DIAGNOSTIC EVALUATION: There is a high degree of overlap between psychiatric disorders with respect to symptoms. A comprehensive psychological evaluation can help examine the subtle differences between symptoms to more accurately determine a diagnosis.
PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT: People often develop personality patterns where they have recurring difficulty coping with interpersonal situations. It is often very helpful to better understand a person’s personality, as this information can help focus treatment or therapy.
NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL/cognitive assessment: Patients are often referred for a neuropsychological or cognitive assessment to examine areas of brain functioning, including memory, attention/concentration, ability to reason and think abstractly, speed of processing information, verbal and non-verbal functioning, and ability to function in an academic setting. Patients are often referred to assess cognitive functioning for the following reasons: (a) after a head injury or stroke, (b) prolonged periods of substance abuse, (c) cognitive problems related to illnesses that can affect the nervous system, (d) degenerative brain disease such as dementia, (e) difficulty functioning in an academic or work environment, and (f) to assess general complaints of confusion, memory problems, attention/concentration problems, or other cognitive problems.
FORENSIC: Patients are often referred by attorneys or representatives of social service agencies (such as CPS) for assessments to satisfy a court or legal requirement, or to help determine important aspects of a patient’s level of functioning. Psychotherapy