The PSYowa blog has been on a bit of a hiatus as we have been working to determine what types of posts may be useful for readers and in what way we can use this blog to better provide public education about psychology. A recent question from a client inspired this post and hopefully it will help others who might have the same questions.
Recently, a client asked for more information about psychological testing because her son's primary care doctor suggested that he have psychological testing to determine if he had ADHD or if his problems in school were caused by something else. She wanted to know why he needed testing and where she could go to get it done. She was curious as to why her primary care doctor couldn't just do it at his office.
Psychological testing involves the use of assessments that are very well researched and validated. Before they are used on the general population, the tests that psychologists use are tested on many other people and are compared to other tests that are already used to make sure they are accurately measuring what they are designed to measure. Licensed Psychologists receive special training about how to give and interpret these tests. Many psychologists have years of training in constructing, administering, and interpreting tests even by the time they are licensed. This is one of the reasons why primary care doctors don't do the psychological testing. They haven't received the specialized training to administer and interpret these tests. They count on psychologists to provide them with an accurate diagnosis so that they can provide the best treatment.
Sometimes people ask me why we can't just ask questions or use a questionnaire to determine if someone has ADHD or other problems. Testing gives us a more accurate picture of a client's diagnosis. For example, someone might check enough symptoms on a checklist that makes it look like they have ADHD (distracted, can't sit still, looses things) but after a comprehensive assessment we find that the attention problems are caused by a specific learning disorder or severe depression. Giving that person ADHD medication would not solve their problem and in some cases may make it worse.
Psychologists often will utilize multiple tests in something called a battery to make sure all the tests consistently support the same diagnosis. For example, one test that is utilized to measure inattention (a symptom of ADHD) is the Continuous Performance Test (CPT). Sometimes individuals who are very depressed may be struggling with inattention related to their depression and score very poorly on the CPT, much like someone struggling with ADHD. Because of this typically we will assess for symptoms of ADHD, depression, and anxiety at the time of testing to rule out any other causes. We also will do additional tests of attention to ensure that the person is consistently having difficulties across tasks and it wasn't just an anomaly that they did poorly on one test.
If you are referred for psychological testing it is important to know what to look for to make sure that you are receiving the best care possible. Psychological testing should only be done by someone who has specialized training and experience in administering and interpreting assessments. In general, you can be sure that licensed psychologists have appropriate training because in order to receive their license they had to have attended a program that provided specific training for testing. Many other mental health professionals do not take specific coursework on psychological testing as a part of their training. They also often do not receive training or supervision on testing that gives them the experience to give and interpret tests reliably. Unless the provider is a licensed psychologist there is no guarantee that that they have received this training or have the appropriate experience. It is okay to ask your provider what their qualifications are, what experience or training they have, and what types of testing they are using.
Psychological testing can be an important part of the process of receiving the correct diagnosis and receiving the correct treatment. Making sure that you are educated about the process can help you to be able to ask the right questions and receive the best services.
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