Got my virtual psych consul tomorrow. Psych doesn’t scare me, I have had a lot of therapy;)! But the high stakes of this appointment has me nervous. I know that I am in a good place for this surgery and am mentally dealing with my food issues etc in preparation for being as healthy and successful as possible. Still , I got the jitters!!!

How was your psych consult? Any issues or was it simpler than you thought ?

would love to hear experiences!

My psych consult was actually very comforting. I see a therapist of my own… but the hospital program required one visit with theirs. She was very nice, conversational and requested to meet with me again - to touch base and make sure I was comfortable in the program and was having all my questions answered and needs met. I had previously gone through another program and withdrew because I didn’t feel it was a good fit for me… she wanted to make sure any issue I had were being addressed. Thankfully I had none - it’s been a positive experience.

We mostly chatted about why I wanted the surgery, my expectations, prior challenges with weight loss and any concerns I had about the surgery. We also talked about my support system at home and challenges I anticipated (and how I planned to handle them).

She also reiterated the program resources and made sure I was aware of where to find information.

Mine was in two parts. 1st part was a one hour zoom call where she asked me about food, how i eat and such like "When you eat chips or crackers, Do you take the whole container with you or do you put a portion on a plate or cup and put the container back. Then discussed the changes i would have to make once i got the surgery and if i was ready to handle it. it was simple. The 2nd part for me was a few days later i had to go into the bariatric center and had to take a couple "Exams" multiple choice about 700 questions total. Most were the same thing but were reworded to trip you up. but it was simple.

Mine was weird. She asked me about 20 questions which took about 10 minutes and that was it. I don't know whether to be happy or to complain about it. Everything is good with me, 7 month post op. So I'm leaving that alone. Ha. Good luck!

30 minutes ago, armartin98 said:

Mine was weird. She asked me about 20 questions which took about 10 minutes and that was it. I don't know whether to be happy or to complain about it. Everything is good with me, 7 month post op. So I'm leaving that alone. Ha. Good luck!

Mine was about the same, I feel like half the time was spent in general conversation and nothing at all to do with what I was there for. She marked me off as right away not needing to see her again. I was a little surprised considering 6 months prior I was put on medication for anxiety and depression. I was really nervous that would throw up a huge red flag but it didn't.

Mine was a d**k and gave me a lecture about only having a therapist and not being on antidepressants, but I just stayed polite and acknowledged what he was saying. I think the process was scheduling the appointment, him emailing me some paperwork to fill out (mental health questionnaires), and then a tele-health meeting which was pretty quick after the lecture about medication.

I had to take a test online that took at least an hour. It asked some of the same questions in different ways. It's been so many years that I forgot what was on it, but I'm pretty sure none of the questions had anything to do with food. It might have been the MMPI or some version of it - to gauge if you have any mental health issues.

afterward I talked to the clinic's psychologist for about 30 minutes. We talked about my history of eating and weight, what my expectations were of the surgery, etc. It all went fine.

Looks like I missed this one since your appointment should have passed. For others I will add that mine too was sorta a joke. I have a psychologist and psychiatrist so I sorta knew what to expect. I just don’t feel like he asked that many questions. Regardless, both my other doctors who have known me for years were on board with my surgery. Maybe that’s why he wasn’t too concerned?? Anyways, how did yours go?

1 hour ago, ShoppGirl said:

Looks like I missed this one since your appointment should have passed. For others I will add that mine too was sorta a joke. I have a psychologist and psychiatrist so I sorta knew what to expect. I just don’t feel like he asked that many questions. Regardless, both my other doctors who have known me for years were on board with my surgery. Maybe that’s why he wasn’t too concerned?? Anyways, how did yours go?

Thank you for asking. It was like an intro appt with a psych. Lots of background questions (which I dreaded because I do have a complex history) . I tried to keep focus on the changes I have made and my current feelings and actions. Now is different then past. He is putting in a recommendation that the surgeons office continue to screen for my mental health status at appointments but is clearing me for surgery.

Just now, KimA-GA said:

Thank you for asking. It was like an intro appt with a psych. Lots of background questions (which I dreaded because I do have a complex history) . I tried to keep focus on the changes I have made and my current feelings and actions. Now is different then past. He is putting in a recommendation that the surgeons office continue to screen for my mental health status at appointments but is clearing me for surgery.

So Glad it all worked out.