What is Psychological Assesment?

In a clinical setting, psychological assesment, along with psychiatric and family evaluation, plays an important role in the diagnostic procedure. It is neither subsidiary to the psychiatric diagnosis, nor a plain psychometric procedure. Psychological assesment is a thorough investigation of all mental, emotional, social and interpesonal functions of personality, which highlights, not only its malfunctioning sieds, but its healthy ones as well. 

Personality, as a complex notion, is expressed in multiple ways. That is why psychological assesment includes a battery of tests, so as to ensure that each test provides sufficient information for the personality under examination.  In that way it contributes to a comprehensive description of personality, irrespective of the given psychiatric diagnosis or clinical estimation.

A more adequate diagnostic impression, is therefore formed, which leads to appropriate therapeutic choices. 

Fundamental issues that are related to psychological assesment are: the correct selection of tests, the administration procedure, the composition of a proper report and the psychologist's professional attitude.