What Does Psychological Testing Have to Offer Me?

Most people never need psychological testing.  But since I do a lot of it, I am very aware of what it can offer to people.

Most of the time it is a psychiatrist who is requesting the testing.  They are wanting more information about diagnosis. People are in psychiatric hospitals for only a very short time these days, so the psychiatrist is in a hurry to understand as much as possible as quickly as possible--"Is the person depressed;" "Are they in touch with reality;" "what is is their IQ?" and so on.

Sometimes it is the client that needs information.  Perhaps they need to document their symptoms for one reason or another, such as applying for disability.  While psychological testing is not necessarily the same thing as documenting a disability, testing reports do provide useful information about symptoms, and they also help to pull together a lot of relevant information about a client's history (symptoms, hospitalizations, effects of symptoms on work, and so on).  Creating a total clinical picture and history to present in applying for disability is difficult for many patients, because of their psychiatric problems.

Another leading reason for testing these days is establishing the diagnosis of ADHD.  Family doctors may be reluctant to prescribe ADHD medicines without a full evaluation.

Diagnosing the onset of dementia, or Alzheimers (Alzheimers is a subset of the dementias) often necessitates testing.  People may think that they have memory problems but really don't.  Or people may not believe that they have cognitive problems, but their family members do.  Psychological testing is an objective way of answering that question.  When a person is in the early stages of Alzheimers, there are medications which can help, and so it is important to know when the onset of dementia is occurring.

Neuropsychological testing is aimed at establishing how well the brain is functioning.  It is used with dementia, but it may also be called for after motor vehicle accidents, strokes, and diseases of the brain.
Oftentimes, children are having academic problems, and it is not clear if the problem is intelligence, ADHD, learning disability or some emotional issue.  Testing is often helpful in this situation.
Sometimes children are having behavioral problems and it is not clear if there is a serious disorder present, or whether they are just "going through a phase," or simply responding to stress within the family system.

These are some of the typical reasons that I receive requests for psychological testing.  I enjoy testing because it allows me the opportunity to interact with almost every conceivable type of patient.  Moreover, it allows me to provide a little bit of consultation as well as helping to establish the diagnosis.  In other words, I don't just test the person and write a report.  I like to interact with them and help them develop strategies for dealing with their problems.