Forensic mental health evaluations (FMHA) are often either ordered by the court or requested by an attorney. They are different from therapeutic evaluations with regard to their purpose, voluntariness of participation, and level of confidentiality. The purpose of a FMHA is to assist the court by answering a very specific legal question, such as competence to stand trial. In most cases, participation in a FMHA is involuntarily because it has been court-ordered. Further, because the evaluations are typically court-ordered, there is no confidentiality.
To be comprehensive, a FMHA usually involves a clinical interview with the client as well as a battery of standardized assessments/testing. Additionally, such evaluations also include a review of third-party information (e.g., a review of record and interviews with collateral sources).
Many people get nervous at the thought of taking psychological tests. However, psychological testing is different from tests that you take in school in that you don’t pass or fail. Rather, results of psychological testing help the clinician to diagnose a client as well as conceptualize a treatment plan.
Most FMHAs take several hours to complete and sometimes require multiple sessions to complete.