Psychological Testing for Adults
Psychologists use tests to help determine the emotional, intellectual, and cognitive levels at which individuals are functioning. The use of psychological tests can benefit patients in several specific ways. First, it can accurately pinpoint the emotional dynamics that are causing symptoms. Second, it can highlight areas of relative strength and ability. Third, it can help determine specific areas of difficulty and gauge problem severity. Fourth, it creates a baseline that can be used at a later date to measure treatment progress (i.e., by re-testing and comparing performance over time). Finally, test results can be used to determine the most effective treatment approach for each patient (i.e., medication, type of therapy required, etc.). I accept referrals for testing from community providers such as psychiatrists, therapists, and neurologists. I also accept patients who self-refer for testing appointments.
Personality and Behavioral Testing
Psychologists conduct personality and behavioral testing to measure personality traits and emotional/behavioral wellbeing. Results are compared to those of the larger population on which the tests were standardized. This helps determine one’s areas of strength and weakness, both of which can be used to guide treatment and determine progress over time. Diagnoses arising from personality and behavioral testing can include the following:
- Anxiety Disorders
- Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Autism-Spectrum Disorders
- Bipolar Disorder
- Depression
- Personality Disorders
- Schizophrenia-Spectrum Disorders
- Substance-Use Disorders
Neuropsychological Testing
Neuropsychological testing is administered to patients who are struggling cognitively due to a traumatic brain injury, the aging process, dementia, etc. This type of testing measures how well an individual performs activities using different aspects of brain function. These standardized tests examine intellectual ability, information processing speed, language function, attention, memory skills, visual-spatial ability, motor skills, executive functioning, etc. Personality and behavioral testing is a component of the neuropsychological evaluation because it is important to differentiate between true cognitive deficits and those caused by other psychological conditions (i.e., anxiety, ADHD, depression, etc.).