The history of psychological testing began in France when, commissioned by the Ministry of Public Education, researchers Théodore Simon and Alfred Binet began developing an IQ test in the 1900s. Initially, it was used to distribute schoolchildren into classes with a regular or simplified general education program. The “school” IQ test was the first among many: psychologists realized that people can be compared not only by their level of intelligence, but also by other parameters.
Like any science, psychology builds its theories based on data obtained in research. But since psychology studies people, people also provide data for study. The main problem is that people are unable to provide objective data. Or, let’s say, they are not always interested in this. Only psychophysiologists record objective physiological indicators in their experiments, such as electrical activity of the brain or galvanic skin response. Almost all other areas of psychology analyze subjective data that they receive from direct or indirect conversation with a person. That's why psychological tests have appeared - they allow you to obtain data from people that interests the researcher and structure it.
Aptitude or knowledge tests are based on a set of proposed tasks. They include different types of tasks with variable wording. This eliminates the possibility of getting a high score by chance: the test taker cannot mark the correct answer several times if he does not understand the algorithm for solving the problem. Consequently, tests provide more accurate results than data obtained in a personal, unstructured conversation.
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Like a good friend, a psychological test must be reliable. This means that the test produces consistent results when used repeatedly. For example, a test today showed that you have well-developed creative thinking, which means it should give the same result tomorrow and in a year.
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Amino acid deficiency
Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, including the neurotransmitters responsible for transmitting nerve impulses in the brain. With an imbalance of amino acids, sleep disturbances, mood swings, and a lowered pain threshold often occur—even with minimal exposure, the pain is perceived as very acute.
A lack of tryptophan, a precursor of serotonin (“the hormone of joy”), provokes a depressive state, and a deficiency of tyrosine or phenylalanine is fraught with severe mood swings.
Amino acid testing is performed as part of any metabolic evaluation, including chronic conditions with unclear diagnosis and/or difficult to treat.
Amino acids in the blood, 12 indicators (test code 99-10-112).
Neurasthenia occurs in people prone to anxiety and instability
Three factors are involved in the occurrence of neurasthenia: biological predisposition, personal characteristics and traumatic circumstances.
Genetic predisposition and/or physiological characteristics of the nervous system are formed during conception, pregnancy and early childhood.
Personal characteristics include increased anxiety and sensitivity, emotional instability, impatience, impulsiveness, high demands, and lack of adaptive coping strategies. The “portrait” of a person who is predisposed to the development of neurasthenia may include the following characteristics: impressionable, intolerant of frustration, disorganized, acutely sensitive to non-recognition of oneself and the products of one’s activities.
Exhaustion of the nervous system occurs due to overwork, disruption of sleep and rest patterns, long-term and/or severe illness, excessive intensity of work or academic activity. Chronic or extremely severe stress contributes: acute conflicts, frustration, significant life changes, hard work, unfavorable living conditions, being in danger.
Elevated cortisol levels
The hormone cortisol is produced by the adrenal glands. Against the background of stress, its value in the blood can increase to pathological values, which immediately affects the state of the nervous system. In case of excess, cortisol can cause conditions including panic attacks, leading to increased irritability, anxiety, and aggression.
Cortisol (test code 33-20-001);
Steroid profile of 24-hour urine includes 17-ketosteroids (test code 95-86-601).
The main symptom of neurasthenia is increased mental or physical fatigue
With neurasthenia, increased mental or physical fatigue dominates over other symptoms:
- deterioration of memory, attention,
- decrease in the quality and pace of thinking,
- a feeling of weakness after minor exertion that does not go away after sleep and is accompanied by muscle pain.
Other manifestations include:
- irritability,
- anxiety,
- inability to relax
- loss of taste for life and the ability to enjoy a person, sleep disturbance,
- headache and/or muscle pain,
- decreased mental or physical productivity.
Indigestion
Well-being and good mood are associated with the functioning of the digestive system. A decrease in the absorption of essential nutrients - proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins - affects the balance of amino acids and glucose, which leads to a deterioration in mood and provokes a depressive state. Imbalance of microflora in the intestines also affects the emotional background.
