Neuropsychological assessment is a process of measuring and evaluating the cognitive, emotional, and behavioural functioning of individuals who have suffered brain injury or disease.
It can provide valuable evidence in litigation, especially in personal injury, medical negligence and also criminal cases, where the extent and impact of brain damage may be disputed or unclear.
What do neuropsychological assessments assess?
Neuropsychological assessment can help to answer questions such as:
- Has the person suffered a brain injury and if so, what is the level of severity?
- What neuropsychological problems does the person have (e.g., memory, attention, executive function, mood, behaviour, personality)?
- How do these problems affect the person’s daily functioning, quality of life, and ability to work or study?
- What are the potential causes of these problems? Are they related to the brain injury or other factors (e.g., pre-existing conditions, psychological factors, or non-credibility)?
- What is the person’s potential for recovery and what are the recommendations for rehabilitation or treatment?
- Does the person have a psychiatric disorder resulting from the traumatic event (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, adjustment disorder, specific phobia)?
- Does the person have the mental capacity to make decisions regarding important legal matters and their financial affairs?
The process of a neuropsychological assessment
Neuropsychological assessment involves a detailed clinical interview, a review of medical and legal records, and an often extensive collection of standardised tests that measure various aspects of cognitive, emotional, behavioural and social functioning.
The tests are administered by a neuropsychologist, who also interprets the results and writes a comprehensive report that addresses the relevant issues for the legal case. The report may also include recommendations for review, treatment, specialist management, or reasonable adjustments to the work place or educational institution.
Conclusions
Neuropsychological assessment can provide objective and reliable evidence that substantiates the injured person’s damages and quantifies their deficits in a form that lay people should understand. It can also help to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the person, and to guide their rehabilitation and recovery. Neuropsychological assessment can also assist in determining competency, responsibility, or mitigation in criminal cases, where the person’s mental state at the time of the offense or trial may be in question.
Neuropsychological assessment is an important tool in litigation, as it can help to establish the nature and extent of brain injury, its impact on the person’s functioning and well-being, and its implications for the legal outcome. It can also help to inform the court about the person’s needs, rights, and best interests.
How can Brain Injury Group help?
If you have been injured in an accident and would like a free, no-obligation chat with a specialist brain injury solicitor about the circumstances surrounding your accident, please email enquiries@braininjurygroup.co.uk, telephone 0330 311 2541 or visit our website to access live chat.
We are also able to offer free welfare benefit checkups to all affected by brain injury, to ensure you are receiving the right benefits for your individual circumstances.
Contact Brain Injury Group – to get in touch you can either:
- Call us on 0800 612 9660 or 0330 311 2541
- Email us at enquiries@braininjurygroup.co.uk
- Complete this short enquiry form and we’ll get back to you
- Find a specialist brain injury solicitor near to you
About the author
Dr Phil Moore is a Consultant Neuropsychologist and a Clinical Psychologist at MPN Consulting and Rehabilitation who provides expert witness services as well as a multidisciplinary physical rehabilitation and neuro-rehabilitation service based in the South-west.
View Dr Moore’s Brain Injury Group profile
