[yagr]

I composed a similar thread about a month ago, but I'm still struggling with this issue. I believe I have formulated some better means of communicating the problem and created better questions to ask all of you folks, so I'm going to try again.

I am going to be taking a battery of psych tests very soon. I am also going to be having a hearing scheduled soon for social security disability and while I should get disability easily based on my physical issues, most of us understand that the system is not always fair and not everyone who deserves it will receive it. For that reason, the psych tests are important because they can bolster my claim and increase my chances of receiving disability. But there's a problem.

The way I think makes answering many of the questions impossible for me. Not answering too many questions invalidates the tests, and guessing, rather than leaving the questions blank, doesn't allow the test to accurately assess me. I have explained my concerns to both my psychiatrist and therapist in great detail but they are dismissing my concerns out of hand. They tell me to stop overthinking the questions, but I am not overthinking - this is a normal amount of thinking for me and I simply don't know how to think like normal people do.

I've chosen a few examples to illustrate my consternation. While I'm interested in how to answer these questions out of curiosity, the fact remains that these are just examples. Without a way to figure out how to answer these myself, without help - I'm going to have to pick answers at random to a statistically relevant number of questions.

I suppose what I am looking for is either a new way to try and communicate this problem to my psychiatrist and therapist so that they take my problem seriously, or find a way to answer these questions on my own. Another possible solution is that if this type of thinking has a name, or it sounds like something you recognize, perhaps I could get them to consider that instead of dismissing it. Please believe though, I've spoken of nothing else in sessions with them for the last two months and made exactly zero headway. Incidentally, I cannot change psychiatrists and therapists at this time - I am running out of time to get records in to social security disability to be considered for the hearing, and starting over now would mean these tests won't be given in time to be considered. Here are the examples:

"Do you dread going into a room by yourself where other people have already gathered and are talking?"

I hate social engagements period. That means that I hate going into a room whether other people have already gathered or will soon be gathering. I hate going into such a room equally by myself or with my closest friend. On the other hand, I'm really good at socializing. I don't have social anxiety in that I don't freeze up or don't know what to say. In fact, I always know what to say - I just hate it and would rather have a root canal without anesthesia.

So this is how my brain works:

Do you dread going into a room (party)? Absolutely true.

Do you dread going into a room by yourself? What the heck does 'by yourself' have to do with anything? Now it sounds like they are trying to determine if I need others with me to feel comfortable. A true answer now would lead them to believe that I lack the confidence to go into a room by myself and that is absolutely not true. So I'm leaning toward 'false'.

Do you dread going into a room by yourself where other people are already gathering and talking? Again, 'where other people are already gathering and talking' is a condition of the question that modifies what the question is asking. My answer is still technically 'true' but this addendum just muddies the waters. It is correlating my dread with both the fact that I am by myself and that people are already engaged. That is a faulty correlation.

Incidentally, I have told both my pdoc and therapist this and I've just gotten the 'you need to change the way you think' Okay, the test is in two weeks and I've been thinking this way for over a half century - let's be realistic. Here's another:

"I have close friends who served time in prison."

My wife spent twenty-four years in prison. She is my only friend. But the question says friends - plural. So false? I mean, one hundred percent of my friends have spent time in prison - all one of them. Technically, the answer must be marked 'false' since there is only one friend...but it seems to violate the spirit of the question.The next question isn't the best example, but it is a type of question I have a lot of trouble with:

"I enjoy violent sports and movies."

They are making the assumption that the two, sports and movies, are linked - but what happens when they are not for me? How do I answer? I don't like violent sports because it is real and someone can get hurt. I do like violent movies, in spite of the violence, because I know it's not real and no one is really getting hurt.

The fact that these questions are impossible for me to answer seems more important than how I guess at the right answer - but no one is listening.

[jbuttz]

I know exactly what you mean. Sometimes the questions they ask are silly. They put in two different scenarios that don't resemble each other at all.

[rainbow in the dark]

I don't know how you should answer those questions. They seem to be leading you to answer in a certain way and if I was trying to get disability I think I would say true or yes to all three. It might be half-truths but if you can't explain your answer then maybe... think what you think they might be looking for, if that makes any sense. Also, I've heard people say you have a better chance of getting disability if you have a lawyer. Maybe a lawyer could point you in the right direction. Hope it goes well, good luck.

[yagr]

Originally Posted by rainbow in the dark

I don't know how you should answer those questions. They seem to be leading you to answer in a certain way and if I was trying to get disability I think I would say true or yes to all three. It might be half-truths but if you can't explain your answer then maybe... think what you think they might be looking for, if that makes any sense.

*nods* What you say does make sense, the problem is, there are well over a hundred of these questions that I can't answer and I'd really like to be able to just take the test straight up instead of trying to get inside the test creators head every thirty seconds.

Originally Posted by rainbow in the dark

Also, I've heard people say you have a better chance of getting disability if you have a lawyer. Maybe a lawyer could point you in the right direction. Hope it goes well, good luck.

I've got one; she's the one who is asking me to make sure I get the tests done and make certain that they are not invalidated by not answering too many questions. I've explained my concerns to her, she thought they were valid concerns and suggested that I tell my psychiatrist - in fact, print out the e-mail I sent her and give it to him. I did. She is blown away that he is dismissing my concerns.

