Check Ups in medicine are a common, as they are efficient ways of assessing key factors or key predictors of health, without taking too much time with complex or expensive imaging or assessments. However, a mental health check up is less widely known. Whilst screening tests exist to identify symptoms (such as the DASS-10/21/42, CORE-10, K-10), less focus is given to other relevant mechanisms.

The use of a structured mental health check up may have several benefits including:

• Improve wait times.
• Identify relevant information beyond symptoms early.
• Provide a structured screening method for individuals without professional mental health training who may be in situations where such a check up would be of utility.

Due to the possible benefits, this post suggests what a mental health check up could look like.

1. General Psychological Symptoms

Assess General Psychological Symptoms

1. Depression: Utilize a standardized screening tool like the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) to assess symptoms of depression.
2. Anxiety: Employ a validated screening tool like the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale to evaluate anxiety symptoms.
3. Stress: Assess stress levels using a screening tool like the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS).

This can be accomplished with an aforementioned screening test. The specific test used may vary depending on what is psychometrically appropriate for the individual in question. However, the K-10 is often widely used due to it's range of symptoms explored, briefness, and applicability to a wide population.

2. Daily Functioning

2. Assess functioning/performance/engagement in various domains

• Work and Career: Assess the individual's ability to fulfill work responsibilities, maintain career goals, and manage work-related stress.
• Relationships: Evaluate the quality of relationships with family, friends, and romantic partners.
• Hobbies and Interests: Assess engagement in hobbies, recreational activities, and pursuits that bring joy and fulfillment.
• General Health: Evaluate overall physical health, including sleep patterns, nutrition, and exercise habits.
• Community Engagement: Assess involvement in community activities, social groups, and voluntary work.

Relevant screeners/assments may assist in (1) identifying the importance of these domains to an individual and (2) assessing their perceived functionality, engagement and performance in them respectively. Whilst screeners such as the SWLS are quick (5 items in length) items pertain moreso to general satisfaction of all domains and life in general, and does not account for which domains are of most importance to the individual and their level of functioning.

The Personal Wellbeing Index - Adult - 5 (PWI-A) on the other hand assess for each of the above domains, with only seven items (two additional optional items for (1) general life satisfaction and (2) religious or spiritual satisfaction).

3. Skills & Strategies to Manage Mental Health

• Emotional Regulation: Evaluate the ability to manage emotions, identify emotional triggers, and employ healthy coping mechanisms.
• Mindfulness: Assess mindfulness practices, such as meditation or relaxation techniques, to manage stress and enhance self-awareness.
• Cognitive Flexibility: Evaluate the ability to adapt to changing situations, challenge negative thoughts, and develop alternative perspectives.
• Communication and Social Skills: Assess communication skills, conflict resolution strategies, and ability to maintain healthy social connections.
• Distress Tolerance: Evaluate the ability to tolerate distress, manage difficult emotions, and cope with setbacks.

The relevancy and particulars of the third part of the check up will obviously depend on the individuals; socilisation to a form of psychological intervention (and if so, which one), the skills/processes appropriate for symptoms previously identified in the first phase of the check-up. Clinical judgement will determine which test (if any) is suitable at this point. Some possible options are the; Mindfulness-Based Self Efficacy Scale - Revised (MSES-R) (measures; emotion regulation, distress tolerance, social skills & interpersonal efficacy, responsibility taken, and equanimity), and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) (measures; nonacceptance of emotions, goal directed beahviour with emotions, impulse control, emotional awareness, access to strategies, and clarity of emotion). A short form version exists (DERS-16), which measures all subfactors excluding emotional awareness.

The proposed model will inevitably be modified overtime as information is gathered and improvements can be made. As more research is required before consensus on a 'gold-standard' mental health check up could be met, for now, the theory may serve as a test subject as further reading & research is completed.