Question:
Psych eval?

I have my psych eval in a week and they want me to bring a diet history to that, which I find a little odd I thought the surgeon would be the one to want the diet history? Also please anyone one know what type of question's she'll ask or written test you have to take is? Any help is greatly appreciated!    — HAILEY (posted on January 25, 2006)

January 25, 2006
THis is a hard one. SOme may not answer becuase the psych eval is such an important part of the work-up process. Every psych dr is different. I went in and filled out about 10 pages of questions. Questions that help uncover possible eating disorders, such as do you eat in secret or after everyone goes to bed- kind of stuff. But then there was lots of heart to heart. How informed was I. DId I understand the risks, was I willing to face possible serious complication etc. It was very good. There was also quite a bit of talk about how I felt as a child, acceptance issues etc. Let me warn you however. I did first see a Dr that was supposed to do my eval and then he said he needed to see me 2 more times. He ended what was supposed to be a 90 min eval and said he does it over 3 visits. Not what It was supposed to be at all. I found out later that day he had called my insurance company and go 26 visits certified before I ever went to the first visit. I never went to the 2 other visits. I immeidately got into someone who did the eval as it is supposed to be done. Some Drs try to make a case out of you and get the money from insurance compaies. If you see this happening- ditch. I went to a different Dr and passed- I am now 10 months post-op and glad my instincts directed me right. But the eval itself is not bad. Just basically looks for depression, eating disorders etc. Those are really important factors because there is some natural depression and food issues that arise after surgery. If those exsist before- recovery is difficult.
   — ppaige

January 25, 2006
When I set the appointment, I went with who the surgeon recomended but she told me it would be about 2 hours, I've read several profiles on here and alot of them mention something about a icd9 or is it a Minnisota test something like that and was curious what that was?
   — HAILEY

January 25, 2006
{to PP icd9 is a diagnosis code} I went with who the surgeon had on staff and I do remember filling out a yes/no questionnaire. I also remember feeling like he didn't really delve too deeply, which I was glad about. I am now approved for surgery with a different surgeon but used that eval to get approved. Part of me wants to say just be yourself and be honest, because you technically should not go ahead with surgery if your really aren't mentally ready - HOWEVER, we all do what we have to do to get approved and there is no guarantee no matter how much we think we know ourselves ... HTH xosm
   — Gi G.

January 25, 2006
The psyche eval is basically to find out if your reasons and expectations are realistic. It is a test of your personal strength and will. They want to know if you can be counted on to live with the new lifestyle the WLS will present. They will want to know if you are super fearful or overly optimistic. Yeah, they want to know how you have dealt with your weight over the long haul. A weight history is easy to obtain if you see a doctor regularly. Just get the weights from your past visits on your doctors letter head. Well, that's all it took for me. It was amazing to see how my weight went up and down over a four year period and by looking at the dates and my weight at the time I could figure out for myself what was going on in my life according to my weight. Anyhoooooo, if you have doubts do not hide them. This would be the time to discuss them. If everybody close to you is against the surgery this would also be a good time to discuss it. If you are thinking the surgery is going to give you the body that looks like Pam Anderson instead of a meat sack, you might consider getting your own therapist to help you work out this particular thing because you are not going to be pleased with your naked post weight loss body, especially if you are really HUGE because the truth is, you will look like a meat sack and for a while too. A thinner meat sack but a meat sack nevertheless. Some people do fail the psyche eval but it is nothing to be afraid of. If you are worried, find a therapist to be your therapist and to help you deal with all of your life issues. I did and it was one of the best decisions I have made in my life because, I had issues that went hand in hand with my weight and my inability to control it. Good luck.
   — Voonfrundle

January 25, 2006
hi , on my pscyh eval , they asked alot of questions about my family , childhood, if i was abused physically, mentally ,emotionally at any time during my life time, what were the reasons that made me over weight , how i deal with stress, saddnes, angry , happy, etc, my appointment lasted about a hour , but first i got there a hour bfore to fill out the 20page questionair , it seemed like that many pages but it was like 12 but alot of questions. hope this helps rebecca basra
   — LUVROSE4U