Question:
Phycological Evaluation?

I am planning on having Lap-band procedure done. Can someone tell me what the phycological evaluation is going to be like. Thanks    — val915 (posted on July 10, 2008)

July 10, 2008
I am in the same situation, but I found this response on one of the forums to be very helpful. http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/amos/cmsID,11430/mode,content/a,cms/ ~ Tammy
   — Tammy M.

July 10, 2008
It is very different for all of us. Some people report having to go to multiple psych visits, answering 600 question surveys which take some time. I on the other hand had about a 15 minute evaluation where 2 basic questions were asked: (1) Do you have any psychiatric illnesses? (2) Do you have any eating disorders? She did ask if I was aware and prepared for the long term changes I had to make? Like I said, varies greatly. Good luck, Dawn Vickers, RN, BLC, CLC
   — DawnVic

July 10, 2008
I too am awaiting a date for lap band surgery and have gone through the psych evaluation. Mine was with a local therapist. We had a 1 hour appointment and we chatted, then she asked me some questions that were on the form that she needed to fill out and return to my bariatric office. She thought I would be an excellent candidate for the procedure and also mentioned that I might want to consider further therapy (with her or someone of my choosing) to figure out why I've had this food addiction for most of my life and what I'm going to do with all the time I'll now have available that was once filled by eating. Good points. I felt great after the session and will call her after I have the procedure for further therapy. That's all it took to satisfy my insurance company and my bariatric office. Now I go for the dietician appointment and wait for my date!
   — wildj

July 10, 2008
I though the 600 questions was a waste of my time until they ran it through a program and came back and asked me very detail questions for an hour. Then I understood that I was getting my moneys worth, I listen to the advise and that was bascilly warning me of areas that I would expect to have problems in the time following surgery, like being prepaired for the fact that all social activities revolve around eating and drinking, and I was very social. How did I plan to keep up that social activity? or did I? that I needed freinds, and had I communicated to all of them what I was doing, and how supportive were they? Did I realise that I might loose old freinds? How did I plan on making new ones? What did I think of the Support Group meetingss? or had I been to one even? (I had not but I do every month with two different groups). If I was just asked a few questions that my sergeon could have asked me I would have felt like I was ripped off. I got my moneys worth and I hope you do too!
   — William (Bill) wmil

July 10, 2008
My visit was for about 15 minutes and was asked three questions and then was asked did I know what this will entail and said yes and he wrote a letter for approval.
   — dyates2948

July 10, 2008
It's different for everyone but is not bad ....it will weed out those that might not be stable enough to go thru the changes that are necessary for success.......it is easy so don't fret about it. Pam / Ft Worth .....Bandster Bites [email protected]
   — pphillips4720aol.com

July 11, 2008

   — Captain-Kirk