What is the difference between neurological and psychological

Neuropsychological assessments cover:. A clinical neuropsychologist undergoes specialized post-doctoral training to perform these comprehensive evaluations. Neuropsychological testing is more thorough than psychological testing, but it is not necessary for all situations. Does my child need a psychological evaluation or a neuropsychological evaluation? The answer depends on the symptoms, behaviors, and struggles your child is experiencing.

Your clinician can determine this during your initial interview. We can help you decide if you or your child needs psychological or neuropsychological testing, and then outline the next steps in your journey. Confusion or cognitive changes. Fainting, lethargy, or change in your level of consciousness. Involuntary muscle contractions dystonia Loss of balance.

Muscle weakness. More items…. Brain Tumors. Cerebral Aneurysm. Epilepsy and Seizures. Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Mental Illnesses. Schizophrenia and depression are just two examples of mental illnesses caused by a disorder of the nervous system. Panic attacks, anxiety, and depression are psychological problems. They can be the result of biochemical imbalances, past experiences, and stress. They are not neurological conditions.

However, nerve disorders and psychological concerns can have similar symptoms. Depression is a true neurological disease associated with dysfunction of specific brain regions and not simply a consequence of bad lifestyles and psychological weakness, according to researchers. Symptoms of functional neurologic disorders may appear suddenly after a stressful event, or with emotional or physical trauma. Other triggers may include changes or disruptions in how the brain functions at the structural, cellular or metabolic level.

This requires post-doctoral training and supervision in addition to a clinical pre-doctoral internship. A neuropsychological assessment differs from the psychological evaluations conducted by a clinical psychologist. A clinical psychologist will assess a child's history, intellectual abilities, basic academic skills, and conduct a personality assessment. This type of assessment does not include tests to reliably capture cognitive difficulties associated with attention, memory, learning, or executive functioning weaknesses.

Use a series of tests to assess various areas of cognition and behavior. These areas include memory, attention, learning, processing speed, and abstract reasoning. This information is linked back to brain structures, to provide information regarding the impact of any identified areas of difficulty on a person's everyday functioning. Include a detailed investigation of a child's developmental, medical, social, and psychological history. This is in addition to an extensive testing battery that examines intellectual, academic, attention, executive functioning, language, visuospatial, visuoconstructional, memory, and fine motor skills.

ViewPoint Center utilizes neuropsychological assessments along with psychological evaluations to provide patients with the most comprehensive assessment process possible.

To find out more about Neuropsych testing listen to this Podcast from Dr. Brandon Park or read this other blog, What is Psychological Testing? Or you can learn more about IEP's.

With a program lasting weeks, ViewPoint Center provides superior assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and stabilization for teens struggling with mental and behavioral issues such as suicidal ideation, anxiety disorders, and eating disorders.