If you have suffered a brain injury, you might be referred to a neuropsychologist, who will often recommend neuropsychological testing.
A neuropsychologist is a psychiatrist with a specialty in the science of brain-behavior relationships. In other words, they deal with how brain function affects your behavior. The neuropsychologist uses a number of methods, including neuropsychological testing, to evaluate your injury.
Neuropsychological exams usually consist of a series of questions about your condition. Some tests may be brief, but some may be much more detailed, taking up to a full day.
The test results are used for a number of different purposes. Depending on the need, the purposes may include (1) diagnosis of an injury; (2) patient care and planning; (3) treatment; (4) evaluation of treatment; (5) research; and (6) forensic neuropsychology — for use in litigation and lawsuits.
For personal injury purposes, we’re interested in all of those categories. We’re interested in 1-4 to make sure you get better and get the care you need, and we also seek a forensic evaluation for your case. In the litigation context, the neuropsychologist can help confirm you have a brain injury, document the extent of your injury, evaluate your future course of treatment, and provide opinions about your recovery, both in terms of your daily activities and your work life.
