An independent psychological medical evaluation is a medical exam performed by a neutral psychologist, or a psychologist that does not have a pre-existing relationship with the patient, for legal reasons. These types of evaluations concentrate on the psychological condition of the patient being evaluated.
There are different circumstances under which a person’s psychological condition would need to be evaluated. In a fit for duty assessment, a person is evaluated to determine if they are psychologically healthy enough to fulfill all necessary work-related responsibilities. There are some industries, such as law enforcement, that require position candidates to pass a psychological evaluation before they can be considered for employment. Insurance companies may request that a patron have a psychological evaluation in order to determine the status of the patron’s disability and whether or not they require treatment. Following a work-related incident, an employer may require an employee to have a psychological evaluation to figure out the amount of workers’ compensation they are eligible to receive. The employer may also want assurance that the psychological fitness of the employee is sufficient to perform all work-related activities.
A neutral psychologist is required to perform the psychological evaluation in order to guarantee completely unbiased results. The neutrality of the psychologist is very important because the results of the psychological evaluation affect a person’s job status, an insurance company’s amount of liability, or an employer’s obligation to provide workers’ compensation benefits. It is important that the psychologist does not advocate for any party involved in the case to ensure a fair conclusion.
Psychologists study human behavior by attempting to understand, explain, and classify the role of mental functionality. Psychological concepts studied by psychologists include interpersonal relationships, motivation, attention, perception, personality, emotion, and cognition, among others. Many specialized and standardized procedures have been developed in the field of psychology; the psychologist uses these to diagnose and assess the degree of mental illness, mental disorder, or behavioral problems. When a psychologist performs a psychological medical evaluation, they are only providing their opinion of the patient’s psychological condition. They do not provide treatment; they only provide what they would recommend for an appropriate treatment.
The psychological evaluation takes place only once. Involved in the assessment is an extensive analysis of the patient’s psychological history, a clinical psychological interview, as well as any necessary tests the psychologist orders. The tests ordered might include written oral or projective instruments to aid in the psychologists clinical assessment. All of these things help the psychologist adequately evaluate the patient’s mental processes that may be impacting their behavior. After the psychologist has performed all the necessary tests and interviews, he or she compiles all findings, test results, and treatment recommendations in a final psychological evaluation report that is submitted to all parties involved in the case.