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How to understand neurophych report?

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Old 07-31-2015, 04:31 PM #11
Lara Lara is offline
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Originally Posted by donniedarko View Post
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.
It's my understanding that if your neuropsychological profile came back showing no cognitive difficulties then the treatment would shift to focus on other things like anxiety and depression that may be causing your difficulties.

This article explains qualitative vs quantative in there somewhere. Sorry if it's hard to read being so long.

The Neuropsychologist doing the testing would not only assess your situation on the quantative i.e. marked results against a "norm", they would also combine their qualitive assessment which is more of a clinical history and takes other things into consideration besides "scores" on the test.

http://www.bcmj.org/article/neuropsy...nical-overview
Neuropsychological assessment in mild traumatic brain injury: A clinical overview
Issue: BCMJ, Vol. 48, No. 9, November 2006, page(s) 447-452 Articles
Brenda Kosaka, PhD, RPsych
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Old 08-01-2015, 03:10 PM #12
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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.
I think the initial feeling of devastation comes from the shock/surprise. One of the hallmarks of TBI is lack of self-awareness. While we're aware of some of our deficits, it's predictable that testing would highlight some that had escaped our notice. For example, I didn't realize, among many other things, that I repeated myself so much, had poor impulse control, the attention span of a gnat and difficulty with pattern recognition.

That said, once I got over the mourning, the test was an invaluable tool in my recovery. It allowed my cognitive therapy to be targeted toward my specific deficits. The neuro-psych was the best thing I did after my TBI.
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Old 08-01-2015, 03:25 PM #13
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I feel as if I don't have cognitive deficits after my TBI, and I'm afraid that the neuropsych eval will give me something new to worry about. Or it could just reaffirm my opinion and help me make the decision to focus my recovery on treating anxiety and depression. Double-edged sword.
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March 2009: Concussion from a tree branch falling on head, all symptoms cleared up by 8-month mark. Started having head and hand tremors in 2013, which may had been caused by this concussion.

February 2015: Slammed head into a heavy dining table light, another concussion.

Current symptoms: Constant headaches that are mostly localized to the right side, head pressure, head sensitivity, moderate fatigue, fractured sleep, anxiety, mood swings, tremors, mild dizziness caused by head movement at times, neck pain, fullness in right ear, mild blurry vision

Symptoms that went away: Light/noise sensitivity, nausea, severe fatigue, moderate blurry vision, tinnitus

Current meds: Tramadol
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Old 08-01-2015, 04:13 PM #14
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Originally Posted by donniedarko View Post
I feel as if I don't have cognitive deficits after my TBI, and I'm afraid that the neuropsych eval will give me something new to worry about. Or it could just reaffirm my opinion and help me make the decision to focus my recovery on treating anxiety and depression. Double-edged sword.
The neuro-psych is the best tool for evaluating how your TBI is really playing out in your cognitive functioning. Don't be afraid of it. If all is well, great! If not, you can start on the therapies and adaptations that will make your life better.

Sadly, we TBI patients aren't always the best judges of how we're performing. Honestly, I didn't realize just how many deficits I was battling. However, once I knew, I got working on them. I have made a much better cognitive recovery than my neurologist predicted initially. That wouldn't have happened without the neuro-psych to document my injuries and get me into the proper treatment.
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Old 08-01-2015, 05:52 PM #15
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The neuro-psych is the best tool for evaluating how your TBI is really playing out in your cognitive functioning. Don't be afraid of it. If all is well, great! If not, you can start on the therapies and adaptations that will make your life better.

Sadly, we TBI patients aren't always the best judges of how we're performing. Honestly, I didn't realize just how many deficits I was battling. However, once I knew, I got working on them. I have made a much better cognitive recovery than my neurologist predicted initially. That wouldn't have happened without the neuro-psych to document my injuries and get me into the proper treatment.
That is a really good way of looking at it. I know initially it was shocking, but then it was almost a relief that I had this formal report confirming what I was struggling with alone. Now I need to figure out how to move forward.
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Old 08-01-2015, 07:21 PM #16
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donnie,

Since you acknowledge your anxiety and depression, there is no reason to not focus on those issues. With them in a better managed condition, any cognitive or other symptoms will be much easier to accommodate.
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Old 08-01-2015, 08:55 PM #17
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donnie,

Since you acknowledge your anxiety and depression, there is no reason to not focus on those issues. With them in a better managed condition, any cognitive or other symptoms will be much easier to accommodate.
Hi Mark,

Yeah I agree. What I really wonder is whether my anxiety and depression might actually be the main reason behind my fatigue and constant headaches; that's what my neuro thinks. I don't know how much I believe anxiety and depression can cause constant headaches like mine.
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March 2009: Concussion from a tree branch falling on head, all symptoms cleared up by 8-month mark. Started having head and hand tremors in 2013, which may had been caused by this concussion.

February 2015: Slammed head into a heavy dining table light, another concussion.

Current symptoms: Constant headaches that are mostly localized to the right side, head pressure, head sensitivity, moderate fatigue, fractured sleep, anxiety, mood swings, tremors, mild dizziness caused by head movement at times, neck pain, fullness in right ear, mild blurry vision

Symptoms that went away: Light/noise sensitivity, nausea, severe fatigue, moderate blurry vision, tinnitus

Current meds: Tramadol
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