Anyone ever had a full psychiatric evaluation?

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jread

Senior member
Jan 20, 2005
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I have my initial one-hour appointment next month, then a full day of testing a few weeks afterward. This will be my first time to see an actual psychologist and get a full evaluation. It's kind of a relief, since at least I may be able to find out what all is going on with me. The only thing I've currently been diagnosed with and treated for is depression, but that is about the limit of a family doctor's ability. One of the main things I'm getting tested for by the psychologist is Asperger's Syndrome.

What I'm wondering is what the full day evaulation will entail. I can't imagine 7-hours of testing. Has anyone ever done this before?
 
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bersl2

Golden Member
Aug 2, 2004
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I have had at least one. I think they're fun! :D

Oh, and I was up all the previous night with a migrane-type headache. Needed one of my mom's Imitrex. But I still had loads of fun!

I especially like the intelligence tests---they feed my outrageous narcissism, which I typically repress. :)
 
D

Deleted member 4644

Nope, but you will probably be given a significant number of "multiple choice" type tests where you answer things like "Always" or "Sometimes" and the questions will be things like "How often do you feel lonely?" and stuff like that.

They may also do some blood tests and brain scans depending on what you are going in for and what they are able to do at the clinic/office/hospital.

But mostly it will be boring questionaires/tests.
 
J

jread

Senior member
Jan 20, 2005
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Originally posted by: DevilsAdvocate
Tell them that you are sexually aroused by road kill. That got me some kick ass meds.
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LOL! I'm afraid they may send me strait to the mental hospital if I said that :)
 
dug777

dug777

Lifer
Oct 13, 2004
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I did a big psych eval for one of the places i interviewed with...it was stupid, and the results were very amusing ;)

 
T

Tsaico

Platinum Member
Oct 21, 2000
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I did one for possible employment also, tried to become a police officer. They didn't share results other than pass/fail. I passed, but got kicked out for being color blind. (Red/Green)
 
moshquerade

moshquerade

No Lifer
Nov 1, 2001
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good luck at getting to the root of your issues and not coming away from it even more fvcked up. :p
 
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PrinceofWands

Lifer
May 16, 2000
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It depends if it's directed or not, ie, if there's something specific they're looking for. I've had a few (one in the military, one in security, one during my divorce/custody hearings) and they've had a few things in common, but also differences.

The ones for jobs included intelligence testing, personality testing (generally MBTI), ethics and values testing, a general interview, then specific occupational Q&A. My military one also included an MMPI2.

The divorce one was a lot more discussions, history, and how I would react to various situations. However there was no ethics portion, no occupational portion, etc. It also included the MMPI2 and a Rorschach. The psychologist told me that was just a personal preference of his however.

A full IQ battery takes about 2-3 hours, depending on the type and depth (and providing they're not doing medical scans as well). A full MBTI 1-2 hours. MMPI about an hour to 90 minutes. Rorschach 30 minutes. It all adds up.
 
DainBramaged

DainBramaged

Lifer
Jun 19, 2003
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Originally posted by: DainBramaged
Originally posted by: Astaroth33
My ex g/f should get tested... I suspect she'd be a case study.
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haha
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Originally posted by: CollectiveUnconscious
Ah, the bastard brother of real psychology. Pointless, but it makes some people feel important.
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Thank you for your professional opinion, Doctor.
 
W

Whisper

Diamond Member
Feb 25, 2000
5,394
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Originally posted by: CollectiveUnconscious
Ah, the bastard brother of real psychology. Pointless, but it makes some people feel important.
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I'm quite curious to see what you mean by "real" psychology in this case.

I've administered ~7 hour testing sessions, although the purpose of my battery is generally psychoeducational, so we likely use different measures than what you'll see. But as others have said, I would imagine there will be quite a few multiple choice-type questionnaires along with a basic interview. Beyond (and even within) that, it's pretty much up to the personal preferences of your psychologist. Best of luck to you.
 