General analysis of stool (coprogram, research code 84-84-003);
Profile “Gastropanel” (research code 99-20-303) and/or profile “Gastropanel extended” (research code 99-20-304);
Stool culture for dysbacteriosis (test code 71-84-300).
Everybody lies, or the Lie Scale in psychological tests
But Dr. House was right: the maxim “everyone lies” is absolutely true for people when they take psychological tests. Everyone marked the desired answer to a question at least once. This is why many psychological test questionnaires have an additional lie scale. It is based on several questions from the questionnaire and, by comparing the answers, shows how sincere the subject is in his answers. Moreover, often the first time a subject answers a question, guided by the principle of social desirability. Yes, we are designed this way: people usually strive to give answers that correspond to the moral norms and values of society. Often, even the subject himself is not fully aware of such distortion.
Intoxication
The presence of heavy metals (mercury, lead, cadmium, aluminum) in the body causes organic brain damage and provokes the development of severe mental disorders. With their deficiency or excess, macroelements that the body needs can also have a toxic effect. For example, magnesium deficiency causes constant fatigue, decreased cognitive function, insomnia, and irritability. In order to determine the level of metals in the body, you can have your hair analyzed.
Comprehensive hair analysis for the presence of heavy metals and microelements, 23 indicators (test code 99-50-100).
V is for validity
Validity measures how well a test measures what it is supposed to measure. Agree, it would be strange if an IQ test actually measures a person’s leadership abilities. Validity can be high or low: the higher it is, the more accurate and better the test copes with the task.
Additionally, criterion-related validity is highlighted. It reflects how well the results obtained in a test compare with the results of other tests that measure the same thing. For example, if two different graphic tests for determining self-esteem show approximately the same result, this will indicate their high criterion validity.
But numerous popular short IQ tests are just an example of tests with low criterion validity. They all measure the same thing: IQ. But if the same person takes five quick IQ tests in a day, he will likely get five significantly different results. The reason lies in the inaccurate definition of the measured parameter and the random selection of tasks. It turns out that each test measures one aspect of this characteristic, and not the whole thing.
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Changes in glucose and insulin levels
To maintain stable functioning of the central nervous system, a sufficient amount of glucose is required. Fluctuations in blood sugar levels, especially in diabetics, aggravate depression. People with hypoglycemia (sugar levels below normal) are at higher risk of developing depression. Insulin promotes the transfer of tryptophan and stimulates the synthesis of serotonin, the “hormone of joy.” To identify violations, CITILAB conducts glucose and insulin testing and calculates the HOMA index.
Assessment of insulin resistance: glucose (fasting), insulin (fasting), calculation of the HOMA-IR index (test code 99-00-860)
Treatment of neurasthenia - anti-anxiety medications and psychotherapy that teaches how to cope with stress
If you suspect neurasthenia, you should seek help from a psychiatrist, as you need to differentiate the symptoms of neurasthenia from depression. Only a psychiatrist can do this.
After a conversation and examination, the psychiatrist makes a diagnosis and prescribes treatment, which consists of pharmacotherapy, normalization of lifestyle and psychotherapy.
1 Pharmacotherapy. For neurasthenia, a psychiatrist prescribes drugs that help relieve symptoms - anxiolytics, antidepressants (SSRIs).
If you suspect neurasthenia, you should seek help from a psychiatrist, as you need to differentiate the symptoms of neurasthenia from depression.
2 Normalization of lifestyle. Correcting your daily routine helps cope with physiological stress - lack of sleep patterns, irregular meals, lack of rest. General introductions to the daily routine are as follows:
- Sleep at least eight hours.
- For every four hours of work, one hour of rest.
- Every day, devote time to a resourceful activity that improves your mood, brings joy and does not take away your strength.
- At least three meals, preferably at the same time.
