Purpose

• Diagnostic clarification

• Differentiation between multiple coexisting psychological disorders

Goals

• Distinguish the psychological contributions that may confound accurate diagnosis and treatment

• Help diagnose and clarify concerns regarding:

  • Behavior

  • Personality traits

  • Mood

  • Emotional functioning

When is it helpful

• When there is a limited or no response to medical treatment and a clarification of diagnosis is needed

• When there are problems in interpersonal relationships, especially when these issues are significantly impacting an individual's functioning

• When there is a history or current problem with self-harm or suicidal ideation

• When there is a history of trauma (especially long-term exposure) and there are concerns that current symptoms may be partially attributed to these experiences

What to expect

• Gathering of all relevant history, background information, and current symptoms

• Comprehensive evaluation

• Feedback session to review the report and answer questions