Psychological evaluation ! What to say ? What not to say ?

[kbellakat 69]

I have my psych evaluation may 30th w Kaiser .

Does anyone have any pointers for me pls ?

What to expect at this appointment ?

[Joann454 1,329]

My neighbor freaked me out before the psych evaluation. She was telling me what to say what not to say. Worst advice ever. BE HONEST. Seriously. You want help then let them help the real you. I wish I hadn't listened to her. I know she was trying to help but instead I felt like I misrepresented myself. I ended up having a meltdown in the psych office two months before surgery. I thought they'd never approve me as even I thought I seemed crazy. That was a break through for me and I was easily approved.

Let them help you if you need it. You want to succeed.

[FAT TWO FABULOUS 124]

I would say be urself but I wasn't sometime you have to throw a lie or two in sorry just being honest but I passed mine with flying color's

[kbellakat 69]

Thanks guys !!

[Newme17 3,444]

I disagree with the second poster. Tell the truth and no little lies. If there's anything that is needing help, seek it now before surgery. You'll be glad you did. Otherwise, the evaluation might probably be what you least expect. Mine was, just a nice answer the questions sit down talk with the therapist. We had a lot of laughs and I didn't want to end it, our conversations were so good. Lol. You will be fine hon. Blessings on your journey!!!

[kbellakat 69]

I do plan on being my self was & I agree w being honest .. was just curious on expectations there ..
I'm on the right path lost my preop weight already just waiting on the thyroid medication to normalize my labs & psych evaluation to get done ...
last requirement .. yeahh !!!

[Newme17 3,444]

1 minute ago, kbellakat said:

I do plan on being my self was & I agree w being honest .. was just curious on expectations there ..
I'm on the right path lost my preop weight already just waiting on the thyroid medication to normalize my labs & psych evaluation to get done ...
last requirement .. yeahh !!!

Yay! I'm happy for ya. I counted down all my requirements too. Lol. 😊

[kbellakat 69]

Yay! I'm happy for ya. I counted down all my requirements too. Lol. [emoji4]

Thank you [emoji173]️[emoji4]
Yes I'm getting closer

[hmills653 365]

Mine had a list of questions like what have you tired in past, why do you want surgery, any depression, what are doing to lose weight now, etc

Sent from my SM-N920T using BariatricPal mobile app

[rainyann 118]

3 minutes ago, hmills653 said:

Mine had a list of questions like what have you tired in past, why do you want surgery, any depression, what are doing to lose weight now, etc

All of the above and I think they want you to understand that it is surgery and although rare, something can go wrong. They need to know that you understand and can make an informed decision, are realistic and seem like you can follow through with the plan. If you can't there is no reason the surgeon should proceed

[teacupnosaucer 445]

Be honest. I was scared too because I have a lot of mental health issues... but it turned out fine. The psychologist wanted to know that I

1. Was honest with myself about my limitations, my successes, and what I needed to work on pre- and post- surgery.

2. That I had a realistic attitude toward surgery and what it could and couldn't do for me.

3. That I understood what I was getting into wrt permanent lifestyle changes and potential for side effects etc.

4. That I was doing my best to fix whatever problems I had and was in treatment for my various disorders. Having depression and anxiety and ADHD wasn't a dealbreaker, it was if I wasn't treating them to the best of my ability that might have posed problems for my long term success. Hard to stick to a long term, complex diet plan if your ADHD has you unable to focus or organize squat.

Lying might jump you through the hoops faster, no question about that, but it also means that you might be shooting yourself in the foot. Think of it this way: just GETTING surgery is not the ultimate goal.. having a successful lifetime POST surgery is. The surgery won't mean **** for you if a month later you're binge eating or abusing alcohol or eating fast food six times a week or, or, or, which is essentially what the psychologist is trying to screen for.

Wanting to be prepared is understandable, though, so here's what I did. Since I knew I'd probably forget half of what I wanted to say, I made a series of lists before my appointment that I could refer to or show the psychologist:

1. my successes so far with regards to lifestyle changes (not eating in front of screens, limiting eating out)

2. things I thought I still needed to work on (get better at meal planning)

3. what I was hoping to get out of surgery (opportunity to be more active, avoid type 2 diabetes)

Not only did it give me guidance on what I wanted to say to her and not forget important things, it also showed that I was already engaging in goal setting, self-reflection, and that I was the kind of person to plan and prepare.

I think it DEFINITELY helped my case. she was very impressed by how organized I was and how much work I'd done already.

[atlgal 3]

23 hours ago, kbellakat said:

I have my psych evaluation may 30th w Kaiser .

Does anyone have any pointers for me pls ?

What to expect at this appointment ?

I had a pysch that worked with the Bariatric surgeon's office. All they are looking for is if you are stable for the surgery and that you are going into it for the right reasons. I was more put off by him asking every few minutes if I had the money to pay for it and how much it was. He asked what my childhood was like and my current life situation. I also filled out this 600 bubble questionnaire - which I never saw what became of it.

[kbellakat 69]

Thanks
I'm w kaiser I haven't heard of the 600 questions .. wow [emoji15]
I figure I'll be honest regarding my eating habits I lost all my required pre op weight so far ..

[atlgal 3]

I really would not stress over it. This is the least of your worries. I was told at the end of my first ever pysch I was a good candidate and I had the green light. The fact you are truly losing any kind of weight before the surgery is also proof you are trying and ready to meet this weight issue head on. I will say the more you prepare yourself before surgery the easier it is to stay on track right after surgery. I was not ever fatigued or really felt like I had the surgery because I had already gone down to 800 calories a day. I seriously didn't feel like I even had the surgery. l continually have to remind myself - I go in the kitchen and see food my husband has left and go to reach for it and remember nope can't do that anymore.

[kbellakat 69]

Thanks
I'm ok the right track on 1000-1200 cal a day ..
mostly about 1000 .. dr & nutritionist thinks I'm a good candidate.. [emoji813]️[emoji106]
but the downside is I do have to make meals daily for my kids .. i've been making healthier choices for them all along the way.. we eat healthy overall I just tend to graze too much... which I stopped doing.. !!!
my kids tend to eat many Snacks or not the healthiest & I stay away .. !!
yes it's tough being a single mother w 10 yr old triplets. Lol[emoji23][emoji3][emoji4][emoji813]️