[scottkun]

hi! first of all, i'm new to this site, so i hope i'm asking this in the right place.

i'm curious about how exactly you are diagnosed with disorders? are you asked a set of questions, or what? my step-mom (who's a counselor) thinks i may be bipolar, and i might be getting evaluated for it sometime, so i'm curious how the whole thing works.

[glok]

Hello, scottkun.

What is Psychological Assessment

[kaliope]

hi scottkun
they have a book called the dsm-v that has all the diagnoses in it. there are a list of criteria for each diagnosis. based on the information you give them in the interview, they match that info up to the different criteria in the book. the diagnosis that you meet the most criteria for is the diagnosis you get basically. if you meet enough of the criteria. you may not fit any of them. there are generally like 8 or so criteria for each diagnosis and you have to meet five or more to get the diagnosis. welcome to psych central. you will find we have several forums where you can post about your concerns and receive feedback from other members. you will get a lot of support here. again, welcome

[Sometimes psychotic]

Totally depends on the doc....some just ask a bunch of questions some have you fill out questionnaires so they don't miss anything....many will want to interact with you on several occasions before making any sort of diagnosis.

[DSM-3.1415926]

Originally Posted by Sometimes psychotic

....many will want to interact with you on several occasions before making any sort of diagnosis.

Let's hope you get this kind. I understand some HMO's now require their psychiatrists to use decision trees, and reprimand those who take over 15 minutes to diagnose thereby.