I am really concerned with the Psych Eval, being overweight I have basically been depressed my entire life. In 2008 I acutally started seeing a therapist for about a month and a half. What really brought this on was a break-up that involved a child. I started having panic attacks which I later learned was part of the grieving process. I am since then healthy and free of anxiety and attacks but still suffer from bouts of depression..and I am currently unmedicated. (previously I was on Cymbalta for about 6 months in 2009)

I am concerned that this may hinder me from being a candidate for the surgery..I mean are they looking for people that are happy all the time or what? It's kinda hard to be happy when you are carrying 80+ lbs extra. Please help!

I was worried about my psych eval because I have bipolar disorder and ADHD. When I had the eval, he really focused a lot on my mental health issues, and I wasn't sure if I passed or not. But I did!

Don't worry, it should be ok. We are all human, and have our moments. Just be honest with the therapist, it's the best thing to do.

Good luck!

Wow..you have relieved me Susi thank you so much!

Edited May 13, 201016 yr by RaeZur

I had my psych eval last month. Don't worry about it, just be yourself. I think they are just trying to see if you are serious and mentally ready for the surgery. I take wellbutrin for some mild depression. I have terrible self esteem, overly self conscious, have been gaining weight for the last 15 yrs, and finally it has caught up with me mentally. I get tired of judgemental people, which is a reason why I tend to shy away from dating (as much as I would love to date, I seem to feel a lot of men judge me because of my weight). I think all obese people have a tendancy to be depressed because of our self esteem being low and because we have a hard time with dealing with society's view of us. I had to take a personality type test (MMPI) at the end, some of the questions were kinda crazy! Good luck with everything! I am scheduled for surgery june 24th. Hopefully you day comes soon!:biggrin:

I guess I was a bit confused about the evaluation and what they are looking for in a candidate. I was worried because I was like "do they want happy fat people or what?" haha. I mean I don't want to lie and tell them that I absolutely love my life all of the time. In reality, being large has not been a problem for me because I actively ignore it but other times when I am shopping, I am reminded of my size and how hard it is to find clothes that I like. Or getting in a roller coaster ride and worrying if the restraint is going to fit...that stuff I tend to laugh off..but it is really not cool.

I am depressed. I just tend to use laughter or jokes as a way of hiding it. It took me a long time to admit to myself that my weight causes a lot of insecurities in my daily life.

So, I guess I am wondering what type of person is the right person for the surgery... My surgeon explained in the seminar that "we just want to make sure that you aren't nuts".

I am hoping all it boils down to is that you are aware of the choice that you are making, that you are making it for the right reasons, and that you know it isn't a quick fix. That "looking" healthy includes actively eating healthy and living healthy by staying active.

I was on Zoloft when I went in for my psych eval (I had suffered from post partum depression 2 yrs before and never went off of it). The Dr basically told me he was looking to make sure you had a realistic expectation for yourself. He wanted to make sure you were doing the surgery for the right reasons and didn't expect the surgery to solve all of your problems.

Hi RaeZur,

I, too, was very worried about the evaluation. I have bi-polar disorder and take 3 anti-psychotic medications. One of the things they seemed interested in during the eval. was what my expectations were. In other words, what weight goal was I going for. I think they are looking for realistic answers...in other words I would like to be a size 10 not a 2.

I have been hospitalized many times years ago and they didn't hold that against me. As long as you are stable now you should be fine.

Thank you everyone for your input, my 1st consult is coming up, hopefully my surgeon will shed some more light on this subject then!