Mental Health Problem? Your Psychologist May Use Psychological Testing

If you have a mental health problem, your psychologist may use psychological testing also known as a psychological assessment. Below is information on what this is and how it works so you can start feeling better. 

Psychological Testing

Psychological testing helps the psychologist observe and measure your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. When the testing is complete, the psychologist will use the results to help them determine how long you have been having the symptoms, the severity of your symptoms, and the cause of your problem. 

Doing this testing will allow your psychologist to develop a treatment plan that will work best for you. This treatment includes things like behavior therapy, cognitive therapy, and humanistic therapy. What they use will depend on the type of mental health problem you are having. 

Types of Psychological Testing

One type of psychological testing is asking you questions, and you give a one-word response, such as true or false or yes or no. This is known as objective psychological testing. Another type that may be used along with this or alone is known as projective psychological testing. With this, the psychologist uses stimuli to see how you respond. This can help uncover conflicts you may be having as well as emotions you may be hiding from yourself and from the psychologist. 

There are informal psychological tests that can be used, which include doing surveys, having a medical exam, asking about your medical history, observational data, and doing clinical interviews with professionals. 

When Psychologist Testing Is Needed

There are many reasons why a psychologist may suggest psychological testing. For example, you may be having changes in your mood, have been much more nervous, or have had an increase in social withdrawal. You may also be having problems completing tasks you do each day, problems concentrating, or changes in your eating habits. You may eat much more than normal but have no appetite at all. Your sleeping habits may change, such as having problems sleeping or wanting to sleep all the time.

Some mental health problems the psychologist may find out you have include depression, bipolar disorder, adult ADHD, and much more. These tests generally take a few hours, or the psychologist may ask you to take them over a few days, so you do not become too nervous or tired. 

Talk with a psychologist to learn more about psychological testing. They can tell you more about how they work and why you need this for yourself. 


Share