# Psychiatry Independent Medical Examinations

> A psychiatrist gives a diagnosis, tests work capacity against it, and separates the compensable condition from the rest. IMECore keeps the clinical file complete and handled with care.

Source: https://imecore.com/specialties/psychiatry

## The mental-health question arrives with the thinnest file

The referral asks whether a condition exists and whether it keeps the person from working. The psychiatrist receives a letter, no treatment records, and an examinee who has no idea why they are there.

- Treating-provider notes arrive the day before the interview.
- Medication history is missing and nobody knows the doses.
- The examinee was never told what the appointment is for.

## What IMECore does about it

### Diagnosis on criteria, not impression

The psychiatrist takes a full history, tests mental status directly, and anchors any diagnosis in stated criteria rather than in the referral's wording.

### Causation separated from background

The report distinguishes the workplace or accident stressor from prior vulnerability and concurrent life stress, and says what each contributed.

### Sensitive records stay narrow

Counselling and psychiatry notes are requested with scope, cited only where they answer the referral, and visible only to the roles the case allows.

## Questions people ask

### What does a psychiatrist assess in an IME?

In an Independent Medical Examination (IME), the psychiatrist assesses whether a psychiatric disorder is present, what caused or aggravated it, and what treatment is indicated. The opinion also covers whether the condition limits work and for how long.

### What should an examinee expect?

A long confidential interview about history, symptoms, sleep, medication, and daily functioning. There is no physical examination and no treatment at the appointment.

### What can this specialty not answer?

It cannot measure cognitive scores the way neuropsychology does, rule on a musculoskeletal injury, or decide the legal outcome of the claim. It answers the medical questions the referral asks.

### How is psychiatry different from psychology here?

The psychiatrist is a physician: diagnosis, medication review, and medical causation sit here. The psychologist adds psychometric testing and detailed cognitive and behavioural measurement.