Evidence-Based Supplement & Herb Guides

CAM Delirium Test: What It Measures in Hospital and Older Adults

Learn what the CAM delirium test measures, how it is scored, when hospitals use it, how it differs from CAM-ICU, and what a positive result means in older adults.

Delirium is a sudden change in attention, awareness, and thinking that often appears during illness, surgery, infection, medication changes, dehydration, or hospital stays. It...

Can a Brain Scan Show Depression, Anxiety, ADHD, or Autism?

A brain scan can sometimes show medical problems that affect mood, attention, behavior, or thinking, but it usually cannot diagnose depression, anxiety, ADHD, or...

Can Mental Health Tests Be Wrong? False Positives, False Negatives, and Next Steps

Can mental health tests be wrong? Learn how false positives and false negatives happen, what affects accuracy, and what to do next after a confusing result.

Mental health tests can be useful, but they are not perfect. A questionnaire, rating scale, online screen, school checklist, or brief primary care form...

Can MRI Diagnose Mental Illness? What Brain Scans Can and Cannot Show

Can MRI diagnose mental illness? Learn what brain scans can reveal, when doctors order MRI for psychiatric symptoms, and why diagnosis still depends on clinical evaluation.

MRI can be reassuring, confusing, or both when mental health symptoms are involved. A person may have depression, anxiety, psychosis, memory changes, mood swings,...

Cognitive Testing for Older Adults: What Families Should Expect

Learn what families should expect from cognitive testing for older adults, including common memory tests, follow-up workups, how results are interpreted, and when sudden confusion needs urgent care.

Cognitive testing can feel intimidating when a parent, spouse, or older relative is having memory lapses, confusion, word-finding trouble, or changes in judgment. Families...

Cognitive Testing: What It Is and What It Measures

Learn what cognitive testing measures, which brain functions it checks, when doctors recommend it, and how to understand screening results and next steps.

Cognitive testing is a structured way to evaluate thinking skills such as memory, attention, language, reasoning, processing speed, and problem-solving. It is used in...

Complete Guide to Brain, Cognitive, and Mental Health Tests and Diagnostics

Learn what brain, cognitive, and mental health tests actually show, how screening differs from diagnosis, when imaging or biomarkers are used, and what results may mean.

Tests for brain, cognitive, and mental health concerns can feel confusing because they range from quick questionnaires to advanced scans, blood work, sleep studies,...

Computerized Cognitive Testing: What It Measures and How Accurate It Is

Learn what computerized cognitive testing measures, how accurate digital brain tests really are, and when results should lead to follow-up care or full neuropsychological evaluation.

Computerized cognitive testing uses a computer, tablet, or phone-based platform to measure thinking skills such as memory, attention, processing speed, reaction time, language, and...

Concussion Testing: Common Tests Used to Assess Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Learn what concussion testing really includes, from symptom checks and neurologic exams to cognitive tests, balance testing, and when CT or MRI is needed.

A concussion is usually diagnosed from the story of the injury, the symptoms that follow, and a focused neurological exam—not from a single definitive...

Conners Rating Scales: What They Measure in ADHD Testing

Learn what Conners Rating Scales measure in ADHD testing, how parents and teachers use them, what high scores mean, and why they are not a stand-alone diagnosis.

ADHD testing often includes questionnaires because attention, impulsivity, emotional control, and daily functioning can look different across home, school, work, and social settings. The...

CSF Testing for Brain and Cognitive Disorders: What It Can Show

Learn what CSF testing can show in brain and cognitive disorders, including Alzheimer’s biomarkers, infection, inflammation, prion disease, lumbar puncture risks, and how results are interpreted.

Cerebrospinal fluid, or CSF, is the clear fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. Because it is in close contact with the central...

C-SSRS Suicide Risk Assessment: What It Is and What to Expect

Learn what the C-SSRS suicide risk assessment measures, what questions it asks, how clinicians interpret answers, and what usually happens after a positive screen.

The C-SSRS is a structured way to ask about suicidal thoughts and behaviors. It is used in hospitals, clinics, schools, crisis services, research settings,...

DAST Screening Test: What It Measures and What Results Mean

Learn what the DAST screening test measures, how DAST-10 scoring works, what different score ranges may mean, and what usually happens after a positive drug use screen.

A DAST screening test is a short questionnaire used to look for signs that drug use may be causing harm, loss of control, health...

Delirium Screening: How Doctors Check for Sudden Confusion

Learn how delirium screening works, which bedside tools doctors use for sudden confusion, how screening differs from diagnosis, and what happens after a positive delirium screen.

Sudden confusion is different from long-standing forgetfulness. When a person becomes unusually disoriented, drowsy, agitated, suspicious, slow to respond, or unable to stay focused...

Dementia Screening: What Tests Doctors Use First

Learn which dementia screening tests doctors use first, including the Mini-Cog, MoCA, MMSE, and SLUMS, plus what abnormal results usually mean next.

When memory, thinking, language, judgment, or daily functioning changes, doctors usually begin with a focused clinical evaluation rather than a single “dementia test.” The...

Depression Screening: How Doctors Screen for Depression and Confirm a Diagnosis

Learn how doctors screen for depression, which questionnaires they use, what a positive screen means, and how clinicians confirm or rule out a depression diagnosis.

Depression screening is a structured way to notice symptoms that might otherwise stay hidden during a busy medical visit. It is often done in...

Depression vs Dementia: How Doctors Tell the Difference

Learn how doctors tell depression from dementia by comparing symptom patterns, timelines, cognitive testing, mood evaluation, and medical workups when both conditions can overlap.

Memory problems, poor concentration, slowed thinking, and withdrawal can come from depression, dementia, or both at the same time. That overlap can be frightening,...

Digital Biomarkers for Brain Health: Wearables, Apps, and Passive Monitoring

Learn what digital biomarkers for brain health really are, how wearables and passive monitoring work, what they can measure, and where the biggest clinical limits remain.

Wearables, smartphones, and health apps can now collect large amounts of information about sleep, movement, heart rate, speech, typing, activity patterns, and daily routines....

Dissociation Screening: How It Fits Into Trauma and PTSD Assessment

Learn what dissociation screening measures, how it differs from PTSD screening, which tools clinicians use, and how dissociative symptoms influence trauma assessment and next steps.

Dissociation can be one of the more confusing parts of a trauma or PTSD evaluation. A person may describe feeling unreal, watching events from...

Drug Use Screening: How Doctors Assess Substance Use Problems

Learn how doctors screen for drug use problems, which questionnaires and toxicology tests they use, how positive screens are interpreted, and when urgent evaluation is needed.

Drug use screening is a structured way for healthcare professionals to ask about substance use, identify possible risks, and decide whether a person needs...