A diagnostic evaluation, also known as a psychiatric diagnostic evaluation, is a systematic process to assess and identify the underlying causes of a problem, condition, or issue. We can provide a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation to help you know whether you have a specific mental health diagnosis and the nature and sometimes roots of that diagnosis. Some people come in having suspected they have a diagnosis that has never been realized, while others come in feeling like the one they have been given is incorrect or has changed.
Our services cover many diagnostic evaluations, and we can tailor your testing to your specific goals and questions. The following provides an overview of our psychiatric diagnostic evaluation services. If you want more information about what a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation might do for you. Please contact us or schedule a consultation any time.
Reasons to Get a Diagnostic Evaluation
Here are some common reasons for a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation:
Mental Health Assessment
We conduct diagnostic evaluations to assess mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These assessments often involve clinical interviews, standardized questionnaires, and Autism Spectrum Disorder. This type of assessment aims to describe a diagnosis and the particular symptoms the person has contributing to the diagnosis.
Learning Disability Diagnostic Evaluation
In education, a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation is used to identify learning disabilities in students. These assessments help determine if a child has dyslexia, dyscalculia, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and can inform appropriate interventions and academic accommodations. Learning disability assessments can also help adults get accommodations at work, make career choices, and learn coping strategies to overcome challenges and enhance strengths.
Diagnostic Evaluation for Developmental Delays
We offer a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation for children to assess developmental delays and disorders, including autism spectrum disorders. Early diagnosis can be crucial for early intervention and support. These can also evaluate for speech or language disorders. Each person with a developmental delay is unique, so just knowing a diagnosis is not enough. A comprehensive diagnostic evaluation can lead to very specific conclusions that can help with planning.
Psychological Diagnostic Evaluation
We often use a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation to assess personality traits, cognitive functioning, and emotional well-being. This can be important for understanding individual strengths and challenges, making treatment recommendations, or designing career or social goals. These differ from mental health diagnostic assessments because the goal is to dig deeper and understand more qualitative measures and any diagnosis is less important.
Occupational Diagnostic Assessments
We conduct diagnostic evaluations to assess an individual’s physical, cognitive, or sensory abilities to determine their capacity to perform specific tasks or functions in daily life or work. Similarly, we conduct these evaluations to help individuals identify their strengths, interests, and aptitudes, guiding them toward suitable career choices. Occupational assessments can be helpful in executive coaching.
Educational Placement
We use a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation to determine appropriate educational placements for students with disabilities or special needs, such as special education programs or individualized education plans (Individual Educational Plans). A psychiatric diagnostic evaluation can also be used for students going to college, graduate school, or trade school to get formal accommodations or to learn coping strategies.
Comprehensive Diagnostic Evaluation Process
Here are some key steps in our psychiatric diagnostic evaluation services:
Diagnostic Evaluation Information Gathering
The first step involves collecting relevant information about your problem or challenge. This can include having you list symptoms, describe behaviors, and provide historical information. We may ask permission to talk to important people in your life as part of this process. It is vital that we learn from you about your experiences, challenges, strengths, and history so that we can tailor the rest of the assessment.
Comprehensive Diagnostic Evaluation Tools
Depending on the exact questions you want answered, your diagnostic evaluation will include a variety of standardized and normed assessment tools such as questionnaires and psychological tests. We then pair those tools with all the information we gathered in your interview and observations we made about possible symptoms. This process is highly scientific. These tests have been used on thousands of people with and without certain diagnoses, so your results can be objectively assessed and compared.
Data Analysis and Formulating a Diagnosis 
After collecting all the necessary data, it is analyzed to identify patterns, trends, or anomalies that may provide insights into your underlying issues. This often involves statistical analysis and interpretation.
Based on the data analysis, a diagnosis or assessment is made. The DSM-5 list matches your symptoms to potential diagnoses.
Recommendations and Next Steps
Following a diagnosis, recommendations are often provided. These could include treatment options in healthcare, intervention strategies in psychology, or suggested improvements in engineering and other fields. We can help you communicate the diagnostic evaluation results to others, such as your spouse, work, or friends. In many cases, diagnostic evaluations are not a one-time process. They may involve ongoing monitoring and adjustments based on the effectiveness of interventions or treatments.
Follow-Up Diagnostic Evaluations
In some cases, it may be helpful for you to come back for another assessment to measure the effectiveness of the changes you made, accommodations you got, or treatment you received. These follow-ups are usually shorter and more targeted. This can also be helpful if you consider a change, such as pursuing a new job or career, returning to school, or changing your social life.
Diagnostic Evaluations in Our Work
A psychiatric diagnostic evaluation is a systematic and methodical approach to understanding and addressing problems or issues by collecting and analyzing relevant information. This process can lead you to make more informed decisions and actions. It can be quite helpful if you’ve been previously diagnosed and want to be sure that you continue to have the diagnosis, want to know how the diagnosis may have changed or evolved, or are wondering if you have a new one. No matter what, you will receive a report that makes suggestions based on your symptoms.
