The PsychProfiler has successfully addressed many of the shortcomings of existing mental health tools, and as such, has subsequently led to an improvement in the accurate identification and treatment of disorders in children, adolescents, and adults. There are a number of ways in which the PsychProfiler can improve mental health assessment and intervention, namely:
Increased Early Identification and Intervention
An accessible and affordable mental health screening assessment can improve the early identification of disorders and can be crucial in the prevention of further mental health problems. For example, disorders of depression have been shown to predispose an individual to a variety of other disorders (e.g. anxiety disorders and eating disorders), as well as problems in the areas of school drop-out, unemployment, drug involvement, delinquent behaviour, and criminal conviction. Depression screening and intervention can prevent them from happening.
Provision of Objective and Reliable Data
The PsychProfiler is based on recognised diagnostic criteria (DSM-5-TR), incorporates multiple respondents, and has been rigorously validated thus reducing the subjectivity that often plagues other psychological assessment tools.
Improved Efficiency of Clinical Interviewing
The PsychProfiler can optimise the efficiency of clinical interviewing and information gathering by being completed prior to the first consultation with the health or education professional. If advised when making the appointment for the first consultation, the client / patient can utilise one of the mental health assessments and have the report forwarded to the professional prior to the first consultation. This enables the health professional to have an accurate PsychProfiler report of the individual, and therefore, more informed treatment can take place.
Assistance with Differential Diagnosis Implications
Due to the PsychProfiler containing DSM-5-TR criteria for a large number of psychological, learning and developmental disorders, it can abet more accurate diagnosis practices by differentiating between disparate disorders (e.g. anxiety, depression) that share similar symptoms (e.g. difficulty sleeping, poor attention).
Assistance with Comorbidity Implications
The PsychProfiler can be used to investigate for comorbidity, which is extremely important because the majority of children and adults with a disorder are likely to have multiple disorders. The PsychProfiler can aid in the identification of more covert comorbid disorders that would under normal circumstances remain unnoticed and untreated.
Provision of Important Self-Report Information
Unlike many of the existing instruments, the psychprofiler incorporates self-report information. Self-report information can contribute greatly to an understanding of child and adolescent disorders – it’s often been shown that the experience of children is vastly different to the experience reported by parents, teachers, and clinicians. This is particularly so for disorders that often do not have easily observable behaviours like anxiety and depression.
Improved Communication, Especially With Regards to Sensitive Issues
The PsychProfiler as a psychiatric assessment tool is already being successfully used by general practitioners, paediatricians, psychiatrists, psychologists and school psychologists. Testimonials have shown that the PsychProfiler helps open up lines of communication with the individual, especially in relation to sensitive issues and traumatic experiences.
Improved Identification of Disorders in Mainstream Individuals
Over the past 25 years, studies have proven remarkably convergent in that at least 20% of the population present with one or more disorders. Unfortunately, this research has also consistently indicated that only 16-21% of these people are identified and treated appropriately. Because the APP and CAPP mental health assessments screen for a range of disorders, they can successfully screen mainstream individuals (e.g., whole grades, whole schools, prison populations) for disorders that would normally go unidentified.
Formulation of Behaviour Management Programmes
The APP provides an excellent profile of the adult due to it providing 190 individual pieces of behavioural information from 2 separate informants (self and observer). Similarly, the CAPP provides an excellent profile of the child due to it providing 126 individual pieces of behavioural information from 3 separate informants (child, parent and teacher). With this data a behavioural management programme or learning disorder plan can be created.
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Intervention
The effectiveness of behavioural management and/or pharmacological intervention can be easily monitored by having the informants complete the APP or CAPP before, during, and after intervention.
Improving Accessibility to Assessment Services
Because PsychProfiler is available by post and and online, it has proven to be very important professional psychological assessment instrument for rural and remote areas.
Improving Referral Practises
The PsychProfiler provides a comprehensive profile of the individual. These results enable a health professional to refer the case to a third party (e.g. medical specialist, psychologist) best suited to the individual case. For example, a health professional may refer an individual with comorbid depression and eating disorders to a different third party than if the individual presented with comorbid depression, eating disorders, and anxiety.
The PsychProfiler can easily be completed online.
Simply click through and opt for Single Use to get started:
