Psychological evaluation in users of psychoactive substances: The psychodiagnosis process

Abstract

Psychological assessment in substance use disorder (TUS) consists of a broad and complex scientific-professional process, which enables the knowledge of psychological phenomena and assists in the design of psychodiagnosis. In turn, psychodiagnostic process involves a multiplicity of procedures that go beyond the limits of an exact, homogeneous, and diagnostic denomination, with the objective of formulating a treatment plan focused on the resolution of problems and changes in the general functioning of each subject. In the current scenario, the psychological interview, the evaluation instruments, and the devolutive interview are instituted as important methods for a reliable evaluation of the TUS. At the professional practice, precaution in the use of arguments to define a diagnostic hypothesis based on ethical principles that every professional should pay attention to, aiming at an effective conduction in the elaboration of a psychodiagnosis based on scientific evidence.