Is there an online tool that I can use to figure out what mental health issue a !
Question:
Is there an online tool that I can use to figure out what mental health issue a person close to me is having?
I am looking for something like an informal checklist, where I would answer questions and then the tool would tell me, for example "The answers you chose seem to correlate with paranoid schizophrenia. Please see a mental health professional. This information is not intended to replace advice from a physician or psychiatrist"
Answers:
There are several online versions of the DSM-IV TR which is the actual manual used for diagnostics by clinicians. Use it carefully and keep in mind that diagnosis must be made in conjunction with a physician AND a Therapist with good credentials.
Sometimes what looks to us like one diagnosis must first be evaluated by a physician, because it could be a physical problem. Also, as a someone studying mental health and seeking to be in the profession soon I have found that degree of a symptom is very hard for me to discern on my own.