A mental health test may be also called a mental health screening test. Very often, these tests are a short or long series of questions where people use a scale to rate answers or answer in true or false format. Tests might also be questions asked and answered by doctors or mental health care workers and patients. Answers may determine the likelihood that a person has some form of mental illness. Self-tests might only look for one type of mental illness, like depression or schizophrenia. Other tests might try to cover all major mental illnesses, with the hope of catching presence of at least one or ruling out mental health issues. These tests can be a good diagnostic, but they’re not 100% accurate and self-tests, like those available on the Internet, may be especially unreliable.
When doctors or mental health care workers administer a formal mental health test they may do this orally or they might have questions on paper that are filled out by a patient. These screenings aren’t the only way mental health is assessed, but they could be a good way to point to potential problems a patient might have. Some tests can be fairly accurate, but accuracy is always influenced by a client’s answers, and with some mental illnesses people may have poor perception of their present problems or be unable to truthfully answer. Questions asked orally or in written form tend to try elicit answers about feelings and behavior, and also may be an overall test of a person’s present sanity and grasp of reality.
On the Internet, the mental health test exists in many forms. Most people approach these tests with a certain degree of caution. A mental health test on a reputable website may have some level of accuracy, but one on an unknown site with no reputation may mean absolutely nothing because the test is just made up for fun.
It’s also important to realize that a mental health test on the most reputable site is not always an indication, or lack thereof, of a mental disorder. These tests should be viewed as a jumping off point or a way to start a conversation with a doctor or mental health clinician about the possibility of a mental illness. Most good websites make this abundantly clear and warn people taking a mental health test that the test can suggest but cannot diagnose.
At best, a mental health test can give a general picture to individuals or practitioners about the potential for particular mental illness or types of illness that might be present. It cannot be a substitute for true clinician care or diagnosis. People suspecting mental disorder, whether or not they test positive for a specific illness, should speak to a doctor, especially a psychiatrist, or a therapist about their reasons for suspicion.