Psychiatric Consultants of Atlanta
Psychiatrists located in Atlanta, GA & Decatur, GA
Cognitive testing shows how well your brain functions when it comes to memory, attention, reasoning, and verbal ability. Bryon K. Evans, MD, and the team at Psychiatric Consultants of Atlanta perform cognitive testing as a routine part of each person’s evaluation. Your test results guide treatment decisions, allowing the team to personalize your care and improve any areas of brain function that affect your mental health and limit your ability to thrive. To learn more about cognitive testing, call the office in Atlanta or Decatur, Georgia, or book an appointment online today.
Cognitive Testing
What is cognitive testing?
During cognitive testing, you complete several tasks that evaluate your brain’s thinking processes. Your results show your brain’s current ability in areas such as:
- Attention and concentration
- Brain processing speed
- Verbal ability
- Deductive and verbal reasoning
- Working memory
- Short-term memory
The results of your standardized cognitive testing are compared to a very large database, allowing your provider to compare your ability to the average scores of a broad range of people.
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When do I need cognitive testing?
You need cognitive testing when you have symptoms indicating you may have problems with certain brain functions. For example, people with ADHD tend to have a poor working memory. As a result, they have a hard time following instructions, planning activities, and using information to guide their behavior.
However, cognitive testing isn’t just for people who have symptoms. Psychiatric Consultants of Atlanta routinely uses cognitive testing for all patients because your memory and ability to reason, pay attention, and communicate are key to your quality of life.
Your provider needs a scientifically validated and objective measure of your cognitive ability to fully understand the areas that need help or require the most focus.
Armed with the information from your cognitive testing, your provider can create a personalized treatment plan that meets your specific needs. As they implement your treatment, you take regular cognitive tests to show your progress and adjust your therapy if needed.
What type of cognitive testing will I receive?
Psychiatric Consultants of Atlanta uses the Cambridge Brain Sciences (CBS) suite of neurocognitive tests, which are proven to produce a valid and reliable assessment. You also do the tests online, which most people find more enjoyable than written tests.
With Cambridge Brain Sciences, your provider can test 12 core cognitive tasks or customize your assessment to test specific areas. Though the core tasks don’t measure your intelligence quotient (IQ) in the standard sense, your test produces a C-score that does a better job of reflecting your overall ability.
Traditional IQ tests don’t always produce an accurate score. If you’re nervous, anxious, or depressed, a conventional test won’t reflect your true mental ability. By pulling information from a variety of tasks, Cambridge Brain Sciences develops a reliable snapshot of your overall brain performance.
To learn more about cognitive testing, call Psychiatric Consultants of Atlanta or book an appointment online today.
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Forensic Evaluation Specialist
