Psych Exam

I have my psych exam scheduled for tomorrow AM.  How does this go down?  What should I expect?  I had to complete a 6 week Lifestyle Change class before this appointment.  I am wondering if this will be a test of the information from the class or something else.  Any insight from others who have had this requirement will be most appreciated - as always!

I took a multiple choice test and interviewed face-to-face with a psychologist. A friend saw a therapist who talked about himself and basically rubber stamped her approval. What happens to you will depend on who you see. It bothered me, but then again, this is not like getting your appendix out. WLS surgery is a long -term commitment. I don't see how my psych exam determined that I was a fit candidate. I just jumped through the hoops and everything turned out just fine. 

mine had a short WLS quiz.  Then, some sort of an IQ test, then some kind of 'more likely or less likely' type of questions.  Then I saw the psychologist after they assessed the written part.  The testing part took about 45 minutes, and I talked to them for like 10 minutes.  No biggy.

It varies, so there's no way to know what will happen at your psych exam.  The best advice I can give you is to BE HONEST.  Don't anticipate what you think the answer should be.  They can see right through the bull****

Mine involved meeting with a therapist who asked me questions about my eating behaviors and history.  I don't think there will be questions about the class that you attended.  It's to evaluate how well you are prepared to undergo surgery that will alter your lifestyle permanently.

Good luck, and just tell the truth  

My first appointment we just went through family history and general questions about my lifestyle and support system.  The next appointment was 2 computerized tests that are true/false regarding your lifestyle, and multiple choice (most likely,  sometimes, rarely etc.). The last appointment was meeting with the psychologist again to go over test results and get the all clear. I have depression and anxiety and taking medications so I was nervous they might fail me.  It was pretty painless, I wouldn't worry about it! 

It really depends.  One of they tests some psychologists use is called the MMPI and is used to determine pathology.  Many use a depression or binge eating screening questionnaire.  The primary component is usually a clinical interview where they discuss your eating habits and behaviors in detail.  What they look for are any factors or pathology that would prevent compliance post-op; like dementia or psychosis, for example.  It's not a test based on information you know.  If you're seeing a psychologist/PhD/PsyD clinician they will probably use fancy metrics with multiple choice answers on a computer.  If you're visiting a regular therapist or counselor or social worker with a MA/MS degree and a license, we still do assessments but not stuff like the MMPI and so forth.  So there would be a lot of 1-5 scales and/or an interview.

Just be honest. You can't pass or fail in the traditional sense, and if you have a big problem it's best to find out now than post-op, anyway.  I have depression and severe binge eating disorder and I passed my psych eval, because I had been in counseling, and also because I had improved substantially since treatment began. 

Mine was a phone consult and a fairly easy-going conversation about my history.  No tests or anything.

Thank you all for sharing your experiences. Quite a mix!  

I met with the psych nurse practitioner today and it really was easy.  The practice had sent me a 5 page questionnaire to fill out and bring with me.  It touched on history, habits, reasoning and support.  I have a bad feeling about psych professionals as a result of a family experience when I was young so I worked to keep my guard down. The appointment lasted 30 mins and  was done as an interview.  It covered much of what was in the questionnaire. The only test was remembering 3 words she said to me and being able to repeat them about 5 mins later. Clock, pen and tissue - been repeating them all day!  Wonder how she chose them... what do they mean??  GGGAHHH!

In the end she passed me onto the next step.

ONE MORE BIG BOX --> CHECKED!!!

It's part of a mental status exam.  They pick three words that are unrelated and ask you to remember them, so they can check your memory.  Seems kind of dumb that the psych NP would ask you that, though.  

I had a 4-folder evaluation that took me about three hours to complete.  Statements to agree/disagree with on a scale of 1-5 and lots of true/false.  In the end, I failed miserably, and was sent to an outside psychiatrist for medication to manage stress, anxiety, and depression, and then to another psychologist to 'talk'.  This has been going on for about 6 weeks, with appointments every two weeks.  I was told if I demonstrate a 50% reduction of stress and anxiety, he would approve me.  I'm wondering at what point someone will say I've improved...  I guess I'm worrying way too much, because I had the grandmother of all migraines for the last three days...

I'm glad you got approved!  Best of luck to you!!!

~Helen