Behavioral health evaluation

[Bellanthin 112]

I'm a little nervous about going to this appointment I'm afraid I might say the wrong thing and get denied . What r some things that were said to cause denial, and right things said for approval what was your experience ?

[ISleevedIt 380]

I've read many people have to take a questionnaire. I was already see a psychiatrist for depression and I had a few minutes talk with her and she "cleared" me that I was in a good frame of mind for the surgery. Good luck with your appt!

[SpaceDust 585]

My recommendation is to be honest. It won't help you to get approved if you truly aren't ready for this.

That said, the areas we discussed focused on a number of areas:

• Making sure I understood it wasn't a magic bullet - it will take some willpower and understanding to get through it.
  
• Many people experience short term depression after the surgery, anywhere from a few days to a few months, so there were questions (both on the written questionnaire and the in-person discussion) that focused on my mental state - am I depressed or anxious, am I sleeping all right? Any history of mental issues?
  
• Do I have a support network? I.e., have I told anyone? Of the ones I've told, do I feel like I have positive support (primarily around husband, family, close friends). Do I attend or plan to attend any support groups, or work with support groups online?
  
• Have I felt like I understand what I'm getting myself into, and do I have enough information to go into this and be successful?
  
• Do I know that my success is based on *me* and my behaviors in the long term?
  

I'm sure there were others, but those were the biggest areas of focus. Be aware that your evaluation could be any sort of combination of questionnaire and face-to-face interview. Mine was a fairly short questionnaire (about 5 pages with substance, as well as the usual medical history and personal info sorts of things), plus about an hour of interview that was handled more like an extended conversation (guided, but still conversational). Others may have more laser-focused questions in their face-to-face, and some have mentioned a questionnaire that was literally a few hundred questions long - I think mine was perhaps 100 or so.

Biggest thing is, relax Honestly, they're there to help you. If they don't think you're ready mentally, they may say you need to do some therapy sessions, but ultimately it's to help you be the most successful you can be with the surgery.

Good luck!

[magpie30 187]

My Evaluation was talking with the psych, why do i want to do this, why now, and the things mentioned by others above. Mostly they want to make sure you are really aware of what you are getting into and what the psychological issues after surgery can be. Like Divorce rate is higher, You may lose friends etc. I also had to do a huge questionnaire. It was like 500 questions and took about 4 hours to do, then there was a shorter 100 question one. Then meet with Psych again to go over results of said questionnaire.

[AuntB 19]

I just had a session with a psychiatrist, no questionaire. It was a pretty easy process. He just asked how I thought I would handle the changes & we talked through it.

[Bellanthin 112]

Thank u so much doesn't seem so hard

[Macy6 356]

I had the long questionnaire, it was boring but I survived. You know I was worried, but my surgeon had told me when I went that I would have to go back again, because I needed one within 3mo of surgery, but they always did one early just in case there were things that needed to be worked on. I have a history of major depression and anxiety and I am currently on anti depressants, so I was a little nervous. He was amazing, I met with him for an hour, we talked about my history, talked about my concerns (when I had a 9 month bout of major depression, it was after loosing 55lbs) and he asked me a handful of questions. I was completely honest, I felt like I needed to be, I needed to know that I was ready, and he agreed, he gave me the green light. We have a monthly support group, we are required to attend one pre op (I go to as many as I can) our psychiatrist ran this last one, and I found him to be comical and really just an amazing guy and he had some great information. Good Luck! You will do great!

[LanaMae 24]

I had to take 4 quizzes that measure mental health/issues, etc., and then sit down with a psychologist. She wanted to check readiness and see how you are with criticism. She also asked about your support system. It was a breeze. Just relax and be honest. If they think you need further evaluation, embrace it. It's for your own benefit. Good luck!