Psych Eval Today... any tips?

[mrsaizsha_101 23]

Hey, I have my appointment today to get clearance for surgery. Im not sure what to expect. I want to make sure I dont say anything that would prolong the surgery time or make the doctor think im unqualified. Any tips or words of wisdom would help. How did you all did for your psych eval??

[ready2B 263]

Not everyone has the same evaluation. Mine was a multiple choice test of about 200-300 questions. Not difficult, but I made sure I gave pretty positive answers and also had to watch out for some tricky double-negative type questions. Then I had about a half hour meeting with the psych person where she mainly asked about my past diet/eating history and what I wanted to get out of weight loss surgery. Mostly they want to make sure you understand the process and are capable of making an informed decision and that your expectations are realistic. She did ask if I'd had depression and I was honest about past history but said I was in a really good place now. I think that is also important. Be honest but don't emphasize past problems a whole lot - I've read on here people who got sent to counseling for a few months because they talked a bit too much about past eating disorders or depression.

[mrsaizsha_101 23]

Thank you, I just left and im cleared. Yay!!!

[WL WARRIOR 692]

I was one of those that mentioned a past problem and was required to not only change to a different kind of surgery, but also meet with the bariatric therapist a couple times. Yes, its aggravating when they add on more requirements, but I understand now why it is vital. I didn't become overweight until my husband died. I also have PTSD and its important to understand how symptoms of that lead to overeating. I think working through all that will help me be more successful after surgery. Life is unpredictable and you need to be prepared in case something happens that may cause you to want to overeat.

Just be honest because sometimes they can read through your file and figure out your real story pretty easy. It never hurts to gain some insight into why you became so overweight in the first place and that is what mental health professionals are there to do.