(As you can maybe tell, I’m wearing my retainer!) So, here is one of my agitated faces. 🙂
Picking up from Sunday –
Even though she thinks my range of intelligence is “average,” at least she said attention was good and recall was good (there’s that important memory stuff I was telling you about).
She said “psychomotor behavior was agitated.” Well, yeah! I’d say so. She had to at least be trying a little to goad me.
Right? At least a little? Because no one – especially a psychologist who should be in tune to human behavior – can treat me like that, and say the somewhat ridiculous things she said, and not be at least somewhat aware that you are agitating the other person. Right? Maybe?
In the mental status section, she said I had a nervous laugh. I absolutely cannot argue with her at all on that point. I’ve noticed it in every interview I ever see of myself. I laugh at things that really aren’t funny, ’cause I’m a little nervous – every single interview I can think of. So, she’s right. No argument. I’m working on changing that habit.
I laughed out loud at this part, “Patient was adequately groomed, but presented to the appointment in pajama pants which is socially abnormal behavior, as a healthy adult.”
I think I misunderstood the day. I was going into it thinking it was going to be a very long day starting very early in the morning with lots of various tests (meaning I’d have to take my clothes on and off a lot during the day – and pajamas would be the easiest way to do that).
And actually, that’s exactly what the day was! So, I was sort of right on.
However, I did not realize that these interviews were intensely serious business, and that I needed to dress as though I were going to a job interview.
I just did not know. My whole previous experience with medical stuff had been so unbelievably long and involved that I thought I understood the hospital world, but goodness did I learn that I do not.
I wish I would’ve known to approach this differently, but at least I know for next time.
The psychologist did say my mood is “euthymic with broad affect.” My understanding is euthymic just means kind of in the middle. It’s not too excited. It’s not depressed. It’s just a normal, at least semi-pleasant human being.
And I understand that broad affect means a normal range of affect, with affect meaning expression of emotion, or feelings, displayed to others (with emotional signs such as hand gestures, facial expressions and such).
So, yay! One point for me, ’cause at least she things I’m semi-normal…
Of course, in her next sentence, she says my “judgement appears to be questionable.” My immediate reaction to that when I read it was “hey!” But then I thought, “well, I live in Los Angeles, so my judgement must be at least somewhat questionable, right?” (ba-dum-cha!)
And this is where we’ll pick up on Sunday.