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The Common Mental Health Test List
Mental health issues and disorders can occur to people at any time in their life. Some mental health issues are genetic and occur starting at birth, while others develop later on in life due to experiences the person went through. In fact, according to Mental Health America, around one in five Americans have some mental health condition.
This mental health condition might not be permanent, as some issues, such as depression, can eventually subside, although it does depend on the person and the situation itself. However, of the 20 per cent of Americans who have a mental health condition, only 41 per cent of these individuals receive any medical services for the condition.
On top of this, around 10 per cent of all Americans have a mood disorder, such as bipolar or depression. Another 18 per cent have an anxiety disorder, including post-traumatic stress disorder. Many of these conditions are common, such as depression, but are still treatable. Mental health conditions often come with a stigma, but they shouldn’t. It also should not be avoided or not looked at.
Depression can cause individuals to not see their lives for what it truly is. There are some standard mental health test options for people who are curious to see if they have a specific kind of mental illness or are suffering from a condition.
These screenings are available for anyone. If you or a loved one is potentially dealing with a mental illness, or you believe someone you care about is, it is essential to undergo the given mental health test offerings provided at your local health service provider.
Depression Screening
A depression screening will ask you some relatively simple questions that you need to answer truthfully. Generally, it focuses on the last few weeks to see how you feel and what sort of emotions you go through during a given day. It might ask you what sort of pleasure you get out of doing tasks during a given day if you ever feel down or have trouble falling asleep (or sleeping too much).
The questions will also ask about your energy level and your appetite, not to mention how you feel about yourself in general. Other questions might include if you feel bad about yourself, struggling with concentrating on things and other similar questions.
The questions are not complicated and only take a few minutes of your time. Depression might not appear right on your face or on the face of a loved one, as it is more inside of your head than what you do in front of people.
After all, people want to appear normal and do not want to let on something wrong. In the recent case of Robin Williams, the legendary comedian and actor who took his own life battling depression, only a few people around him knew his battle with depression. It simply shows that if depression can hit someone who makes millions of people laugh, it can happen to anyone.
Anxiety Screenings
Anxiety is something you probably have noticed, although the condition might have developed over several months, if not years. There are also many different kinds of anxiety, making performing simple tasks tricky. Often, depression and anxiety can go together, as one causes the other. If you go in for an anxiety screening, there are some more simple questions you will answer.
These questions usually focus on feeling nervous and how often you might feel anxious over a given period. Other questions revolve around not being able to sleep, how often you worry about things and having trouble relaxing. The screenings also look to see if you are easily irritated and if you become annoyed quickly.
The simple screening is designed to pinpoint any issues you have, and while simply becoming irritated or not being able to relax does not mean you have an anxiety disorder, the screening can clear up a few things and then the doctor can go from there in determining if you do have an anxiety disorder or if you have some other condition that needs to be looked into.
Generally, both the depression and the anxiety screenings are given simultaneously, simply because the two have so much in common. In terms of a mental health test, you probably will complete several at once.
This gives the doctor a much clearer idea of what is going on inside of your head, and then they can eliminate any issues that are not present and move on with treating issues that are.
Bipolar Screening
Bipolar is a condition where someone suddenly changes their mood almost instantly. At one time, the individual might feel extremely happy and be kind to others, and then in a flash, the person can turn to mean, disgruntle or upset. It is rather difficult to tell why the person does this, but it usually means they are bipolar, in some shape or form.
This screening will not focus on just the immediate past week or two; instead, it will focus on what a person goes through and even some of their extended history.
All of this is designed to determine what is causing such mental conditions and bipolar at all. If you go through these kinds of questions, you will be asked if there are ever times when you do not feel like your usual self, if you start to shout at people or start arguments and if, all of a sudden, you feel more self-confident than usual.
These questions go off of your particular mood, how you interact with people and what sort of situations you might find yourself in based on your mood.
These screenings are usually yes or no based questions, so you do not need to think about how often something might happen or when you feel a certain way. You check off yes or no, depending on how the question reflects you. However, these do not always mean that you are bipolar.
Often you can go through some of these feelings based on specific events in your life. You can work with your medical health professional to determine what is going on and is suitable for you.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Screening
This is another mental condition that comes about later on in life. Most of these particular mental health disorders are not genetic per se but instead come about due to situations an individual goes through. PTSD is most often referred to in connection with a member of the armed forces who saw carnage in the line of duty.
All of this is difficult to move past and can plague the person for the rest of their life. Treatment is designed to help with this; however, it is impossible to erase the memories someone has; it is essential to seek out help as the medical professional can help come up with a plan to at least reduce the symptoms and the stress PTSD can cause a person.
Beyond just the military, though, this kind of mental health condition can come about from someone who saw a family member beaten, has gone through a traumatic situation such as rape or similar issue where they continue to live through the moment, time and time again, inside of their mind.
Some of the questions that occur in this sort of screening include whether or not you (or the individual) has nightmares if they try to not think about a particular situation or are constantly on guard and are easily startled. Other questions include whether or not you ever feel numb or detached from others, even if you are in a familiar surrounding or with friends and family members.
Mental health issues are not a laughing matter as millions of people inside the United States go through these sorts of issues independently. Due to this, it is essential to seek out medical attention and the assistance of loved ones, as these mental conditions and health disorders can lead to death, simply because the person is just not able to move past what they see in their head, even if it is not truly there.
These are some of the most common mental health tests and screenings. While other forms of mental health disorders occur at birth and are passed down through genetics, these can come out of nowhere and can affect every single person on the planet, no matter what they do or what they do on their own.
