I have looked to brain injury information for my ADHD, and found it helpful. So I think this confirms your notion that we need to look at more than what is immediately in front of us – or in the case of some professionals – the label with which they’re fixated at the moment.

I had some diagnostic testing done by the head of health psychology at our major tertiary care hospital. He said the tests didn’t show ADHD, but something else that was unidentifiable. I pointed out one of my big issues is executive function, and he said the tests showed I am OK in that area. I tried to explain, remembering my first year psychology, that psychological tests only measure what they measure, regardless of the statements made otherwise. I am the guy who can’t make choices, who screws up decision making and implementation, and by all other def’ns of executive function has issues in that area. But sometimes it is hard to come between a clinical psychologist and their precious tests.

In my work as a therapist, I do a routine screen for traumatic brain injury with all new patients, and I keep an eye open for TBI with all my patients because I know that sometimes people do not always remember their injuries when I ask the screening questions in the initial sessions.

The motto of the traumatic brain injury movement is “whatever it takes,” That should be the motto of therapists and others working with brain injury, psychological issues, mental health issues, etc. To do otherwise is to let our patients down, and to forfeit the opportunity to work with them to overcome suffering.

You wrote in a recent article about the joy of being listened to by your doctor and trainer. While I pride myself in listening well, that article caused me to reflect on recent meetings with patients, asking myself whether I have consistently listened as well as I should. Listening is critical; your experiences, much more than mine, testify to the havoc that professionals in this field cause when they don’t listen, and become more complacent.

Daly

I have looked to brain injury information for my ADHD, and found it helpful. So I think this confirms your notion that we need to look at more than what is immediately in front of us – or in the case of some professionals – the label with which they’re fixated at the moment.

I had some diagnostic testing done by the head of health psychology at our major tertiary care hospital. He said the tests didn’t show ADHD, but something else that was unidentifiable. I pointed out one of my big issues is executive function, and he said the tests showed I am OK in that area. I tried to explain, remembering my first year psychology, that psychological tests only measure what they measure, regardless of the statements made otherwise. I am the guy who can’t make choices, who screws up decision making and implementation, and by all other def’ns of executive function has issues in that area. But sometimes it is hard to come between a clinical psychologist and their precious tests.

In my work as a therapist, I do a routine screen for traumatic brain injury with all new patients, and I keep an eye open for TBI with all my patients because I know that sometimes people do not always remember their injuries when I ask the screening questions in the initial sessions.

The motto of the traumatic brain injury movement is “whatever it takes,” That should be the motto of therapists and others working with brain injury, psychological issues, mental health issues, etc. To do otherwise is to let our patients down, and to forfeit the opportunity to work with them to overcome suffering.

You wrote in a recent article about the joy of being listened to by your doctor and trainer. While I pride myself in listening well, that article caused me to reflect on recent meetings with patients, asking myself whether I have consistently listened as well as I should. Listening is critical; your experiences, much more than mine, testify to the havoc that professionals in this field cause when they don’t listen, and become more complacent.

Daly

I am amazed that therapists haven’t yet noticed how brain injury in some ways mimics ADD, attentional deficit disorder. After all, the problems with attention in brain injury are, well, attention deficits.

I will check out your website. Thank you for stopping by and sharing!