Sections
The Role of Psychiatric Measures in Assessment and Treatment: Introduction | Definition and Development of Psychological Assessment Instruments | Goals of Assessment | Clinical Decision Tree | Cultural Factors in Psychological Assessment | Major Areas of Assessment | Assessment of Cognitive Functioning | Assessment of Personality Traits and Disorders | Assessment of Psychodynamics | Assessment of Environmental Demands and Social Adjustment | Assessment of Therapeutic Enabling Factors | Psychological Assessment in the Contemporary Health
Care Climate | Key Points | Suggested Readings | References
Excerpt
The current methodology and content of psychiatric
diagnosis, the growing specificity of treatment planning in regard
to both medication and psychosocial interventions, and the nature
of the health care delivery system all influence the context that
determines the use of psychological tests and rating scales to inform
assessment and treatment planning. Two major forces have influenced
treatment planning in the recent past: 1) the use of a diagnostic
system, since 1980, that has been strong on reliability and relatively
uneven on validity and 2) the impact of changes in the priorities
and structure of the health care delivery system that place emphasis
on cost saving and delivery of services deemed "medically
necessary." Psychological assessment has evolved under
these influences, resulting in a diversification of assessment approaches
and foci.