NEWBIE--JUST DIAGNOSED with huge Verbal/ Performance Discrep

Hi there and welcome.

I have never been officially diagnosed, but my pattern sure looks a lot like NLD; I fit exactly everything on the list except that I’m really good in math, in fact a math major.
In school I breezed through anything that made patterns, like math and chemistry, did OK in anything that could be made into a pattern, like French grammar, and like you had a real battle with history and English literature because they seemed so vague and unfocused.

There are all sorts of self-teaching and coping approaches you can use, and if you want to aks more I’ll be happy to share.

I’m not a formal test person in education, but others on this site will probably help you analyze those scores.

Just a quick question ‘cause I don’t have time for analysis right this minute - would you have done better with comprehension if you heard the passages rather than read them?

Victoria, yes, I’d love to hear your coping approaches. I, myself, am thinking of outlining and from time to time making a summary outline condensing and connecting the entire course material.

And Sue, I doubt hearing would’ve improved my comprehension because I need to go over something multiple times for it to sink in. (Perhaps, my reading comprehension is a bit higher than 1st ile because I was very anxious when doing it, since this was one of the last tests given and I was already upset with my performance on performance IQ subtests as well as on memory function ones. However, in any case, reading comprehension is an issue for me.

I am also anxious over my psychiatric issues. I know I am whining, but since this is an anonymous forum for people to share their problems, I’d like to spill mine too. I have been having episodes of severe shortness of breath acccompanied with chest pain, fatigue and even diziness at its worst points since I was 9 years old. These episodes last for several days at a time and reoccur anywhere from a week to two months interval. I’ve always suspected a heart problem but I have been evaluated for it with multiple tests repeated several times and they were all normal. The consensus is that my physical symptoms are anxiety related. I have been taking Zoloft for two years already. Now my psychiatrist wants to change my medication because she thinks it’s not working (especially since I peaked on the anxiety scale during my neuropsych. eval. because I recounted my physical symptoms and my tester suggested I need a different med.) Furthermore, my primary doctor also wants to put me on another psych. med. both because of my symptoms and because I told her I don’t have any friends and always feel fine. She has furthermore contacted my psychiatrist.

I am a very slow thinker naturally and I think that Zoloft also slows me down somewhat —thinking becomes like wadding through some barrier. I really don’t want a stronger med. like Prozac or worse something from a different class with greater side effects. I’d rather stay on Zoloft but I am afraid the docs would pressure me to take something else. I also fear that psych. meds can decrease your IQ or cognitive function (don’t know how to differentiate the two) and worse off, that the effects might not be fully reversible even after getting off it. Again, what do you guys think regarding the entire issue. I definitely have my psych. issues but I doubt the new med would benefit me.

I have an appointment with my psychiatrist this Tuesday and really dread it because am afraid she would change my med. (I generally see her once a month when I am not in school and thus live at home).

Victoria, yes, I’d love to hear your coping approaches. I, myself, am thinking of outlining and from time to time making a summary outline condensing and connecting the entire course material.

And Sue, I doubt hearing would’ve improved my comprehension because I need to go over something multiple times for it to sink in. (Perhaps, my reading comprehension is a bit higher than 1st ile because I was very anxious when doing it, since this was one of the last tests given and I was already upset with my performance on performance IQ subtests as well as on memory function ones. However, in any case, reading comprehension is an issue for me.

I am also anxious over my psychiatric issues. I know I am whining, but since this is an anonymous forum for people to share their problems, I’d like to spill mine too. I have been having episodes of severe shortness of breath acccompanied with chest pain, fatigue and even diziness at its worst points since I was 9 years old. These episodes last for several days at a time and reoccur anywhere from a week to two months interval. I’ve always suspected a heart problem but I have been evaluated for it with multiple tests repeated several times and they were all normal. The consensus is that my physical symptoms are anxiety related. I have been taking Zoloft for two years already. Now my psychiatrist wants to change my medication because she thinks it’s not working (especially since I peaked on the anxiety scale during my neuropsych. eval. because I recounted my physical symptoms and my tester suggested I need a different med.) Furthermore, my primary doctor also wants to put me on another psych. med. both because of my symptoms and because I told her I don’t have any friends and always feel tired. She has furthermore contacted my psychiatrist.

