Mental Health Tests and Assessments

Key Takeaways:

• Mental health tests and assessments are important tools for understanding patients’ mental health concerns and providing an accurate diagnosis. They are conducted by trained mental health professionals.

• There are many types of these assessments, such as cognitive, behavioral, personality, and mental disorder tests. Testing may involve interviews, standardized scales, questionnaires, and other tools.

• Mental health tests and assessments are individualized to each person’s unique needs and concerns. In turn, this helps inform the most effective treatment plans, when needed.

Understanding Mental Health Tests and Assessments

Mental health tests and assessments are often one of the first steps required during the mental health diagnostic process. These tests measure a variety of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral factors in an objective manner. ^[1]

Mental health assessments may involve scales, questionnaires, interviews, inventories, or other measures, depending on what’s required.  Based on the results, mental health assessments help to identify mental health conditions and also provide a clearer picture of each individual’s thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and skills. ^[1]

Test vs. Assessment

 A mental health test refers to specific, formal tests, such as questionnaires, scales, or checklists. Alternatively, a mental health assessment is a broader term that includes not only psychological tests, but also surveys, interviews, and other information. ^[2]

Screening vs. Test

Mental health screening is generally a brief process designed to test for the possibility of a mental health disorder. Screening tools are not used for diagnosis on their own, but rather to indicate if further testing is required. ^[3]

If further testing is needed, that’s where mental health tests/assessments come in, which are more detailed and diagnostic in nature. ^[3]

When are Mental Health Tests Used?

Mental health tests are used when there is a possibility that the individual is dealing with a mental health disorder or other concern. The mental health screening test helps identify if a mental health disorder may be present, and additional testing is used to identify and diagnose the specific mental health condition(s).

Who Performs Them?

General practitioners (GPs) often perform the initial mental health screening tests. However, a psychologist or other mental health professional typically performs the more detailed psychological testing and assessment afterwards. ^[2][4]

Types of Psychological Assessments and Tests

There are several types of psychological assessments and tests, such as:

• Cognitive tests: These tests measure cognitive and intellectual functioning, such as memory, attention, problem-solving, and reasoning.

• Neuropsychological tests: These are specialized tests to examine how the brain affects behavior, often to aid in diagnosing neuropsychological disorders or cognitive impairments.

• Personality tests: These tests measure various personality traits and give insight into the connection between one’s personality and thoughts, behaviors, and feelings.

• Social-emotional tests: These tests measure emotional intelligence, social skills, emotional regulation, and other social-emotional factors.

• Behavioral assessments: These assessments involve direct observation of someone’s behavior across various settings to understand the various factors that affect their behavior and overall functioning.
  

Mental Health Test and Assessment Examples

There are numerous mental health tests and assessments, which is in part due to the complexity of mental health and the vast number of mental health disorders that exist. The following sections provide examples of some of the most common and popular tests within the following categories:

• DSM-5 tests

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Adolescents and children

• Other specific disorders

• Substance use disorders

DSM-5 Tests

There are many tests that the DSM-5 outlines for mental health evaluations. These are broken down into categories, such as cross-cutting measures, disorder-specific severity measures, disability measures, personality inventories, and more. Examples of these tests include: ^[5]

• DSM-5 Self-Rated Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure: This tool is designed to provide initial insight into possible mental health problems across 13 different domains, such as depression, anger, anxiety, and sleep problems. There are versions for adults, children aged 11 to 17, and for parents/guardians of children.

• Severity Measure for Depression- Adult: This consists of 9 questions to assess overall depression severity, adapted from the PHQ.

• Severity Measure for Specific Phobia- Adult: This assessment inquires about the nature of one’s specific phobias, with 10 items related to the distress that these cause in daily life.

Tests for Depression

The most common tests for depression are: ^[6]

• Beck Depression Inventory (BDI): This 21-item test measures behavioral manifestations and overall depression severity in individuals aged 13 to 80, based on a four-point scale (from 0 to 3). It is the most widely used depression measurement tool.

• Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS): This scale is used to measure depression before, during, and after treatment. It contains 21 items, but only the first 17 are used for scoring, based on 3- or 5-point scales.

• Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D): This scale contains 20 items scored on a 4-point scale, measuring the major areas of depression symptoms within the past week. It can be used in individuals as young as 6 all the way into older adulthood.

• Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ): This is a short, 9-item questionnaire designed to quickly screen for depressive symptoms.

• Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS): This scale consists of 30 “yes or no” questions to screen for and measure depression in older adults.

• Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI): This test is a modified version of the BDI to assess depression severity in children aged 7 to 17. It includes rater forms for parents, teachers, and the children themselves.

Tests for Anxiety

There are several tests for anxiety, including the following popular ones: ^[7][8]

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7): This is a brief, 7-item scale to test for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and overall anxiety severity. It’s often used to help screen for other anxiety disorders too, such as social anxiety disorder (SAD).

• Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI): This test consists of 21 items on a four-point scale to measure the intensity of physical and mental/cognitive symptoms of anxiety during the past week.

• State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI): This inventory consists of 40 items divided equally into two subscales: The State Anxiety Scale measures one’s current anxiety symptoms, such as tension or worry, and the Trait Anxiety Scale measures one’s general proneness to anxiety.

