How to understand neurophych report?
 

I finally received my neurophychological assessment report and from what I can understand it is rather shocking, and not so shocking as it fall in line with the areas I remember struggling with.

Does anyone have any good resources that I can look to that might help me understand this better?

PM the results to me and I will try to help you understand what they mean. I have had 3+ NPA's and have studied what they mean.

Thanks Mark.

I know for me, getting the results of my Neuropsych exam was devastating. I knew I was having cognitive challenges, but I didn't realise they were as bad as the exam showed :confused: The scores were so bad that I told my wife I scored slightly higher than that of a potato but not as high as a rutabaga...

If I take the "glass half full" perspective, the good news is that I can't possibly score lower on my next exam.

Now I understand what my low scores mean. I live in Idaho. I must have a potato for a brain.

I don't understand the concept of being devastated. The NPA just quantified what already existed. For me, I finally was able to understand and accept the reason why I was struggling. The NPA did not cause my struggles.

With knowledge, I could choose my battles. No need to fight against my dysfunctions. Instead, I went forward building on my strengths and learning work-arounds for my weaknesses.

lol @ Idaho potato.

___

Seriously though, isn't the whole idea of the testing to find out if you do have specific cognitive weaknesses [as well as show your strengths] so that you can move forward with professional help?

I often see members devastated by their results or really anxious about what their test may show. I do understand the concerns, honestly, but you won't always feel this way. If the tests show weaknesses in certain areas, it doesn't mean that you will always have that and in the meantime it allows your care team to direct treatments or advise about problems you may be having in school or work or with relationships.

Great advice that Mark has said below in the quote...

I've seen the same in young children dealing with many different neuro problems. Focus on strengths. Accommodate weaknesses.

Yup, I agree with that mantra. At the time I had the tests done, it was only 9 months in and I didn't fully comprehend my situation, how I was feeling, and that things might actually get better (still hanging on to this one).In the end, the Neuropsych attribute my performance to my headaches.

Now, my wife and I laugh about this quite regularly.

i had a severe TBI 13 years ago, I'm thinking of getting some evaluations and testing done to explain to myself what is or isn't damaged, and better understand what I'm really dealing with.

what do you do in a neurospych eval? can someone explain the exam and testing process, and how the results are presented to the patient, what is tested and what kind of stuff shows up, or is missed?

i may have had a neurospych eval a very long time ago, I'm not sure.

also what other tests would be recommended to map out my strengths and weaknesses?
I'm looking at getting a DEEG

thanks

agent,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

What's a DEEG ?

A NeuroPsychological Assessment used a variety of different tests to quantify different kinds of intelligent, memory, cognitive skills, executive functioning, motor speed, processing speed, etc. It can take a minimum of a few hours to 8 hours or more. They cost from $1000 to $5000.

The patient usually is only given a report with general interpretations. Some will include scores and scales compared to normal populations of equal age, education, etc.

For many of us, an NPA just validates what we already suspect but in a way that helps us accept our dysfunctions as real vs imagined.

Some NeuroPsychs will use an NPA to try to direct therapy or changes in direction in career, etc.

So, agent,

What symptoms are you struggling with ?

Feel free to introduce yourself and start your own thread if you want. Use the New Thread button at the top left.

So, if I were to do an NPA and it came back good, would that be a good indicator that my issues may be more so psychological than physiological? What if my baseline was really high so that even though I got damaged I still score better than average?

I'm asking because my neuro suggested we do one if I really want to. If it comes back good I would focus on treating what my neuro thinks my biggest problem is: anxiety and depression.