I am a very slow thinker naturally and I think that Zoloft also slows me down somewhat —thinking becomes like wadding through some barrier. I really don’t want a stronger med. like Prozac or worse something from a different class with greater side effects. I’d rather stay on Zoloft but I am afraid the docs would pressure me to take something else. I also fear that psych. meds can decrease your IQ or cognitive function (don’t know how to differentiate the two) and worse off, that the effects might not be fully reversible even after getting off it. Again, what do you guys think regarding the entire issue. I definitely have my psych. issues but I doubt the new med would benefit me.

I have an appointment with my psychiatrist this Tuesday and really dread it because am afraid she would change my med. (I generally see her once a month when I am not in school and thus live at home).

I really apologize for multiple posts (I made a double post because I had a typo in the first one—wrote fine when in reality I meant tired).

And just so you have accurate info: Zoloft did not affect my neuropsychological results because I had a decreased dose then 125 mgs which I took haphazardly often skipping as I knew that with the minimal sleep I was getting (due to inefficient strategies for schoolwork), I would be toast the next day.

And I did not take Zoloft the night before my neuropsych. testing, so no, my abysmal performance on several tests is not attributable to Zoloft at all. That I am 200% sure.

I really apologize for multiple posts (I made a double post because I had a typo in the first one—wrote fine when in reality I meant tired).

And just so you have accurate info: Zoloft did not affect my neuropsychological results because I had a decreased dose then 125 mgs which I took haphazardly often skipping as I knew that with the minimal sleep I was getting (due to inefficient strategies for schoolwork), I would be toast the next day.

And I did not take Zoloft the night before my neuropsych. testing, so no, my abysmal performance on several tests is not attributable to Zoloft at all. That I am 200% sure.

I really apologize for multiple posts (I made a double post because I had a typo in the first one—wrote fine when in reality I meant tired).

And just so you have accurate info: Zoloft did not affect my neuropsychological results because I had a decreased dose then 125 mgs which I took haphazardly often skipping as I knew that with the minimal sleep I was getting (due to inefficient strategies for schoolwork), I would be toast the next day.

And I did not take Zoloft the night before my neuropsych. testing, so no, my abysmal performance on several tests is not attributable to Zoloft at all. That I am 200% sure.

Hi Itsme,
You might like to have a look at www.nldontheweb.org which is a website dedicated to Non-Verbal Learning Disorder.
Which has extensive information about NVLD. Which will help you understand what it actually is.
It also has an excellent forum with very helpful people.
Gaining a deeper understanding of NLD may also help reduce your anxiety?
As well as help you to define strategies to ‘get around it’?

In relation to your ‘shortness of breathe’ difficulty.
When this occurs, if you observe ‘how you are actually breathing’?
I speculate that you may find that you are breathing only into the ‘top of your chest’? So that your shoulders rise with each breath?
Instead of a ‘deeper breath’, where your ‘lower ribs’ expand.
Deeper breathing provides access to a greater volume of air. Which in turn results in slower more relaxed breathing.
Whereas, ‘top chest’ breathing accesses are a far smaller space. Which requires far more rapid breathing. Rapid breathing also has innate association with anxiety.
So perhaps you could observe whether this is what’s happening?
Take a deep breathe and think about it?
Geoff.

:D

I don’t think you should fear a change in medication. If you are still experiencing uncomfortable anxiety symptoms on the Zoloft, then you might need to take something else in addition or instead. The fact that you did not take your Zoloft the night before may have had more of a negative effect on your testing than if you had taken it. Medications like that must be taken very regularly, and you should not be skipping doses. If your doctor suggests a change in medication, express your concerns and ask questions so that you understand the potential benefits.

Janis

I am really relieved that my psychiatrist did not push any change in medication; I guess she decided that the potential benefits were not warranted and that my problems can be managed by other means.

However, does anyone have any comment about my test results? I apologize about spilling my anxiety on this forum and I understand if any of you chose to stay away from my medication fears.

You don’t need to apologize — that is why this forum exists, to discuss problems.

You’ll get more or less response depending on how many people think they have something to add to the discussion.

on;t worry about it, and use the resource here for support.