C

CollectiveUnconscious

Senior member
Jan 27, 2006
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Originally posted by: Whisper
I'm quite curious to see what you mean by "real" psychology in this case.

I've administered ~7 hour testing sessions, although the purpose of my battery is generally psychoeducational, so we likely use different measures than what you'll see. But as others have said, I would imagine there will be quite a few multiple choice-type questionnaires along with a basic interview. Beyond (and even within) that, it's pretty much up to the personal preferences of your psychologist. Best of luck to you.
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Real psychology...experimental. Observe, test, conclude, repeat. Such as neuro or animal behavior. You know, where you try to further the current understanding of the mind instead of trying to create and fix problems for which you don't have definate criteria.

Sorry, it's more of a running joke in the department. We always poke fun of the clinicals. I knew I'd ruffle someone's feathers with that comment.
 
W

Whisper

Diamond Member
Feb 25, 2000
5,394
2
81
Originally posted by: CollectiveUnconscious
Originally posted by: Whisper
I'm quite curious to see what you mean by "real" psychology in this case.

I've administered ~7 hour testing sessions, although the purpose of my battery is generally psychoeducational, so we likely use different measures than what you'll see. But as others have said, I would imagine there will be quite a few multiple choice-type questionnaires along with a basic interview. Beyond (and even within) that, it's pretty much up to the personal preferences of your psychologist. Best of luck to you.
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Real psychology...experimental. Observe, test, conclude, repeat. Such as neuro or animal behavior. You know, where you try to further the current understanding of the mind instead of trying to create and fix problems for which you don't have definate criteria.

Sorry, it's more of a running joke in the department. We always poke fun of the clinicals. I knew I'd ruffle someone's feathers with that comment.
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Didn't ruffle my feathers at all, was just curious if you were referring to a different branch of psychology entirely, or a different theoretical paradigm within clinical itself.

And yep, most of us clinical folks know that a lot of what we do is as much "art" as it is science. While we've improved a great deal in the past few decades regarding our experimental methods, we still have a long ways to go. But we make do with what we have, do our best to meet the needs of our clients, and always attempt to examine new and better ways of accurately identifying/diagnosing and treating what's out there.
 
A

AZGamer

Golden Member
May 14, 2001
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I'll throw my two cents in. Psychology is to psychiatry what Scientology is science - similarly named, but one's a science and the other can only pretend to be one, with adherents who harshly reject any sort of actual scientific inquiry.

In the subject, the OP mentions a psychiatric eval, which would seem to be different than a psychological eval; if he has actual symptoms of a disease, this could catch it; a psychology eval could blame it on non-existent "damaging" character traits - he'd be better off seeing a phrenologist than a psychologist.
 
W

Whisper

Diamond Member
Feb 25, 2000
5,394
2
81
Originally posted by: AZGamer
I'll throw my two cents in. Psychology is to psychiatry what Scientology is science - similarly named, but one's a science and the other can only pretend to be one, with adherents who harshly reject any sort of actual scientific inquiry.

In the subject, the OP mentions a psychiatric eval, which would seem to be different than a psychological eval; if he has actual symptoms of a disease, this could catch it; a psychology eval could blame it on non-existent "damaging" character traits - he'd be better off seeing a phrenologist than a psychologist.
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This is a somewhat misinformed post. Clinical psychology and psychiatry are, nowadays, in many ways indistinguishable. Both use the same guidelines for diagnosis of disorders, many of the same therapies and treatment paradigms, and professionals from both disciplines regularly have contact with one another. Both also rely largely on empirically-based treatment strategies, and psychology in particular emphasizes the role of the scientist-practitioner in its therapists.

I would be curious as to what characteristics you were thinking of when you differentiated psychiatry from psychology, what types of "non-existent damaging character traits" you had in mind, and what you think makes up a psychiatric vs. a psychological evaluation (which, again, in many ways are essentially indistinguishable).
 
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