What did you tell the psych?

[rookie]

I just had my 1st appt and my coordinator told me to make my appt with the psychiatrist and not tell him anything weird...what does that mean? She said not to mention binge eating, Hello! I don't have that issue. What did yall say and what was your psych visit like?

[curlyme]

Great post!
Can't wait to hear the responses

[Anissa Christine]

I said "I have a B.A. In Psych and an M.S. in Psych, so I got this"! And when he was reading the questions I was actually "naming" what type of question it was..what construct the item was tapping into..if it was a reversed scored item..etc. Good times!

[Truebody]

Anissa - what do the rest of us do??? I now wish I had pursued psychology. It underpins every type of communication. Ah well.
I understand the need to check out interested patients to be sure that we are balanced as we can be when it comes to this surgery, but also concerned that unaware of what type of behaviours might catch particular attention. It's all about being prepared so motivation can be fully explored and no one element given bias. I can see why people might freak a bit at this step.

[Scubagecko]

Just be careful how you phrase the story that you think there is a healthy person inside you dying to come out.

[Anissa Christine]

Anissa - what do the rest of us do??? I now wish I had pursued psychology. It underpins every type of communication. Ah well.
I understand the need to check out interested patients to be sure that we are balanced as we can be when it comes to this surgery, but also concerned that unaware of what type of behaviours might catch particular attention. It's all about being prepared so motivation can be fully explored and no one element given bias. I can see why people might freak a bit at this step.

Best advice is to be consistent in your answers. Psychological tests such as these (that are reliable and valid)are designed to catch deception and/or irregularities in your responses to get at what they are designed to measure.

[marilynlw]

I think the best approach is to be as honest and truthful as possible. When asked I admitted to things from my unhappy childhood and how my mother showed her love by giving us food to try to make up for my abusive father. I have always gotten comfort from food but being aware of it makes it possible to change. I think as long a you don't say something stupid like " If you don't get this surgery I will kill myself" you really don't have to worry.

[Lea]

I told him I understood this was a tool to help me make healthier choices and I had been looking at weight loss surgery for many years and was not making a rash decision. I also said I ate healthy but ate alot and needed restriction. I also said I beloved to this online forum and was getting lots of info from folks post op. OsGood luck

[luke]

I was just honest and calmly told the truth. Do I eat for comfort? Yes. Food is love. Yes, that's the way I was raised. Food is reward, yes. Do I know that has to change? Yes.

The psych stuff is meant to see if you have problem that would make your post-surgery weight loss unsuccessful. Don't try to deceive them! They're helping you.

[niamh]

From what other people have said on here, some psych evaluations are an interview, and others use formal questionnaires. If they give you a formal questionnaire, as Anissa said, be honest so you don't get caught out trying to fake good/bad. If it's an interview be honest but don't be overly melodramatic. Do have your thoughts clear about why you have come to your decision, and what you understand will be required of you. If you haven't yet thought this through, you really should - not for the sake of the evaluation, but for the sake of ensuring best outcome from the surgery.

I find your co-ordinator's view and advice pretty disappointing. What's the point in having a psych evaluation which is supposed to identify people for whom the sleeve is NOT a good option, if they are going to try and coach people to beat it. Sounds like yet another insurance waste of money.

[brianamato]

haha my Psych Dr was HOTT.. I ended up making shit up just to impress her.. lol. i know im stupid..

[Truebody]

haha my Psych Dr was HOTT.. I ended up making shit up just to impress her.. lol. i know im stupid..

Brian - such a 'boy' thing to do. I had a giggle at the mental picture of the interview. Glad to see that you didn't blow it completely and were approved for surgery.
How are things going for you?

[Grace]

I basically said "Look, I'm Italian. We love to cook and we love to eat - I want to learn to eat in a better way for my body" And that I knew grazing would be my downfall so he helped with other things to do with my hands.. like I am right now, typing! or crochet, or sewing or whatever I can do within my disabilities. And I also let him know my husband was fully on board and realized some foods would just not be in our house and he'd have to get his fix elsewhere for things like m&ms and ice cream.

[leesooim]

I just told the truth, and felt stupid when I learned that when I thought I was binging, I wasn't at all.