Psych Evaluation

[smiranda 55]

What goes on with the psych evaluation? What are some of the questions they may ask?

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

I don't think there is a standard template of questions. They are just trying to assess if you are capable of comprehending and complying with the pre and post op requirements.

Some of them give advice on dealing with the emotional changes so I am guessing it reflects well if you are open to that.

[Nyelaah 77]

I was cleared!! It didn't take long and he was very pleasant. No need to go back either :-)

[joatsaint 2,814]

Mine was several hours, because there were several hundred questions. Then I had a 20 minute interview with the psychologist. Mainly I was asked questions about how I looked at life, was I prepared for the changes I'd need to make and if I had realistic expectations of how much weight I could expect to lose.

[AmyFromCincy 56]

The dr spoke to me and I took the Minnesota personality test

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

@Nyelaah congrats!!!

I guess some of them are pretty hardcore about this.

What happened to me is that during my general freak out about having my SECOND WLS (I had band from 2001-2011 which was an epic fail) I decided I just needed "counseling". I kept looking for reasons that I was pretty successful in life, and yet was such a failure at the fat game.

I picked a lady who was supposed to be an expert in over eating issues. She decided I didn't fit the profile of an eating disorder, but she never believed me that I was just hungry all the dang time. Turns out, she only had like a years experience as an "expert" and was very anti WLS... however, she could not deny that I was stable, motivated, able to understand instructions and comply and understood what I was getting ready to do (remove most of my stomach which is frankly a big deal) so she sent the letter.

So, for me, I learned more about why I was so huge from my bariatric docs than I ever did from any mental health professional. I realize that other people have other circumstances, but I am jaded on this topic.... 80% of my issues where genuine physical hunger ... caused by the very advanced disease of obesity. No counseling could really change that, but surgery did - I thank my lucky stars and higher powers that I discovered that before I died.