Can anyone clue me in to what to expect at my psych evaluation ? :confused2:

I am waiting on the approval from the insuance company and in the mean time they are having me go thru with the rest of the test and things so that I will be almost done by the time I get approved .:scared2: Thank you

I didn't have to have one, but I went with my sister when she was doing all her testing before her GBP. The psych eval was pretty tame. They just wanted to make sure she was having the surgery for the right reasons. In other words, for health reasons. Don't let this one get you uptight, it will be fine. Good luck in your journey and keep posting!

Moved to pre-op forum.

The psych eval should be an opportunity for a professional clinicial to evaluate your eating behaviors and style, assess your likelihood for success as well as the expectations you have for surgery, and then provide some assistance in techniques to help maximize your success. These would includ eprograms of behavioral change, coping mechanisms, helping to reset expectations of needed, etc.

Unfortunately many psychologists do not seem to do this, and instead throw out some standardized assessment tests (e.g. personality tests) and that's about it.

IMO a -good- program will be comprehensive, including a psychologist who does more than give you tests. Tests won't do a thing that spending a few hours talking with the patient can't do, and talking & prescribing action plans can do SO much more.

My psych eval was pretty tame also. He asked me reasons why I was wanting the lap band, etc. Also because my surgeon is a Christian man, he also has a Christian psychiatrist who asked me spiritual questions as well. Being Christian myself, I didn't mind and I love the fact that my surgeon is a man of God. I did admit to being a bit of a "grazer". Meaning that I like to nibble on food throughout the day. This raised a red flag for my surgeon and the psychiatrist. My surgeon just wanted to make sure that I understood that under no circumstances would I be able to "graze" if I wanted my lap band to be successful. And of course I already knew that and was able to put his mind at rest that by making the decision to have this surgery I was ready and able to do all it took to be successful. I love my surgeon. He is awesome!!! Don't worry about the psych eval. Just answer his questions honestly and you'll be fine. Good Luck!!!

I think they are more interested in your attitude toward weight loss. They don't want you to have unrealistic expectations, or be casual about it. Mine was about what I wanted out of it, my plans on how to do it, if I understood that this was a life style change, if I understood that the band wasn't going to do it all for me, that there was effort required on my part, if I had a support system in place, if I had any real bad food habits that identified deeper issues, etc. Just relax and be yourself. Tell the truth.

haven't done my psych exam but I did go to a mental health hospital b/c of depression last year and part of it was coping with emotions in good ways. so i think i've got a head start on knowing how to get though the rough stuff without food