Psychiatric illness and substance abuse often occur in the same individuals. Unfortunately, many of these people don’t get the treatment they need to overcome co-occurring disorders. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, approximately four million Americans suffered from mental illness and addiction in 2002 alone. Yet Administration and Policy in Mental Health notes that in a survey of over 250 treatment facilities in the United States, only 18 percent of rehab programs and nine percent of mental health centers offered fully integrated treatment for psychiatric illness and addiction.
Importance of Evaluation and Assessment
Psychiatric evaluation and assessment are crucial components of any integrated rehab program. In an outpatient setting, psychiatric tests can be administered from the time of admission to meet these important goals:
- Identify the warning signs of an undiagnosed mental illness, like bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder or clinical depression
- Find a pattern of substance abuse as it relates to the patient’s mental illness
- Determine the patient’s level of self-direction and motivation to change
- Identify the strengths and weaknesses that the patient brings to treatment
- Develop an outpatient treatment plan based on the patient’s individual needs
If you or someone you care about is thinking about outpatient treatment for a drug or alcohol problem, look for a program that offers a comprehensive assessment before admission and during the rehab process. A careful evaluation of your mental health history allows your treatment team to develop an effective plan for your recovery.
Many rehab centers don’t offer a customized approach to rehab, putting all their patients through the same classes and therapies. While this approach might work for some addicts, it is likely to be ineffective for people who are struggling with complicated psychiatric disorders.
How Psychiatric Assessment Works
Mental health professionals use a number of tools for evaluation and assessment. Addiction specialists rely on psychiatric screening questionnaires to get a baseline evaluation of your mental health history. These questionnaires include questions about your thoughts, behaviors and activities. Based on your answers, you’ll be assigned a score that reflects your mental health status in certain areas. For instance, a screening tool to assess for depression would ask questions such as:
- Have you lost interest in your favorite activities in the past two weeks?
- Have you lost your appetite or started overeating?
- Do you feel like a failure?
- Do you have feelings of hopelessness?
- Have you recently had thoughts about harming yourself or others?
A licensed therapist or psychiatrist will administer these tests, either in a written format or through a one-on-one interview. The interview should take place in a comfortable, confidential location, either at the outpatient treatment center, the therapist’s private office or a mental health facility. The interviewing process allows the therapist to observe your mood, body language, facial expressions and other non-verbal indicators of your mental status.
As an individual, you are much more than the score on a psychiatric test. The purpose of screening and assessment at the admission stage is not to pigeonhole you within a certain diagnosis but to find the best starting point for your care. As you move through the stages of recovery, you’ll continue to be evaluated by your therapists in the outpatient setting. Ongoing assessment allows your care providers to determine whether your treatment is effective. If you’re not making the kind of progress you expected, your treatment plan should be changed.
The intensive outpatient treatment program at The Oaks at La Paloma offers comprehensive evaluation and assessment. Healing from addiction and mental illness is not a one-size-fits-all process. We use psychiatric screening and interviewing as tools to build a successful program for your recovery. Call our admissions team to learn about our innovative outpatient recovery services for individuals with co-occurring disorders.
By Krystan Anderson, LPC-MHSP
Director, The Oaks at Foundation Memphis
Google+