What is a neuro psychologist? Well, a neuropsychologist is a person who specialises in understanding a persons relationship between physical brain and behaviour. The mind is extremely complex, and disorders within the brain or nervous system can alter a persons cognitive and behaviour functions.
The University of Rochester Medical Center stated that, the task of a trained neuro psychologist is to comprehend the way brain structures as well as the systems relating to a persons thinking and performance. A neuropsychologist must have a doctorate in psychology and training in neuropsychology. They will then most likely work in research or clinical settings performing assessments on cognitive capacity and memory function.
What A Neuropsychologist Does
A neuropsychologist can evaluate and treat people with several types of nervous system disorders. These are professionals who work closely with doctors including neurologists. Dealing mainly with Diseases, injuries, and illnesses of the brain and how the nervous system can affect the way a person behaves, thinks and feels. Symptoms that may require the services of a neuropsychologist include:
– Nervous system dysfunction
– Learning difficulties
– Mood disturbances
– Memory and cognitive difficulties
At the same time, if a doctor cannot identify the cause of a particular condition, a neuropsychologist can help determine the diagnosis. If the diagnosis is already known, an assessment can still be helpful. The work of a neuropsychologist is to help determine what impairments you might be having and how severe the condition is and to provide helpful recommendations. Examples of conditions that will call upon a specialist include:
– Stroke
It is a known factor that stroke can affect the memory, thinking, behaviour and other brain functions. Some of these changes are quite obvious whereas others are subtle. Through evaluation, the specialist will determine the state of the stroke impairment.
– Parkinsons Disease
It is also a known that this type of progressive disorder can cause several neurological problems. The specialists examination could provide a baseline for determining the conditions progressiveness as well as decreased functions.
– Traumatic Brain Injuries
A majority of people involved in serious accidents do mainly get brain injuries. At times, these injuries cause various symptoms others visible and others not. A neuropsychologist has the ability to determine the way injuries affect brain functions such as problem-solving and reasoning.
– Learning Disabilities
There are many types of learning disabilities. Through a neuropsychologist, a person can help determine the type of learning disability disorder in order to come up with a good treatment plan.
What Is A Neuro psychologist or Neuropsychological Diagnosis And Treatment Procedures
As mentioned above, the nervous system is complex and; therefore, different types of procedures will be used to identify the problem and hence offering different treatment plans. Common methods include:
The Evaluation
This is the first step a neuropsychologist will take. They will evaluate and assess the way your brain is working. The evaluation process may involve an interview. At this state, your doctor will ask you a series of questions that will ascertain your ability to perform daily activities. This technique will give them a clear picture on your brain’s overall health. They will try to identify any brain issues relating to mental health concerns if there are any.
The interview will include or cover information on symptoms, medication history as well as medical history.
The Testing
Evaluation will include different types of standardised tests. These tests are aimed at measuring several areas of the brains functions, which include the memory and cognitive ability. This test may also measure reasoning, problem solving and personality.
Brain Scanning
Before treatment options, the last thing the professional may do is perform a brain scan. The techniques or method used include Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) or Computerised Tomography Scan (The CT scan), which all help in diagnosis.
Neuropsychological Procedure Results
The first thing they will do is compare your test to those people who are similar to age and education. the tests and evaluation conducted could help in determining the primary cause of the problem; when other techniques do not work. The truth of the matter is that memory problems and clear thinking could be subtle. however, through testing, they can easily be identified.
To make things easier, a neuropsychologist will help in developing a treatment plan by understanding the way your brain is functioning in relation to your behaviour. Treatment plans might comprise surgery, therapy, rehabilitation as well as medication.
How To Become A Neuropsychologist
Now that you have known what is a neuro psychologist, the next big question people often ask is how do you become one or what are the qualifications of becoming one? Well, to be a neuropsychologist or to practice in this field of medicine, you will need the following:
– A Bachelors Degree, which is a 4 years course
– A Masters Degree, which is another 2 years
– And a Ph.D. or PsyD, which years of study may vary from 2 years to 4 years depending on the type of certificate and school