Question:
My surgeon requires a pre-surgical consultation with a psychologist.

I am nervous about the pre-surgical consultation. Has anyone had to do this or know what they are looking for? I'm afraid I will say the wrong thing and not be approved for surgery! Thanks! Any insight will be much appreciated.    — Jill H. (posted on December 10, 2002)

December 10, 2002
Hi...here in Arizona, all the surgeons require a psych evaluation whether the insurance requires it or not. I have only seen a few people "denied" or postponed for surgery because of it. I know of a few people that were sent to classes about "binge eating" before they were cleared for surgery. I think they are really looking for your strengths not your weakness. They want to be sure you can "commit" to the surgery. I considered this as...just another hoop to jump thru, or another step I had to take to get the surgery. Dont stress it....it's all just part of the process. (but I would ask your surgeon if he can recommend a psych Dr for you.)
   — skymaxjr

December 10, 2002
They are looking for a couple of things. 1. they want to make sure that your not some nutbar that is wanting surgery for surgery's sake.2 They want to make sure that you are mentally ready for the changes that will come with the surgery and able to handle them. Alot of people have problems dealing with things without their old freind food there to comfort them and keep them company. They just want to make sure you know where your head is at. Most people that have this surgery are ok because they have been obsessed with getting the surgery and know exactly where they stand. I wouldn't sweat it too much... Unless your really are CRAZY!!!
   — dkinson

December 10, 2002
I was seriously nervous about my consult with the psych myself. Turns out, it was nothing at all, just a little chat for a half hour. They want to make sure you don't have any other underlying issues not pertaining to your weight that you will need to deal with on top of the weight loss. They also want to know you are competent in understanding the life long commitment you'll need to have for this to work. No big deal at all. Mine told me after we were done that she was recommending me for the surgery and wished me luck. Don't worry, they are there to help you not scare you!
   — Dee ,.

December 10, 2002
Happy Holidays! Every time I see a ? about the dreaded psych consultation I am compelled to add my two cents, so here goes...My initial consultation did not go well because (a) the Dr. didn't have a clue and (b) I made the mistake of saying I had gained a lot of weight because I was depressed. She felt that was enough reason to deny me the surgery. It was a nightmare and even though it's been over 8 months I still get red knuckled thinking about it. The good news is I got my surgery because I high tailed it to a psych recommended by my WLS - AND I didn't offer anything up (that wasn't asked) during that consultation. My advice: don't offer anything. If they ask, don't lie, but really, just try to project the image of a happy person who wants to get healthy to better reflect that happiness you feel on the inside. Don't know if that makes sense, but that's what I learned from the whole Psych evaluation nightmare/scam. Good luck!
   — rebeccamayhew

December 10, 2002
Hi. I have to respectfully disagree with the previous poster about the psych eval being a scam. Maybe some doctors use it as a scam but I know my physician is really concerned about the overall health of his patients. There is a really sad story about a woman who had wls. We were asked to see the video as part of our eval weekend. Some of you may have heard of it "Christy's story". It is so sad. Evidently, a PLASTIC SURGEON did her gastric bypass and didn't have her do any kind of eval. She had a personality disorder and other complications as to when the weight came off, she developed other disorders - drinking and drugs. Evidently her weight had been keeping that disorder under control and without the food and without any counseling, she went to other addictions. I don't want to be that person. But I am not naive enough to believe it couldn't happen to me. None of us are bullet-proof without some kind of support system. As far as the eval goes, don't sweat it. I will also have to agree with the same poster I disagreed with =D Don't offer up more information than what they ask unless you are really wanting to explore everything and to get everything cleaned out BEFORE surgery. Good luck to you!! I am hoping to hear something soon!
   — Kirsten P.

December 10, 2002
Our psych only looks for a few things to deny surgery. Active drug or alcohol abuser, multipersonality specifically the hanibal lecter type. As long as you realize what your choosing to do to yourself. Other than that its a stern talk about post op life includuing the fact thats theres as many or more persoal life changes than physical ones. Depression is NORMAL, but they want it controlled. Anyone on antidepressants is KEPT on them both in the hospital and post op. Our psych doc is a great guy and not a problem. Incidently my depression WENT AWAY as the weight fell off! Your best off to use ALL docs your surgeon recommends. Picking a differen one may appear more convenient, but you may find one who is anti WLS and try to save you by becoming a roadblock. My foirst pulmonologist tried this with me, see my profile.
   — bob-haller

December 10, 2002
Mine told me that not only were they looking to rule out the previous mentioned reasons like eating disorders and deviant behavior, but also was looking to make sure you were doing it for yourself and not for your spouse, boyfriend...whomever, in case you were trying have the surgery because you thought it might save a failing relationship.
   — Laura K.