Documentation Guidelines for Psychiatric/Psychological DisabilitiesPsychiatric/psychological disability reporting guidelines have been prepared by professionals at Portland State University (PSU) to clarify the type of documentation needed when a student requests accommodations/services. The documentation must indicate that the disability substantially limits some major life activity without regard to the availability of medicines, assistive devices, or other mitigating measures. A diagnosis by a licensed mental health professional including licensed clinical social workers (LCSW), licensed professional counselor (LPC), mental health nurse practitioners, psychologists, psychiatrists, neurologists is required.* Documentation should be on letterhead and must include the license number of the mental health professional. The diagnostician should be an impartial individual (i.e., not a friend or a family member). The following guidelines are provided to assist PSU in collaborating with each student to determine appropriate accommodations. Documentation serves as the foundation that legitimizes a student's request for appropriate accommodations. Recommended documentation includes: Specific Diagnosis: A clear statement of the disability, including the date of onset, the DSM IV diagnosis, a summary of present symptoms, and the most recent date you saw the student regarding this diagnosis. If there is more than one diagnosis please include all. Medication: Medical information relating to the student's needs to include the impact of medication on the student's ability to meet the demands of the postsecondary environment. Assessment: A summary of assessment procedures and evaluation instruments used to make the diagnosis and a summary of evaluation results, including standardized or percentile scores. Functional Limitations: List any way in which the diagnosis is known to cause functional limitation(s). Explain the nature and severity of the functional limitation(s) and support this information with test data, anecdotal and clinical observations. Accommodation recommendations: The diagnostician is encouraged to make suggestions of reasonable accommodations that might be appropriate for the student at the postsecondary level. These recommendations should be supported by the diagnosis. Currency: Although documentation for eligibility should be current, the age of acceptable documentation will be dependent upon the disabling condition. *Further assessment by an appropriate professional may be required if co-existing learning disabilities or other disabling conditions are indicated. All documentation is confidential and should be submitted to:
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