so i had to go back to my primary doctor cause i needed referals and he told me that most of the time the psych doctors will not approve someone with depression and anxiety and i was like "really"? and he was like "yes because they feel they wont do anything good cause they are too depressed "

but you see im so damn depressed cause im fat !

and i do have horrible anxiety but what does that have to do with the lap band ?

anywho i have my psych evaluation on monday lets hope all goes well

when i went to my surgeon he said i was a great candidate so ill stick with his opinion

so i had to go back to my primary doctor cause i needed referals and he told me that most of the time the psych doctors will not approve someone with depression and anxiety and i was like "really"? and he was like "yes because they feel they wont do anything good cause they are too depressed "

but you see im so damn depressed cause im fat !

and i do have horrible anxiety but what does that have to do with the LAP-BAND® ?

anywho i have my psych evaluation on monday lets hope all goes well

when i went to my surgeon he said i was a great candidate so ill stick with his opinion

Sometimes I think that primary care docs are a little disconnected to WLS procedures. There are many lapband bloggers out there for example who were, and still are, on meds for depression and anxiety. In one case, one of them had to meet and agree to a few steps, but otherwise....the psych eval is not to really punish or prevent someone from getting the band.

Just be honest.

Good luck. Let me know if you have any questions.

Hi,

I just had my pre-op yesterday and met with the psychologist. I also suffer from anxiety and depression (I agree with you-so dammed depressed about my weight) and am on alot of medications for both.

The psychologist seemed to want to acertain that I was not in danger of harming or killing myself and was not vomiting from anxiety as I had at one time in my life. She wanted to know that I had a strong support team and how my husband and I would manage any changes to our lifestyle.

I was starting to get worried because she kept me for an extra half hour, but she finished by wishing me luck and saying she thought I'd do really well with the support I had and that I was welcome to come and talk to her again at any time.

I don't know if that helps but those seemed to be the concerns. If you can convince your team that your in a safe space and have support I think all should go well.

Best of luck!!!:confused:

I think your PC is causing you needless anxiety. I am on 3 meds for depression and anxiety and had no trouble with the process. Hang in there.

Mimi

I really hope things work out for you. Don't give up either way though. If you get turned down, fight it!

I too have depression and anxiety- no problem getting approved. Also, if you do happen to get denied....fight it- like the other poster said.

You will do great.

thank you so much guy's , im just going to be honest and tell her how it is and see from there

best health to all ~

My therapist would not approve me. She didn't think is was a good idea for me and said she had no experience with the band. So, I went to an eating disorder specialist therapist. I told her everything. Had to go twice, but she approved me. Since then, I have been educating my therapist about the band. She is still somewhat hesitant but is coming around. I suffer from depression and anxiety but it is very under control now. Hope this info helps. My surgery is December 22nd!!! Merry Christmas to me!!!

My surgeon's office actually considered depression a comorbidity when my pre-op evaluation was being done.

Don't get upset about it until you actually talk to a psychiatrist/psychologist about it. If (s)he says it's a no go because of your depression and anxiety, find out the exact reasons and ask if there are steps you can take to help them become non-issues.

Do you have your anxiety and depression reasonably controlled w/medication? I take Lexapro for Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Depression. I don't feel any depression at all anymore. Occasionally, my GAD is still triggered, but never to the extent that it was before I was on Lexapro. When I took the psych test, there were a lot of questions I would've answered differently prior to treating my GAD and depression, but I answered them the way I CURRENTLY feel (medicated). Anyway, long story short, all of my doctors and surgeon know I am on Lexapro for these things and it has never been brought up as an issue. Like one of the other posters said, I think a lot of PCPs are just not very well educated when it comes to WLS.

Emily, I agree with the other Banders. Most PCPs are very uninformed about WLS. I wouldn't get myself stressed about what he said. Just go to your Psych evaluation, be honest, and deal with it from there.

My Psychiatrist was very happy I was researching Lapband surgery. He thought this would be a very good option for me. I haven't had an Official Psych evaluation yet, but I am confident there will be no problems. I have Bipolar Disorder Type II, and Severe Anxiety Disorder. I deal with Mania, Depression, and Anxiety when I am not medicated. I know some of these reasons are why I have been a compulsive overeater in the past but I no longer have those issues under care and meds. Just be honest, Emily. You want to get healthy and you are doing something about it. No Doctor could think that was a bad thing.:bored:

so i had to go back to my primary doctor cause i needed referals and he told me that most of the time the psych doctors will not approve someone with depression and anxiety and i was like "really"? and he was like "yes because they feel they wont do anything good cause they are too depressed "

but you see im so damn depressed cause im fat !

and i do have horrible anxiety but what does that have to do with the LAP-BAND® ?

anywho i have my psych evaluation on monday lets hope all goes well

when i went to my surgeon he said i was a great candidate so ill stick with his opinion

so i had to go back to my primary doctor cause i needed referals and he told me that most of the time the psych doctors will not approve someone with depression and anxiety and i was like "really"? and he was like "yes because they feel they wont do anything good cause they are too depressed "

but you see im so damn depressed cause im fat !

and i do have horrible anxiety but what does that have to do with the LAP-BAND® ?

anywho i have my psych evaluation on monday lets hope all goes well

when i went to my surgeon he said i was a great candidate so ill stick with his opinion

Wow... my primary was all for it, I had to convince the one counselor before even thinking about surgery what I was thinking about, she was rotten to the core as a person. When I told my primary about it she freaked out, got on the phone and stood up for me. I then went to a different therapist who actually specializes in eating disorders. Very informative person. You'll do good. You are making a life choice. BTW I also take meds for depression. :thumbup:

Edited November 20, 200916 yr by pixieinyourpocket
forgot to add more

Thats not true... I am clinical depression, I take medicine and See a therapist for it. The psych doctor approved me for surgery I just had my appt with him Wednesday...

I have to agree with everyone else. I am depressed and have anxiety and my psych eval was only 15 min. They just want to make sure you're not a harm to yourself or others and you're able to make decisions.

Plus, I'm sure there are a number of depressed overweight people, and if they said no to them all, there wouldn't be a lot of WLS candidates!

I have BiPolar Type I, and some anxiety. I went to my seminar today and I asked the surgeon afterwards if it would be an issue. He says it shouldn't be, as long as I was stabilized. He did say that it could influence which type of procedure I could have (he does both gastric bypass and the band), because of the absorption of my meds. I was already leaning toward the band, so that worked for me!

I am reading a book on adjustable gastric band surgery by Dr. Sewell (forgot the name of the book and I don't have it with me, sorry!), and he does mention that it has been considered that clinically depressed patients wouldn't do as well, on the whole. I believe that the book goes on to say that that hasn't been substantiated.

At any rate -- good luck to you! Let us know what happens!

I don't think your Primary Dr. is very well versed in the lapband. It sounds like he just may not believe in the lap band surgery... Or something. I'm on 3 Psyh drugs for many, many yrs now. One for ADD, 1 for depression and 1 for combo depression & anxiety (Cymbalta, highly recommend). Anyway, I've been through numerous meetings with dr's. Physiologists, Dietitians, told them about my meds face to face, no one even batted an eye lash! Maybe you need to see another Primary Care Dr. just to get yr lapband approval through? Good luck.