunities for them to receive support that will be missed. This is true for anxiety, depression, PTSD, and all other mental health issues. With clarity of your mental health problems comes options for the following: treatment, coping skills, structure, and understanding.

When someone waits, the fear grows. Misconceptions expand. Silence creates a vacuum where myths flourish.

Stepping Toward Clarity

Choosing to seek an evaluation demonstrates great independence. This independence has nothing to do with ease; instead, it is about remaining open to an unknown and being open to learning. An evaluation of a mental health issue is not the same as being charged with a crime; it is merely revealing a point of departure from which the evaluator may help guide us.

Individuals dealing with the court can see a significant reduction in their fear if they know what role the mental health evaluation for court plays. Courts utilize these evaluations to assist them in making informed, humane decisions that adhere to both legal criteria and the complexities of humanity.

Fear does not go away when we have perfect answers. It goes away when there is understanding offered instead of judgment. A professional assessment, whether it is for medical reasons or legal clarity, provides a chance for people to experience that understanding at close range.