The world of medicine has so many specializations which you could look to work in and today we are going to be focusing on a branch of neurology called neuropsychology. This is a fascinating field to work and those like Dr. Curtis Cripe who have dedicated their lives to this area of medicine have the power to make great changes to people’s lives. You may not know too much about neuropsychology which is why today we are going to take a deeper look into what this area of medicine is all about and how it can be used to help patients. 

The Study of Neuropsychology 

 This branch of medicine focuses on both areas of psychology, the study of the mind, and neurology, the study of the brain. Those working in this profession work to try and understand the function and the structure of the brain, and how brain disorders have the power to affect mental disorders. More specifically this branch of medicine focusses on the relationship between the function of the brain and how this impacts our thoughts, and our behaviors. 

What Can Neuropsychology Treat?

So the main focus of a neuropsychologist is to work on neurological conditions which in turn is designed to help the psychological problems which are created as a consequence. There is a wide range of issues which this branch of medicine deals with from brain cancer to tumors, learning disorders, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s and dementia, motor neuron disease, autism and ADHD, to name just a few. As you can see these deal with both the physical aspect of the brain and its functions, as well as the psychological areas and behaviors. 

Treatments 

Neuropsychologists have a lot more knowledge and training than say a psychologist  but they will work alongside psychologists in their assessments and the treatments of the patients. When assessing someone they will look at areas like focus and attention, intellectual function, academic function, executive function, adaptive function, memory, speech and language, as well as focusing on motor skills and a personality assessment. They use these tests to understand how a particular disorder has manifested and then they will look deeper into the neurological side of things, to see where the root of the problem lies. 

Becoming a Neuropsychologist 

If this is a branch of medicine which you would like to work in then you well have to be a fully licensed doctor, you will have pass the examination for professional practice in psychology, you will have at least 2 years of experience in the field as well as 2 years supervision, and you will have to obtain a certificate from the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology. 

This is a fascinating and highly challenging area of medicine which presents new and different problems each and every day. The brain is still something that we know very little about, despite our efforts, and that is what makes this particular branch of medicine so exciting.