Importance of Diagnostic Evaluations
The importance of getting a diagnostic evaluation can be summed up in four ways:
- Accurate Diagnosis: A psychiatric diagnostic evaluation can help identify a problem’s root cause. A proper diagnosis is the first step towards effective treatment or intervention, whether it’s a medical condition, a learning disorder, a mental health issue, or an organizational problem. Once a diagnosis is made, healthcare professionals, educators, or experts can develop tailored treatment or intervention plans. This ensures the approach is targeted and suitable for the specific condition or issue. This can be critical to managing mental health and improving overall well-being.
- Monitoring Progress: Diagnostic evaluations also provide a baseline against which progress can be measured. Professionals can periodically reevaluate whether the chosen treatment or intervention works and adjust as needed. This ensures that individuals can make informed choices about their health, education, or other aspects of their lives.
- Preventing Misdiagnosis: Without accurate diagnosis, there’s a risk of misdiagnosis, which can lead to ineffective or even harmful treatments. These assessments help reduce these risks and ensure the right condition is addressed.
- Access to Services: In education, an assessment may be necessary for a student to access special education services or accommodations. It ensures that individuals with specific needs receive the support they require.
Psychiatric Diagnostic Evaluation Example
Here is a fictitious example of how a psychiatric diagnostic evaluation might be structured in our practice.
Patient Information: John is a 31-year-old Software Engineer who reports “Feeling anxious all the time, difficulty sleeping, and unable to focus at work.”
Diagnostic Evaluation History of Present Illness (HPI):
John reports that he has been feeling increasingly anxious over the past six months. The anxiety worsens in social situations and when faced with deadlines at work. He describes his anxiety as a constant worry, feeling “on edge,” and having racing thoughts. He reports difficulty falling asleep and often wakes up in the middle of the night with thoughts racing through his mind. He feels fatigued throughout the day, making it hard to focus at work. John denies experiencing panic attacks but says he often feels overwhelmed.
He has not noticed any significant mood changes but feels more irritable than usual. No major life events or stressors were reported that could have triggered the onset of his anxiety.
Psychiatric Diagnostic Exam History:
- Previous Diagnoses: None
- Previous Treatment: None
- Medications: None
- Hospitalizations: None
- Suicidal/Homicidal Ideation: Denies any current or past thoughts of suicide or harm to others.
Medical History:
- Generally healthy with no significant medical issues.
- No history of head injuries, seizures, or neurological disorders.
- No known allergies.
Family Psychiatric History:
- John’s mother has been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
- No other known family history of mental illness.
Substance Use History:
- Alcohol: Occasionally, 1-2 drinks per week.
- Tobacco: Never.
- Illicit drugs: Denies any history of illicit drug use.
- Caffeine: Reports drinking 3-4 cups of coffee daily.
Social History:
- John lives alone in an apartment and has a good relationship with his family. He has a few close friends but avoids large social gatherings due to his anxiety.
- He is employed full-time as a software engineer and reports feeling overwhelmed by the workload in recent months.
- No history of legal issues.
Mental Status Examination (MSE):
- Appearance: Well-groomed, casually dressed.
- Behavior: Cooperative and engaged throughout the interview.
- Speech: Normal rate and tone.
- Mood: “Anxious.”
- Affect: Appropriate to content, but appears anxious.
- Thought Process: Logical and coherent.
- Thought Content: No delusions, hallucinations, or obsessions.
- Insight and Judgment: Good.
- Cognition: Oriented to person, place, and time. Able to recall three objects after five minutes. No evidence of cognitive impairment.
Psychological Testing
- We start with the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) to get a deep and detailed picture of John’s personality and mood states.
- We then give the Beck Anxiety Inventory after the PAI reveals that anxiety is a prominent feature of John’s intrapersonal life. We pair that with the Beck Depression Inventory to rule out depression as a factor.
- We also give the Thematic Apperception Test to get an idea of the themes behind John’s anxiety.
Psychiatric Diagnostic Evaluation Results
John presents with symptoms consistent with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), including excessive worry, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, and sleep disturbance. He does not meet criteria for other mood or psychotic disorders at this time.
The psychological testing reveals that the anxiety is based on him not feeling as competent and confident as he should be at work, feeling lonely and worried about his social life after a recent move, and scared about his finances to a degree that is worse than reality.
Diagnostic Impression:
- Primary Diagnosis: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) – F41.1
- Rule-Out: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Comprehensive Psychiatric Diagnostic Evaluation Plan:
- Psychotherapy: Recommend starting cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) to address his anxiety symptoms and the specific exaggerations and irrational thoughts detailed above
- Sleep Hygiene: Educate on sleep hygiene techniques to improve sleep patterns and possibly start CBT for Insomnia.
- Lifestyle Modifications: Reduce caffeine intake and incorporate relaxation exercises, such as deep breathing or meditation.
Follow-Up: Schedule a follow-up appointment in 6 months to retake parts of this psychiatric diagnostic evaluation to reassess symptoms and response to treatment.
Our Work
We provide diagnostic evaluations and other general services, such as Personality evaluation, or specific specialties, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. They can also be provided as a stand-alone service. We would happily discuss what a diagnostic evaluation might do for you. Please contact us any time.
