Hello yellow-fleurs. Sorry you are struggling with your memory. Psychological testing is different from cognitive testing. For professional cognitive testing, I recommend consulting with a neuropsychologist or speech-language pathologist as opposed to a mainstream psych provider or therapist. First, you would need a referral from your MD.

You are absolutely right; anxiety affects performance on tests and could certainly skew your results....making it appear that your cognitive level is lower than it truly is. If you are unable to remain sufficiently calm for cog testing (perhaps try meditation or grounding techniques first) I think the test may not be helpful for you. Unless of course it warrants a helpful discussion about new ways to manage anxiety.

Going straight to a neurologist sounds drastic unless you are having some alarming issues like losing consciousness, seizures, sudden vision loss, tremendously painful headaches etc. I would think of it the other way round. If you are able to relax enough to take a cog test with a professional with the right training to assess your cog function, start with that. Cognitive therapy is available for people deemed clinically stimulable for progress. So, if your scores aren't what you'd like them to be, no need to panic....there are options available for improving cog skills or adapting to challenges.

I recommend reserving the neurologist consult as a last resort. Not only is that going to be very expensive (thousands of dollars worth of tests) but it really may not be warranted for your particular concerns. Your GP should be able to screen that for you quite easily...if he/she is very concerned about your neuro status they would have no hesitation in referring you to a specialist.

Do you take medication? Some meds can really affect cognitive function. You can take your med list to the local pharmacist and ask if those meds are known to cause cog issues. A good pharmacist would be happy to do that for you. Pharmacists have a lot of knowledge about meds which doctors do not.

What's your general anxiety level? Or is it only a problem related to taking tests? I ask because mood can affect cognitive function more than people realize. You may like to read about "reversible dementia" which is a term sometimes used for folks who are so depressed that they have a temporary dip in their cog function....that is very, very different from having something like alzheimer's disease. Cog decline associated with mood problems is often reversible....when the anxiety or depression is managed, it is naturally easier to focus and remember etc.

Attention (concentration/focus) is the foundation for all cognitive abilities. If something is impacting your attention, you will not be able to recall the stimulus. So sometimes the best place to start is with attention tests (various levels depending on your background etc.) For example, according to testing I have "above average intelligence" but when my depression is bad I have a hard time reading a book because I can't focus. I'll read the same paragraph over and over again and not retain it because my mind was distracted by negative thoughts and intense sadness. I also notice that my executive function skills take a dive quite quickly....things like planning, initiating, organizing, adjusting a plan as needed, follow-through etc. Then when my mood levels out again, my brain just does what's it's supposed to do. That's just my example. Every brain is different of course. I don't take any meds and don't have a history of brain injury etc.

Also consider nutrition, sleep, cognitive stimulation etc. Important foundations for good cognitive health. Some docs will say that the health tips recommended for heart health also double up as great recs for brain health.

I hope a good chat with your local MD will help you. I don't know your therapist but I'd be careful about doing cog testing with him/her (particularly if they are calling it psych testing) because the wrong test or flawed analysis from someone without the appropriate training could send you in the wrong direction.

Best wishes to you!