Psych Eval

[snowkitten 371]

I have my psych eval on monday, what exactly can i expect to go on? If i say something wrong will i get denied?

[Zelda205 30]

Hello, I am just waiting for a date as of today. I went to the psych consult and she told me there was no right or wrong answers . She said she can UFC manic dression or

[Zelda205 30]

Hello, I am just waiting for a date as of today. I went to the psych consult and she told me there was no right or wrong answers . She said she can fix manic depression and other psych problems. She wanted to be sure I was prepared for my life afterwards. We talked about my support after the surgery then I had a t/f questioners and 1-5 type questions. Just be honest and I'm sure you will be fine. Good luck.

[joatsaint 2,814]

Here's a brief synopsis of what I experienced - 500 questionnaire covering my outlook on life, how I viewed the people around me, my feelings about drugs/alcohol and how much I used them. Many of the questions were asked multiple times, but in different ways. Then I had a 20 minute interview with the psychologist. Basically he wanted to find out if I was fully informed about the surgery, if I had realistic expectations, and if I was committed to this new eating/lifestyle - because the Sleeve is not a magic pill, you still have to have the discipline to eat right and exercise post-surgery.

[James Marusek 5,244]

I would put the psych evaluation in the same category as the pre-op testing. If they uncover anything that causes them some concern, they will require additional testing by specialist. It was over a year ago when I went through the psych eval. It seemed like the questions were overly personal. But I had no problem with it. There was one person in my support group who had problems with the evaluation and as a result she had to meet with a separate psychologist and they had to sign off on her before she could become eligible for the surgery.

In my case they asked me why I wanted the surgery? I told them I had diabetes and high blood pressure. I saw how diabetes was affecting my mother and I did not want to go down that road.

They asked me when I was young was I overweight? No, I was actually skinny.

They asked me why I was overweight? I have spent my whole life working behind a desk. It's a very sedentary lifestyle and I have a sweet tooth.

Anyways, you get the flavor!

[SandyM 1,956]

They just want to make sure you're not bulimic or something. You'll do fine.

[JustWatchMe 7,117]

My protocol required two meetings. I ended up doing three. Pay attention at the first one. For some reason I had interpreted his comments about stopping tv snacking as a gentle suggestion. At my second meeting the following month, he told me he wasn't signing off because I hadn't broken the snacking habit. Boy was I p!$$3d. I got mad, and then I got busy. I broke that habit by the next meeting. That was in November. I have not tv snacked since. Only afterwards did I understand that he was right. If I couldn't or wouldn't change that behavior, no way would I succeed at WLS. I didn't realize until then that this process really requires discipline on my part. No easy fix here.

[snowkitten 371]

Thanks for examples. Having SOME idea of what will go on in the eval allows me to breath a little easier.

[Ginger Snaps 1,323]

My psych eval was easy-breezy -- I've been seeing this doc for 8 years for depression, so he knows me. He had a form he filled out -- suprisingly asked me more about what problems obesity is causing me than really talking about my mental health. May have been easier because he knows my history, but I didn't have to do any tests or anything.

Your mileage may vary.

Ginger

[snowkitten 371]

Thats great! I have a regular psychiatrist that i see who has already given her blessing on the surgery but she's harder to get into see. So i scheduled with my Dr's BH specialist. Im just a little nervous because he seems a little.... critical?

[snowkitten 371]

I had my psych eval a few weeks ago. I go to an IHS (indian health services) facility. While i have to pay/have insurance for the procedure I was promised all pre-op requirements would be covered. I scheduled a BHC eval through my PCP but when i got there i was told that he wasn't "allowed" to give me a psych eval. Its not that he wasnt able, its just that his manager said the company didn't allow it. I was pretty upset. It wasn't that i minded going to an outside facility and using my insurance (my insurance is awesome) but i was promised that my facility would do it all, and i didn't want to wait the extra time to talk to someone who had no idea about my medical history.

Not one to give up, i called my psychiatrist (who also works for this IHS facility) and asked her if its true that they are unable to give a psych eval for bariatric surgery.

I know I know, your wondering WHY i went first to the BHC and not straight to my psychiatrist. To answer that I need to explain a bit about the hospital i go to. So the medical clinic has behavioral health consultants within the practice. They are there for the patients who come into an appointment and need behavioral health help. Its separate from the mental health department but they often work together. So i called my pcp and asked WHO i should make the psych eval with and was told i could make it with the BHC.

Anywho... so after I asked my psychiatrist she told me that i was due for my yearly eval anyways so we could just use that. Unfortunately when i gave it to the surgeons office i was told it wouldst work because there was no "bottom line" that said i was cleared for surgery.

After talking to my psychiatrist, who talked to the surgeons office, we were able to have her write a letter stating i was mentally stable with a good understanding of the surgery and what it required.

So to sum up my experience.... you can have a generic psych eval, but make sure who ever writes it up documents that your mentally capable to handle the surgery and you understand what it entails.

[moonlitestarbrite 902]

all evals are different. different providers do it differently. there are no "wrong answers." be honest, dont try to hide the truth about your relationship with food. allow him or her to help you. its not a hoop you have to jump through, its something you need to prepare you for surgery.