My psychiatrist has just diagnosed me...

I'm bipolar. I also suffer from anxiety/panic attacks and my psychiatrist has recently mentioned that she thinks I suffer from PTSD caused my sexual abuse. I'm concerned that this might affect my weight loss journey. Not because I'll struggle with food but because I don't know how she intends to treat it. I guess looking back I have always had a problem with my weight but after it happened, my weight skyrocketed. I'm not blaming my weight on that, but I did gain over 100 pounds afterwards. I want to be able to deal with all of my problems so that I am successful at losing my weight, keeping it off and truly being happy all the way around. My surgeon mentioned that you can't have mental health issues in order to be approved for the surgery (on the practice website) so my psychiatrist is holding off on listing anything on my chart for now and she wants me to see a therapist. I would really love to eventually wean myself off of medication and use something more homeopathic.  Has anyone else suffered from mental health issues during this process and how did you handle it?

I am new to the WLS journey but not mental health issues. Mentally I've had a rough 5 years. I have depression, anxiety, panic attacks, OCD, PTSD and now profound grief.(my husband died 9 months ago) I hada my psych evaluation done and the psychiatrist works with my therapists. The WLC said I have to be 6 months stable before they would consider surgery. I was planning surgery in late November or early December.  I found out last week my therapist won't sign off, my psychiatric med manager won't and unless I lose 20 lbs prior to surgery and have my A1C in control the endocrinologist  my surgery will be put off. Our surgery center wants you to see a therapist before and after. I am looking into the affects of surgery on mental health.

Hi TurtleLady88,

*hugs*

I have dealt with mental health issues before, during and after.  I was diagnosed with having chronic depression, anxiety, and episodes of dissociative amnesia.  With all of that said, my psychiatrist signed me off on the surgery, as he is aware that in large part, my disordered eating is a result of being psychologically and sexually abused growing up.  

He did not list the amnesia on my chart.  He did make sure that I understood the risks of surgery and the lifetime commitment to it. If I understand your post correctly, your surgeon won't work on anyone with a mental health issue?  All of my doctors know that I'm on meds for depression/anxiety (prozac, welbutrin, and valium), but that did not cause a problem.  There concern was that I had it under control, which I generally do.

I'm opting to stay on my medication, as I've tried homeopathic treatments and they don't work for me.  I do hope your new therapist can help you find a treatment that works for you, though.

I've been post-surgery for just over a month, and as a side, note, I'm seeing my dh's mental health problems clearer and clearer.  He has a history of anger/violence problems and shows all signs of narcissistic personality disorder.  Of course, he won't see a therapist or a marriage counselor, so my prescription for myself is to save up money and leave him as soon as fiscally possible.

/off topic

Anyway, I don't know how helpful this was, but I did want to respond.  *hugs*

Take care,

-LB

Everyone has to do a psych. evaluation to do surgery.  I, too, have been diagnosed bi-polar, but that didn't delay my surgery at all. I did have to see the surgeon's psychiatrist even though I already had my own.  I only saw her once, and can see her if I'd like.  I haven't felt a need to see her.  I can say that with out a doubt that surgery has impacted my mood and not always for the better.  I have been a little manic, but any life change can do that to me.  My anxiety levels have heightened, and I have had a panic attack.  I haven't had a panic attack in years, so that has been scary. I have had to get my medication adjusted; I knew that pretty early on since this is something I've been learning to live with for 11 years. It started with the birth of my son, although I did suffer on a smaller scale prior to that.  I don't have PTSD, so I don't have any experience there. You should be able to find a surgeon to work with you, and I believe you should be honest about your history.  I was very honest, and it did not delay my surgery.

Hi there, I'm from Canada so I'm not sure if my experience will be similar to yours. I have had mental health issues since my teen years. Some of my issues include Major Depressive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder and PTSD, to name a few. When I went for my assessments for emotional health prior to being approved for my surgery, I decided to be completely open with my struggles, even though I wanted to downplay them. As it turned out, my issues were important, but my treatment plan was by far the most important factor. In other words, issues are okay if you are actively involved with treatment professionals and have an ongoing plan to deal with existing issues and those that might arise in the future.

Be open, be honest, be yourself. You deserve to feel good emotionally and physically. I hope you find as much support as I did. Good luck!

I have dealt with the same situation due to my alcohol addiction and the treatment which I took from a nearby centre helped me to come out of it.