How to Make an Assessment for Judgment

Assessing a person's judgment is usually done as part of a larger assessment, referred to as a mental status exam. Assessments for mental status are conducted by mental health professionals and used to determine if a specific condition is affecting a person's cognitive abilities. These assessments include testing for memory, orientation, attention span, comprehension and judgment. Conditions that might impair judgment include emotional problems, mental retardation, brain syndromes (such as concussion), schizophrenia, and drug or alcohol intoxication.

Instructions

• 1

  Assess suicidal and homicidal risk factors. A person who wants to harm herself or others is not able exercise good judgment. Risk factors include a history of harming self or others; aggressive behavior; current thoughts about harming self or others, mental illness (for example, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder); substance abuse, feeling helpless or hopeless, anxiety and social isolation. Ask directly if the person is having thoughts about hurting herself or another, and then ask questions pertaining to the related risk factors.

• 2

  Evaluate for psychiatric disorders that may impede judgment. Conduct a thorough psychiatric evaluation. A person who has schizophrenia or any type of delusional disorder may not be in touch with reality, which will seriously interfere with his ability to make sound decisions. A person with bipolar disorder who is in a state of mania may lack impulse control, thus impairing judgment as well.

  Alcohol and other drugs (including some prescription drugs) also impair judgment. Ask what, if any, substances the person has consumed recently, when they were taken and how much. Look for signs of inebriation such as poor motor control and slurred speech.

• 3

  Inquire about recent decisions the individual has made and give hypothetical scenarios. Ask what events led her to this interview or to seek help. Be specific, ask the person to explain what she did, what happened and based on her actions what she expects the outcome to be. Test her ability to solve a hypothetical problem. For instance, ask "If you found a purse abandoned at a bus stop, what would you do?" or "If you were driving and a police officer tried to pull you over, how would your react?" Responses to these scenarios can help detect whether a person's judgment is sound. For instance, a person whose reply involves references to fictional characters may be having delusions or hallucinations that impair judgment.