Worried - Had Psych Eval Saturday

As Nicole already said, the generalizations of counselors put forth in this thread are NOT true of many counselors.  The people doing the pre-surgery psych evals are looking for "evidence" (both "for" and "against") of your ability to understand what you are about to have done to your body, to understand what your responsibilities will be in terms of making long-term changes to your eating habits and lifestyle in general, and to actually implement those changes.  They have to consider whether any existing mental health issues will negatively effect those things, but they are NOT there to diagnose you or judge you (although they may note a possible mental health diagnosis as part of the process). If we excluded everyone who had an abusive childhood from surgery, this forum would only be a few dozen people!  Two of the biggest concerns is whether or not someone will be able to develop coping skills that do not involve food and whether or not someone already has an eating disorder that requires treatment before they CAN be successful with surgery.

I think you are worrying needlessly.  If, though, the person who did the psych eval does have concerns, you should definitely have your psychiatrist contact her.  (Signing a release so they can actually talk will be more useful than asking him to just write a letter.)

Lora

I was worried about my psych eval as well.  Most of the people in my class said they were in and out in 20 minutes or less, for me it was an hour or so.  I have a lot of abuse issues in the past and not a lot of support.  In the end, the counselor asked if I thought I could do this alone,  I told him the truth, I've always been alone, so what else is new.  He nodded and approved me.  I got the feeling so many people are routine that I was an "interesting" case and he wanted to explore.

FYI - I have a Masters in counseling as well, so it was a rather frustrating experience. 

I have a history of severe depression and PTSD.  Both were well controlled at the time I had surgery.  I don't think your history itself will be a barrier for you.

Now, if the counselor thinks you have unresolved issues that will interfere with your ability to stick to your post op plan and stuff, that's a different matter.  Of course she can't know you very well after one meeting, but she is trained to ask questions that will give her the info she needs to reach a conclusion.  Hopefully it will work out well.

Who prescribes your meds for bipolar?  You could have that doc write a letter to your surgeon saying you're stable and compliant with your meds.  My pschiatrist actually did my psych eval for me.

You can also get a second opinion if you disagree with the first opinion.

I just want to say way to go for taking the steps to do this.  You're taking control and doing something for yourself, and that's huge.  Also sounds like you're going to fight for it and that you have some great support. 

I haven't had my surgery yet, just waiting on insurance approval.  All this jumping through hoops can be so frustrating, but I absolutely believe it'll be worth it. 

Way to take action! 

Thanks for all your comments and support, everyone.  I think I've got my head screwed on straight again, and I'm back on an even keel.

One of the reasons I didn't go directly to my pdoc is that my surgeon really urged me to see the folks he uses, even though he knew I had my own doc.  I figured he had a reason for that, so I decided to comply.  I am going to follow through with asking for a letter from my pdoc, though, just as some extra ammunition.  Hopefully, they will both help me go forward.

I understand the task of the person doing the eval, and I also understand why they gather the information they do.  I just felt like I was nervous and stumbled around so much during the interview that she would think I was a unbalanced or something.  Hopefully, that wasn't the case.

Will update you guys when I know how this turns out. 

Next hurdle is my EGD/colonoscopy on Friday.  Yay!  That should be fun! 

Beth