Other online screenings are meant to expose you to advertising.  Still others just want to make you aware of a condition and its symptoms.  While the latter is a good goal, it’s important to remember that online screening tools are no substitute for seeing your doctor, psychologist, or neuropsychologist.  If you’re having any sort of symptoms, seek medical help.

Still, since screenings can be educational, and scoring an interesting result on an online screening can encourage people to see their doctors, psychologists, or neuropsychologists for professional screening, I’m posting this link to Mental Health America’s online screenings.  They include screenings for:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Bipolar Disorder
• Psychosis
• Eating Disorder
• PTSD
• Alcohol and Substance Use
• Childhood Emotional Disturbances

Please use these screenings responsibly and do not assume that if you score well on a screening that you do not need to speak to a professional.  If you have any questions, please see a professional.

Finding out you have a mental health issue may seem scary at first, but it is better to find out early, so you can get help early.  Often doctors and psychologists can help prevent a condition from stopping you from reaching your true potential in life.

Check out the screenings here:

https://screening.mentalhealthamerica.net/screening-tools/?show=1&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mentalhealthamerica.net%2Fabout-mha-screening&ipiden=4814b4e3990d7553c61ad98191a5560c

During a neuropsychological evaluation, I gather information about symptoms, social, medical, and school history, assess difficulties with everyday activities, and administer neuropsychological tests. Unlike neuroimaging techniques like CT or MRI, which let us look at the structure of the brain, neuropsychological testing is the best way to see how the brain functions while trying to get things done.  Simply put, neuroimaging techniques are like looking at a car engine while neuropsychological testing is like doing a test drive.

Neuropsychological tests are designed to provide a precise measure of different types of brain function, such as memory and attention. A full battery of neuropsychological tests will assess:

• Intellectual functioning
• Attention
• Mental speed
• Working memory
• Language
• Verbal and nonverbal learning and memory
• Motor skills
• Visuospatial abilities
• Organization and planning
• Psychological/emotional functioning
• Academic skills (If appropriate)

With this information, it is possible to obtain a detailed picture of an individual’s strengths and weaknesses and how specific deficits contribute to real life problems. This is used to create more effective treatment plans and inform clinicians about other services that may be appropriate. In addition, because neuropsychological tests are designed to be sensitive, they can find subtle brain changes that less detailed testing may miss.

There are many other potential benefits of neuropsychological assessment, including:

• Early detection of a condition affecting the brain.  Many neuropsychological tests are designed to detect small weaknesses in brain functioning. This may allow for detection of conditions during the early stages of a debilitating disease, when getting treatment can be critical

• Diagnosis.  Some conditions that affect brain functioning have a distinct pattern of strengths and weaknesses on neuropsychological testing

• Document changes in brain functioning over time

• Assess changes in brain functioning due to a treatment.  Comparison of performance pre and post-treatment can help measure treatment effectiveness

• Make informed predictions about difficulties someone may have when resuming work, school, or other responsibilities and prepare for any difficulties in advance

Neuropsychological testing can help doctors develop more informed therapies for their patients, and it can help patients understand more about themselves and their brains.

Recommended Reading:

Want to know more about how to prepare for a neuropsychological evaluation? Please see I Was Referred for a Neuropsychological Evaluation. What’s Next?

For an informational pamphlet published by the American Psychological Association that describes neuropsychology to patients and families, click here.