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Don't get the point of this
It's difficult for anybody, what it goes down to is .... are you good at math or not?
I happen to be good at math, so I subtract 7 until I get stuck
at that point, for example, at 93, I don't subtract 7, instead I almost instantly know that the answer is 90-4
(since 7 =3+4 and I already took 3 off of 93)
I did the same thing at 72 (70-5=65), 51 (50-6=44), 44 (40-3=37), 23 (20-4=16)
Actually, it's simple subtraction that any 4th grader should be able to do. That's why it's a good exam; anyone with basic elementary school math skills should be able to do it. Serial 7's, as it's called, is a standard test of concentration as part of a mental status exam.
Actually, it's simple subtraction that any 4th grader should be able to do. That's why it's a good exam; anyone with basic elementary school math skills should be able to do it. Serial 7's, as it's called, is a standard test of concentration as part of a mental status exam.
Yes, it is simple subtraction, that I can easily do with a pencil and paper, but not in my head.
For someone with a "questionable mental status", I can assure you, I have done quite well in life. VERY good with money, saving and investing. Can I do the math? Oh hell yeah.
Question: Does this Serial 7 exam take into account the different teaching methods used in the 40's, 50's and 60's compared to the "new math" methods used more recently? .....and could these different teaching methods impact how easily one could calculate a math problem without the use of paper and pencil?
The reason I ask is because I can remember looking at my niece's grade school math homework and the method used to arrive at the answers seemed very convoluted and incomprehensible to me. Not even close to how I "think" through a math problem.
Yes, I can. Does it help me to go through daily life? I doubt it.
Perhaps it might.
I do running calculations when I'm shopping. Adding mostly, some multiplying. When I reach check out, I'm pretty sure of how much I am going have to pay.
When I'm on long drives, I'm busying figuring my ETA based on speed and mile markers....or just doing random 3 digit multiplication to pass the time.
On ship, long ago, I memorized part of the Sine tables to two digits and then would take radar ranges and sight bearings on ships to calculate their lengths. It was a working pass time to keep alert even if inaccurate.
Tamara, you obviously have a mathematical mind, as my son does too. In university he specialized in set theory and topology.
He does use his ability in daily life in his career as a derivatives analyst. His masters degree is in pure math as opposed to applied, and really has more to do with logic and problem solving, finding proofs, rather than arithmetic. In fact he dismisses anything where you can get an answer with a calculator as arithmetic, not math.
It often seems that people with this ability are also musicians, though I do not understand how the two are related, and it does not seem to be an inherited ability as my family has more linguists than anything else. My wife is pretty good with numbers but not math, no algebra or calculus.
I would have to think a bit to do the serial 7s test but could manage without laughing about it. I have no idea what that would say about mental abilities, even as part of a series of tests.
Don't get the point of this
It's difficult for anybody, what it goes down to is .... are you good at math or not?...
Not necessarily!
One person might do this in their head.
Another person might ask to borrow a calculator.
Another might ask for a piece of paper and pencil to get the answers.
Someone else might say they can't do it.
Yet another person might giggle!
Now if someone is having trouble "functioning in society" - perhaps holding a job... Maybe their reaction to this is "I can't do it!"
Well maybe teaching them to ask for a calculator or pencil and paper (to do this task) could get them on the road to functioning better in society or at a job?
I guess you guys totally missed the part where the OP basically confessed he is annoyed he has to jump through any hoops to get free government money. I do have a real tip for the OP though. Refuse the money and you won't have to jump through any hoops.
Serial 7's is 5 points on a 30 point mental status exam and it can be traded off (which I do) with spelling a certain 5 letter word backwards. You can lose up to 6 points on the whole exam and still be 'normal.' You can also pass this section and be found off-the-wall based on responses to other answers. I've known persons to memorize Serial 7's, thinking that was it. Yeah. When this portion of the MSE is provided for an Alzheimer's patient, they will stop early or say a series of numbers without reference.
Understand that there is the formal test and the meta-test (their reaction). I have provided many formal assessments (on nearly 500 people to date) and I have asserted inquisitively a number of postulates to persons based on the meta-analysis that were dead on and just floored them. No one test and no MSE is sufficient for diagnosis, but it does offer indicators for inquiry. Findings supported with history, collaborative support, convergence of data on multiple forms, and confirmation by the patient are usually the grounding points for a diagnosis, and I would say I've done this with 80% of persons evaluated. The others were still accurate but I did not have these points (or others) for confirmation.
It sounds like this professional is not listening to you. Were there consonance in the interaction, I'm sure you would put her weight behind you, because what she said would fit with what you've done and what you need to hear. With the VA this is going to be a difficult task. To the larger CD audience, realize this is what our Vets get daily, without options. And as far as accessing benefits, I hold little back from person's who've served this country and took an option to die. They put their lives on the line for my freedom. Anyone who came into my office was immediately told 'at ease' and things went much easier from there. Of course, I was not regular military (though I fit a definite security forces model) and I was very pragmatic.
Back to the OP: I ultimately hope you find what you are looking for. Typically you can ask the referring doctor for a consult to talk with the psychiatrist, who may try to understand you better after the consult. Is there a referring doctor who understands you better, who can give the psychiatrist a head's up? Not all things are apparent from documentation and the expression of one patient from another with the same disorder can be mind-numbing.
Finally, as said to any who entered my office and were members of the armed forces: thank you for your service, sir. It is an honor to have you with us.
Any normal adult posessing even moderate mathematical skills should be able to count down from 100 by 7s easily and quickly.
And if you don't want to feel judged or self-conscious then I would suggest you seriously re-think your reasons for seeing a shrink in the first place.
See? It's sorta their job.
p.s. 100-93-86-79-72-65-58-51-44-37-30-23-16-9-2-(-5).......I did that in about 30 seconds and I'm only OK at math.
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Can I do the math? Oh hell yeah. 