Assessments for Adolescents and Children

There are many mental health assessments for children and adolescents. Some of the most common areas that utilize assessments specifically for young individuals are:

• Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

• Autism.

• Neurocognitive & neurodevelopmental disorders.

• Learning disorders.

Tests for ADHD

The most common tests for ADHD are: ^[9]

• Vanderbilt Assessment Scale: This assessment measures symptom severity and overall presentation of ADHD across school, home, and social settings in children aged 6 to 12. There are two separate forms, which include one for parents (55 items) and one for teachers (43 items).

• Conners Rating Scales (CRS): This scale measures a variety of ADHD symptoms (e.g. distractibility, hyperactivity, inattentiveness) and their overall frequency and severity in children aged 6 to 18. There are three versions, including one for parents, teachers, and a self-report version.

Tests for Autism

There are several tests to help assess autism in children, such as: ^[10]

• Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS): This assessment consists of structured social and communication activities to analyze the child’s social interaction, communication, and behaviors.

• Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS): This scale consists of 15 items that assess autism severity. It covers social interaction, communication, repetitive behaviors, and other key factors in autism.

• Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R): This is a structured interview in which parents/caregivers are asked questions about their child’s developmental history, language skills, social interactions, and unusual behaviors, among other components.

Tests for Neurodevelopmental and Neurocognitive Disorders

Tests for Learning Disorders

Several tests and assessments help identify various learning disorders, such as in the areas of language, reading, mathematics, writing, and general problem-solving. Common tests include: ^[10]

• Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement: This comprehensive assessment tests key academic skills (e.g. reading, writing, and mathematics) and helps identify strengths, weaknesses, and disabilities.

• Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale: This assessment uses a semi-structured interview to analyze key areas of adaptive functioning, such as in communication, participation, and mental functions.

• Wecschler Intelligence Scales for Children: This test measures overall intellectual ability, as well as performance in 5 cognitive domains, such as verbal comprehension, fluid reasoning, and processing speed.

• Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist: This comprehensive checklist tests for behavioral and emotional problems in children and adolescents. It consists of several domains, including social problems, thought problems, and rule-breaking behavior. 
  

Specific Disorder Tests & Assessments

There are also many other tests and assessments used to directly assess specific disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and bipolar disorder (BPD).

OCD Tests

• Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS): This scale consists of 10 questions on a five-point scale to measure the prevalence and overall severity of obsessions and compulsions over the past week. There’s also a children’s version available. ^[11]

PTSD Tests

Common tests for PTSD include:^[12]

• PTSD Symptoms Scale Interview (PSS-I): This test is a semi-structured interview to assess for PTSD symptoms over the past month. There are 20 symptom-related questions and 4 other questions to assess overall distress and dysfunction.

• Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5): This is a structured interview consisting of 30 questions, which can be used to either make a diagnosis, assess a lifetime diagnosis, or assess PTSD symptoms over the past week.

BPD Tests

Common tests for BPD include: ^[13]

• Rapid Mood Screener: This brief test contains six “yes or no” questions that measure symptoms of mania and depression, but not hypomania.

• Hypomanic Checklist: This checklist consists of 32 items specifically designed to measure hypomania and mania. It is most useful for identifying bipolar II disorder. 
  

Substance Use Disorder Assessments

Examples of substance use disorder tests include: ^[14]

• Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST): This test consists of several questions that ask about the use of drugs other than alcohol, as well as the impact and influence that drug use is having on one’s life and ability to function. There are two versions: the DAST-10 (10 questions) and the more detailed DAST-20 (20 questions).

• Tobacco, Alcohol, Prescription Medication, and other Substance use (TAPS) Tool: This tool combines a screening with an assessment for commonly used substances, analyzing drug use frequency and problematic use, among other factors. 
  

What to Expect From a Mental Health Assessment

While the exact process varies from person to person, the overall mental health assessment process generally consists of the following steps: ^[1]

• Intake: You meet with the mental health professional. They go over any relevant medical history and other factors. In addition, this is when you typically complete screening tools and initial interviews.

• Test administration: In this step, you take specific tests and assessments that are directly relevant to the identified concerns from the above step. Multiple tests may be needed.

• Report preparation: After testing, your mental health professional analyzes, scores, and interprets the tests. This typically involves a detailed written report of the important information.

• Feedback/consultation: Once the report and results are ready, you meet with your mental health professional to discuss the results and receive feedback. From here, the next steps are discussed, such as treatment options.

Online Mental Health Tests and Assessments

Today, there are many online mental health tests and assessments that people can access for on their phone, computer, or other device. These online tools can be a convenient way for someone to gain initial insight into their own mental health issues, and are often free or very cost-friendly. Furthermore, if they come from professional websites or other established online organizations, they are generally accurate and can point someone in the right direction.

However, these online assessments should not take the place of a professional consultation or official mental health diagnosis test. In addition, there are many tests out there that are inaccurate or have other issues, which can lead to misinformation and inappropriate self-treatment or self-diagnosis.

Pros and Cons of Online Mental Health Tests