What is the psych eval looking for?

[Mrs.FullerRN 189]

I had a pretty messed up childhood, suffer from moderate anxiety and hate my job. Will any of this prevent me from being approved for surgery? I feel like I should just lie and pretend I'm perfectly normal. What exactly are they looking for?

[JerseyGirl68 1,172]

Mine was basically searching for addictive personality issues and depression, my relationship with food / was I prepared for the lifestyle changes.

You can't go wrong with going into it honestly. If the doctor thinks there is some issue that should delay your surgery or will stop you from being successful, it might be something you need to be aware of. I'm sure it will all go fine, Good luck!!

[JoiaRox 430]

I agree with Jersey - this surgery is too major, too important, etc. to mess with. Go into the psych exam honestly and openly! If there's something that needs to be addressed pre-op, it's definitely worth the investment in yourself. No one's perfect and everyone has some "baggage" they carry - if it's going to prevent you from being successful in the sleeved stage of your life, you need to know about and address it BEFORE you have surgery!

[OKSleever 144]

Lying during your psych eval CANNOT help you. I'm a psychiatrist and I promise I can smell a liar a mile away. It will look much much worse if you lie. Not to mention, you're short-changing yourself from getting the words of wisdom you deserve to get based on who you really are, what your personality really is, and your true background.

Psych visits are almost never a "clearance"; it's extremely rare for someone's surgery to be held up by that. Much more often it's just a frank discussion to make sure you know what you're in for.

In the rare occasions that the psychologist/psychiatrist does suggest a delay while the patient works through some things, the patient was probably not going to be successful otherwise. Don't set yourself up for failure. Be honest.

[Mrs.FullerRN 189]

Thanks all

[PGee 318]

Just be truthful, otherwise you'll only be hurting yourself in the long run.

Mine was looking for addiction issues and depression..........also looking to see how aware I was of the surgery/outcome, the good, bad and the ugly, it is not a magic wand, how tough the first few days can be, etc.

Be yourself, and you'll do fine (I really stressed over this appointment as well, and I didn't need to)

[ShrinkingBiker 121]

It may be helpful to continue on with the Shrink after your eval too. You might be able to benefit from it. I chose to revisit him since surgery to work on some non-related issues.

[missyjoy2078 381]

Mine was bs. AND that wench had a giant box of cupcakes behind her on her desk.

[JoiaRox 430]

I had to do two visits - one for a chat, one for tests. When I got a copy of the 6-page report? I laughed and posted excerpts on Facebook. My friends/family were telling me that they could have given the diagnosis for free