Psychological Exam

I am still trying to qualify for weight loss surgery.  My insurance has changed from United Health Care to Cigna.  Now I need to have a psy exam, see a nutritionist, and 6 months of dr. supervisor dieting.  My question is what is usually involved in having a psy exam?

I just had my psych eval yesterday...it consisted of 2 computer tests of approx 700 True/False questions.  Then I met with the psychologist to discuss my test results.  She went over concerns she noted and we discussed my decision to have the surgery, my goals, my support system, etc.  It was long, yet painless.  I actually left feeling very positive about my decision.  BEST OF LUCK TO YOU!! Christine

I went for my phsy exam in December - I went in on the defensive side!!!  I took in a copy of the sample letter that I was provided.  I told him what I was looking for so he ask me questions with the sample letter as a guide as to what I needed to do.  All went very well and he wrote my letter while I was still in the office with him.  I was the first person that he had seen that was trying to get approval for WLS.  Good Luck!!!

My psych eval was a little over 600 t/f questions. They were looking for signs of depression and told me that if they found I was depressed it would not keep me from getting the surgery, it would let them know that I may need to be medicated or that I could become depressed after wls. The t/f questions were like I want to kill myself, I hate police, I want to be a science teacher, Someone is watching me, things of that nature. You will be fine!!!

Thank you all for your insight  and word of of encourgement.  My appointment is scheduled for next Tuesday and I am sure all will go well.

The whole psych thing was easy for me, since I already have a psychiatric ARNP that I see for my bipolar disorder.  She basically just wrote me a letter based on the example, and her knowledge of me.

Mine was pretty simple.  First I was given paperwork with questions about my history, and current conditions.  Then the dr. came in and talked to me, covering some of the things that were in the paperwork and some other things.  I think they basically want to know if you see the WLS as some magic cure that will make ALL of your problems disappear, and if so they just want to bring you down to reality a bit.  They also want to make sure you don't have any conditions that need to be addressed before WLS. My psych dr. said I was a Perfect Candidate.    Go me!  LOL

My psych eval was quick and painless.  No t/f questions.  We talked for about 15 minutes.  He asked questions like did I ever feel depressed, do I feel anxious, do I think wls is a magic bullet, do I have supportive family/friends about the wls?  Like Gator Girl said, they just want to see that you're committed to the changes you're making, and that you understand what you're getting into.  They also want to ensure you're in a sane state of mind and capable of consenting to the surgery.