Opinion ID: 2804487
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Mental-Health Records

Text: Dr. Fredric Rose, a neuropsychologist, evaluated Ostborg on January 15, 1998. Ostborg complained he had experienced several impairments since his 1996 accident, including periods of confusion, impaired short-term memory, fatigue, forgetting details, although he reported good recognition if cued, and language errors, when stressed or fatigued. While Ostborg was able to perform the activities 2 Case: 14-13895 Date Filed: 05/29/2015 Page: 3 of 25 of daily life since his accident, it took effort, and he could no longer accomplish as much each day. Ostborg was a musician; he reported no difficulty with the cognitive aspects of playing music since his accident. After testing Ostborg, Dr. Rose concluded he showed slowed-informationprocessing speed and difficulty processing information on the first exposure, but substantial improvement in recall and retention after subsequent exposures. He opined Ostborg needed extended time and repetition to process new material, but Ostborg could complete basic and complex tasks, if given sufficient time and structure. Nearly eight months after Dr. Rose’s evaluation, Ostborg asked if he was “willing to write a note saying [he] can’t work.” R. at 319. Dr. Rose wrote the requested letter, but instead of stating Ostborg could not work, he summarized his findings concerning Ostborg’s limitations as follows: Day to day functioning, therefore, may be affected in part by this difficulty in processing and encoding even “automatic” events such as preparing to go out for the day. Extra time to plan and organize what must be done is now more of a necessity than in the past. Given sufficient time and structure, however, there was no evidence from this evaluation that you would be unable to complete basic or even complex tasks. Cognition and intelligence were otherwise sufficiently intact to allow the performance of most, if not all, tasks previously completed, though at a slowed pace requiring additional structure and time. R. at 318-19. 3 Case: 14-13895 Date Filed: 05/29/2015 Page: 4 of 25 On January 21 and February 2, 1998, Ostborg additionally was evaluated by Dr. John Stuart Currie, also a neuropsychologist. Ostborg complained to Dr. Currie of short-term-memory problems, lack of concentration, and becoming fatigued quickly. Ostborg completed an IQ test and performed below expectations, considering his education. But Dr. Currie attributed this to factors other than a natural deficit, including Ostborg’s taking Vicodin. Dr. Currie also noted Ostborg showed confidence in driving, homemaking, exercising, and musical performance. Ostborg’s next mental-health treatment occurred after December 31, 2001, the last date he was insured. He obtained psychological and psychiatric treatment in October 2002, as well as in 2005, 2009 and 2010. Records of these later treatments discuss his history with his impaired memory, concentration, and information-processing speed.