[yagr]

Originally Posted by jbuttz

I know exactly what you mean. Sometimes the questions they ask are silly. They put in two different scenarios that don't resemble each other at all.

Thank you for this - just knowing that someone else has trouble is gratifying.

I have zero experience in this so take my thoughts for what they are worth...

Perhaps by "overthinking" they don't mean...overthinking. Maybe they just mean to go with your first, gut reaction before analyzing the question.

I have a little trouble with this. Like I will probably think about how you will read this answer and edit it before you have a chance to read it because you might interpret it differently than how I mean it. (Just to make a point, probably badly)

[yagr]

Originally Posted by sophiesmom

Perhaps by "overthinking" they don't mean...overthinking. Maybe they just mean to go with your first, gut reaction before analyzing the question.

To tell you the truth, my pdoc has said this - 'gut reaction'. I didn't listen to him but I did listen to you. I went back and read each of the questions again and looked for my very first reaction. There were some interesting results. I'd like to share them with the hope that you'll return to this thread and see if you can help a bit more because I did run into some problems - but maybe they aren't insurmountable.

Instead of analyzing (which seems like a poor word choice because it happens in a fraction of a second and I think of analyzation as something that requires time) first and then trying to answer, instead I answered first and then tried to analyze my answer. Why analyze at all? Well, we all have prejudices and filters on a subconscious level for starters and sometimes that can hide the truth from us. Second, I know that I am not above lying to try and keep myself safe if I feel threatened - and I find these tests, revealing myself to someone whom I don't trust to have my best intentions in mind, makes me feel vulnerable - i.e. not safe.

"Do you dread going into a room by yourself where other people have already gathered and are talking?"

My first reaction was 'no'. It was based on the fact that I associate dread with fear. I do not fear entering a social situation. When watching my mind work while asking the question - I had 'no' in mind as soon as I got to, "Do you dread" It was a visceral reaction to the idea that I was afraid. In fact, I paid very little attention to the rest of the sentence after that....just some fluff about going into a room with or without someone where other people were doing something. I was so focused on the concept of 'dread'.

"I have close friends who served time in prison."

Again, I had my mind made up as soon as I got to the plural use of the word 'friend'. I don't have friends (plural) - so really, it made no difference how the rest of the sentence finishes. My answer would be 'no' or 'false'. Again though, still seems to miss the spirit of the question. I would surmise that the question is really trying to determine if I choose choir boys or bad boys - so I think answering 'false' to this one based on a gut reaction misses the mark.

"I enjoy violent sports and movies."

Very interesting discovery here when I went with my gut reaction. My gut reaction was 'false' or 'no' and that was determined by this point in the sentence, "I enjoy violent sports". At this point, the inclusion of 'movies' made no difference to my answer. But! And this is a big but; when I changed the order of the words in the sentence to "I enjoy violent movies and sports." - changing the order of the words 'movie' and 'sports' so that 'movie' was first, my answer changed. My gut made up it's mind after "I enjoy violent movies" and adding sports to it didn't change my gut reaction.

While fascinating - it adds another layer of problems to my answering these questions this way. When I go with my gut, apparently I make up my mind before the question is done - and subsequent information in the sentence is disregarded. As a result, changing the order of the words in the sentence can elicit different answers. That might not seem like a big deal, but psych tests always ask the same question a dozen different ways to test for consistency.

Originally Posted by sophiesmom

I have a little trouble with this. Like I will probably think about how you will read this answer and edit it before you have a chance to read it because you might interpret it differently than how I mean it. (Just to make a point, probably badly)

lol - I so get this.

Originally Posted by yagr

"I enjoy violent sports and movies."

I think I'd have trouble answering "yes" or "no" to that statement, too.

Sports and movies are (obviously) two completely different things. One might enjoy violent sports, but not violent movies, and vice-versa. How could that statement be answered to truthfully?

But then that might be tricky "by design", years ago I did a similar test for a job and I noticed that the doc was kind of watching how long I was taking to answer the questions.

I just wrote a long-*** message. It disappeared....Oh well, the short version.

I get the feeling of vulnerability..(will he think I'm an ax murderer because I like ice-cream!?!?!). Extreme example, perhaps.

I have learned to "separate" my gut reaction from my analytical reaction. Not that one is better than the other. Or more right. But I think it's important to recognize both, separately.

As far as "When I go with my gut, apparently I make up my mind before the question is done - and subsequent information in the sentence is disregarded"....Don't forget, too, that you have peripheral vision. Your mind will pre-read even though you are not aware. And your brain will process what it "sees". This is key, really.

Sorry that I'm not much help.

[avlady]

such stupid questions-unbelieveable to get ssi or ssd. most of the people get it if they say they do like the bad things they're talking about so why not just write in yes. it wouldn't be a lie, i would think as alot of us, including me, like some form of it sometimes anyway. thats probably how you'll get the money.

[Thunder Bow]

You are a thinker and are very intelligent. The problem is that you should be writing those questions not answering them. I can see why you are driving your Therapist and Doctor up the wall. Maybe you should be giving them advice.

[TishaBuv]

So many tests I have taken do this. The questions are not logical! I found that the correct answers are always the obvious ones that less analyzing choice.

For the close friends in prison, I would answer yes because of your wife. But what are they trying to determine about you by that anyway?