Clinical Evaluation and Treatment Planning: A Multimodal Approach
Summary
This chapter provides a comprehensive discussion of clinical evaluation and treatment planning. It describes the use of present and past psychological, biological, social, and environmental data for the purpose of establishing a comprehensive picture of a patient's strengths and problems, including psychiatric diagnoses. The chapter also describes risk assessment and the development of treatment plans. Clinical evaluation and treatment planning are the essential beginning of every course of psychiatric treatment and, when carried out successfully, integrate a multimodal approach to understanding mental illness and providing clinical care.