3 Psychotherapy. Neurasthenia is a consequence not only of exhaustion of the nervous system, but also of a violation of personal functioning, which can be improved under the guidance of a psychotherapist. Evidence-based methods of psychotherapy are CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), ACT, MBCT. With the help of psychotherapy, you can develop adaptive coping strategies that will protect you from painful reactions to many stressful events. In psychotherapy, effective interaction skills are developed that will help reduce the number of interpersonal conflicts.
With a responsible approach to treatment and compliance with preventive measures, neurasthenia is completely curable.
Fatty acid deficiency
Deficiency of fatty acids aggravates symptoms of depression, especially in pregnant women, women in labor, patients with multiple sclerosis and people who abuse alcohol. Fatty acids ensure stable cell functioning and maintain the required energy level. With a lack of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, emotional instability appears, brain function and cardiovascular system deteriorate.
Unsaturated fatty acids omega-3 and omega-6 in the blood, complex analysis (test code 99-10-117).
Be healthy!
Author:
Baktyshev Alexey Ilyich, General Practitioner (family doctor), Ultrasound Doctor, Chief Physician
Google it, or Why tests quickly become outdated
In the age of digitalization, the temptation to conduct tests on a computer increases: this greatly facilitates the processing of the data obtained. However, online tests quickly become outdated and have to be completely changed.
There are many sites on the Internet where in 5 minutes they offer to find out the degree of expression of leadership qualities or how introverted or extroverted you are. Gradually, tests are becoming very famous: people know sample questions and what needs to be answered to get a certain result.
A typical situation is when the computer of the person taking the questionnaire has two tabs open: with tasks and a detailed Wikipedia article on the interpretation of the results. Or the test was invented a long time ago and became so well known to everyone that it simply stopped working. For example, there is a point of view that the Luscher color test no longer shows a valid result. People know that light and warm colors are good and dark and cool colors are bad.
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Cultural references, or Why the test cannot simply be translated
Due to information globalization, questionnaires developed in countries with a developed tradition of test format are translated into Russian and used in Russia.
There are two fundamentally different approaches to how exactly tests can be adapted for use in another country. The first option is localization. All original questions are translated into the foreign language in the country where the test was developed, and validity is tested on a small sample of native speakers (for example, students who come to study in a foreign country). Thus, localization is the export of a test. It provides the opportunity to compile a database of responses to the questionnaire around the world, since the questions are the same everywhere. Localization is applicable to many graphical (non-verbal) tests. For example, Raven matrices can be used on any sample, regardless of language - they only translate the instructions.
However, for many verbal questionnaires, localization produces incorrect results because the questions require adaptation according to the cultural norms of the society. Moreover, it is necessary not only to change the wording, but also to “test” the test on a wide sample, recalculate the keys to each answer, etc. Unadapted questions confuse subjects: for them, the described situations are too speculative and incomprehensible. For example, how many times in your life have you been prescribed a course of antidepressants? In the USA and Europe they are prescribed quite often, but in other countries this treatment practice is not very common.
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The second option is adaptation, or intelligent import. A group of specialists from the importing country, native native speakers, is working on adapting the test. They not only translate the test questions, but also revise the keys - the correspondence of questions, answers and measuring scales. Based on cultural norms, specialists rework the test so that it is understandable to native speakers. Sometimes, as a result of adaptation, a new test appears, which is an analogue of the original one for use in a particular country. This process is called modification. Unfortunately, a situation often occurs when the test has not yet been fully adapted, but is already beginning to be used in such a “raw” form. Thus, many Western tests develop a bad reputation among specialist users, although in fact the real problem is not the quality of the test, but in unfinished adaptation.
You may be wondering why you should take psychological tests at all. No matter how trivial it may sound, a high-quality test will really help you learn something new about yourself or understand something that you are not aware of. Due to social pressure, people are often not ready to admit those characteristics of themselves that are considered taboo or that seem not very pleasant. The test will help you understand yourself better and view the situation more objectively. But the results of a low-quality test, on the contrary, will not be able to provide you with new and useful information. Remember that many popular tests on the Internet do not have a scientific evidence base. Therefore, test is different from test: rely on tests, but don’t make a mistake yourself.
