Psych Evaluation Requirement

I am going through the insurance requirements for surgery approval. My next step is the psychological evaluation. Can anyone who has gone through this before give me any insight into what to expect?

 I had mine a couple of weeks ago, and I had to explain the procedure to her--so I understand what I'm getting into. I also had to go over my "history" with dieting and my life. She also diagnosed me, even though I'm already seeing a psychiatrist and have a diagnosis from him. Whatevs...I just hope I get approved! LOL

"I had mine a couple of weeks ago, and I had to explain the procedure to her--so I understand what I'm getting into. I also had to go over my "history" with dieting and my life."

Mine was pretty much the same as that except for I also had to do the MMPI and the MBMD

 Well I expected a lot but I had a 4 page questionnaire to fill out. Basic ?'s and I had a one hour session with the dr. We talked about my support at home, menu ideas, tracking ideas, and he asked if I had any questions. We didn't talk aboutcrossaddiction, what made me factor anything like that. The session was quick and he approved me on the spot and sent a email to my dr immediately.

Mine was very similar...

The psychiatrist with whom I met was very thorough and was more focused on my state of mind, what my expectations were or were not, why I wanted to proceed...particularly in re: what I expected my total weight loss would be and how I thought I might feel if the reality didn't measure up to the expectation.

My reply was that I had no preconceived idea about specifically how much weight I would lose. The reason for that was two-fold: 

1. I had no idea just how my body would react to the surgery (still don't)...

2. I didn't want to be in the position of determining the surgery to be a failed effort if the total weight loss was even one pound less than the expectation...

I really see this as an opportunity to get it right now that I know more about nutrition but also my own psyche...

Mine was not anything major - doc asked me history questions - support system after surgery and how I cope with stress and what I'm going to do instead of eating.  No big deal for me.

Mine was similar to the others.  He also asked how I felt about "food focucsed" family traditions changing and wanted to know how I planned to deal with the issue. 

When I had mine, I answered a good number of written questions, and then sat and spoke with a therapist for about an hour or so about my expectations and responsibilities with regard to surgery.

Here's my take on the psyche exam...

Assuming the therapist is qualified to make an unbiased evaluation, if one cannot past the psyche evaluation than they probably should not be having surgery without first spending some time in therapy.

If you're ready, emotionally and psychologically, passing the psyche exam should not be a problem.

I had mine a few weeks ago.  I was really dreading the visit and got myself all worked up before I ever met the doctor.  In hindsight it wasn't as bad as I made it seem.  I really appreciated that the practice looks at WLS from a holistic view point not just the physical component of obesity. 

First I answered a written questionaire.  It asked me to rate my eating habits, emotional connection with food, if I had a history of eating disorders or other addictions.  It asked me to list when I first experienced a problem with weight and if I had been a victim of physical, verbal or emotional abuse.  It asked if I had received psychological treatment in the past - all of that good health history stuff.

During the evaluation, the psychiastrist asked questions about my childhood and listened to the answers.  He also asked about my motivations for having the surgery and what my expectations were of the surgery.   The practitioner did not give me much feedback about my answers during the evaluation, but afterward confirmed that I had indeed passed and was a good candidate based on my current mental health. 

Now with this said, I must share that my spouse and I went through marriage counseling a few years ago.  That was an eye opening experience to say the least!  Not only did I learn about my marriage, I learned how my past relationships (from childhood) shaped the way I viewed myself.  If I had not gone through that, I doubt that I (nor my family) would be mentally ready for WLS. 

If you haven't been to a therapist outside of the required psyc evaluation, I encourage you to think about finding someone to visit for a couple of sessions.  I anticipate that I may need to return to my therapist as I deal with all of the changes WLS will bring.   

Best wishes for a successful evaluation!