The Assessment of Common Mental Health Problems

This session describes some of the important stages of assessing a young person presenting with emotional or psychological problems. It also identifies strategies for distinguishing transient minor psychological problems from more serious ones.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session you will be able to:

• List the places where young people are most likely to present with different types of mental health problems and explain possible reasons for the apparent under-recognition of such problems
• Describe factors that may help distinguish minor transient, emotional, psychological and behavioural problems from more severe mental health disorders
• List ten key questions that can be useful in the assessment of a young person presenting with a mental health problem and begin to apply these in the evaluation of clinical scenarios

Mental health problems and disorders are common in adolescence but frequently go unrecognised by health professionals. Early recognition and management can potentially reduce the chance of further deterioration, limit the consequences, and lead to more rapid recovery.