Evidence-Based Supplement & Herb Guides

Dyslexia Testing: How Children and Adults Are Assessed

Learn how dyslexia testing works for children and adults, including what gets assessed, who performs the evaluation, and what the results usually mean.

Dyslexia testing is a structured evaluation of reading, spelling, language, learning history, and related cognitive skills. It is used when a child, teen, or...

Eating Disorder Screening: How Doctors Test for Eating Disorders

Learn how doctors screen for eating disorders, which questionnaires and medical checks they use, how diagnosis is confirmed, and what happens after a positive screen.

Eating disorder screening is a way for clinicians to notice harmful eating patterns, body image distress, binge eating, purging, excessive exercise, or food avoidance...

Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS): What It Screens For and What Scores Mean

Learn what the EPDS screens for, how Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale scores are usually interpreted, when results need faster follow-up, and why the tool is a screen, not a diagnosis.

The weeks and months around childbirth can bring major emotional, physical, hormonal, and practical changes. Some distress is expected, but persistent sadness, anxiety, guilt,...

EEG Test: What It Measures and When It Is Ordered

Learn what an EEG test measures, when doctors order routine, sleep-deprived, ambulatory, or continuous EEG, and what the results can and cannot show.

An EEG is a noninvasive test that records patterns of electrical activity from the brain. It is most often used when a clinician needs...

EMG and Nerve Conduction Studies: What They Measure and When They Are Ordered

Learn what EMG and nerve conduction studies measure, how they differ, when doctors order them, what the test feels like, and what the results can and cannot show.

EMG and nerve conduction studies are tests of the peripheral nerves, nerve roots, neuromuscular junction, and muscles. They are often ordered when symptoms such...

Epworth Sleepiness Scale: What It Measures and When Doctors Use It

Learn what the Epworth Sleepiness Scale measures, how ESS scoring works, when doctors use it, and what a high score may mean in sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and daytime sleepiness workups.

Feeling sleepy during the day is not the same as feeling tired, burned out, or mentally drained. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale is a short...

Executive Function Testing: What It Measures and When It Is Used

Learn what executive function testing measures, which tests are commonly used, when clinicians order them, and what the results can and cannot tell you.

Executive function is the brain’s ability to organize behavior around goals. It helps you start tasks, stay focused, shift plans, manage impulses, remember what...

First-Episode Psychosis Evaluation: What Tests and Assessments Are Done

Learn what tests and assessments are done in a first-episode psychosis evaluation, including history, labs, toxicology, brain imaging, EEG, and safety assessment.

A first episode of psychosis can be frightening and confusing for the person experiencing it and for the people around them. Psychosis means a...

Frontotemporal Dementia Testing: How It Is Diagnosed

Learn how frontotemporal dementia is diagnosed through symptom patterns, family history, neuropsychological testing, MRI and PET imaging, biomarkers, genetics, and careful rule-out of lookalike conditions.

Frontotemporal dementia is usually diagnosed through a careful clinical workup, not by one stand-alone test. The process often starts because family members notice changes...

GAD-7 Anxiety Test: What Your Score Means

Learn what a GAD-7 anxiety score means, how the 0 to 21 scale works, what the common score ranges suggest, and what usually happens after screening.

The GAD-7 is a brief anxiety questionnaire often used in primary care, therapy, psychiatry, research, and online screening. It asks about seven common anxiety...

Genetic Counseling Before Brain or Dementia Testing: What to Expect

Learn what happens during genetic counseling before brain or dementia testing, who should consider it, which genes may be discussed, and how results can affect diagnosis and family decisions.

Genetic testing can feel different from other medical tests because the results may affect more than one person. A brain MRI, cognitive screen, or...

Genetic Testing for Brain and Mental Health Conditions: When It Is Useful

Learn when genetic testing for brain and mental health conditions is truly useful, where it helps most in dementia and neurodevelopmental disorders, and why routine psychiatric genetic testing is often limited.

Genetic testing can sometimes explain a lifelong developmental difference, clarify a rare neurological diagnosis, guide family counseling, or help a clinician choose safer medication...

Home Sleep Apnea Testing: Who It Is For and What It Can Detect

Learn who home sleep apnea testing is best for, what it can detect, what it can miss, and when an in-lab sleep study is the better choice.

A home sleep apnea test can make it easier to evaluate suspected obstructive sleep apnea without spending the night in a sleep laboratory. Instead...

Hormone Testing for Mood Changes, Brain Fog, and Fatigue

Learn which hormone tests doctors use for mood changes, brain fog, and fatigue, including thyroid, testosterone, menopause-related testing, prolactin, cortisol, and common non-hormonal causes.

Mood changes, brain fog, and fatigue can feel deeply physical, emotional, and cognitive at the same time. Because hormones affect energy regulation, sleep, metabolism,...

How Doctors Evaluate Memory Loss, Forgetfulness, and Mental Confusion

Memory changes can be unsettling, especially when they affect conversations, work, driving, finances, medication use, or a person’s ability to manage daily life. Some...

How Doctors Rule Out Medical Causes of Depression, Anxiety, and Brain Fog

Depression, anxiety, and brain fog often feel psychological, but they can also be signs of a medical problem, a medication effect, poor sleep, substance...

How Doctors Test Trouble Concentrating: ADHD, Anxiety, Sleep Loss, or Something Else?

Learn how doctors evaluate trouble concentrating, separate ADHD from anxiety and sleep loss, and decide when screening tools, lab work, sleep testing, or neuropsychological testing are actually needed.

Trouble concentrating is one of those symptoms that can come from many directions. It may reflect ADHD, anxiety, depression, poor sleep, medication effects, substance...

How Long Neuropsychological Testing Takes and What to Expect

Learn how long neuropsychological testing usually takes, what happens before and during the appointment, which tasks are included, and when results and recommendations typically follow.

Neuropsychological testing is usually ordered when a clinician needs a detailed picture of how a person’s brain is working in everyday life. It may...

How Sleep Apnea Can Mimic ADHD, Depression, and Brain Fog

Learn how sleep apnea can imitate ADHD, depression, and brain fog, which symptoms overlap most, and when sleep testing may reveal the real cause.

Sleep apnea is often thought of as a snoring problem, but its daytime effects can look much more like a brain or mental health...

How to Prepare for Neuropsychological Testing

A neuropsychological evaluation can feel intimidating because it is longer and more detailed than a typical office visit. The goal, however, is not to...