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Tomorrow is my Psych Eval...

AmericanBrandy

AmericanBrandy

Member
Tomorrow is my psych eval (and my first nutrition appt, but that one I'm ok with) and I can't believe how nervous I am! I've been to therapists a handful of times over the years (especially after my divorce) but for some reason, THIS psych appointment has me in knots. I think this may be because I feel like this guy has my entire future in the palm of his hand and I'm afraid I'll say something stupid, lol. I've been known to make inappropriate jokes when I'm nervous. =) I've read over his pre-appointment questionnaire and it's more about my past hospitalizations, meds and such. I figured it would ask questions like "Do you have an Oedipus Complex?" That would be a firm no. "Have you ever wanted to kill someone?" Umm....well, I do have an ex...and the thought MIGHT have entered my mind during the divorce...
And what if I'm so nervous, I vomit on his couch?? What if he thinks I'm Looney Tunes??? :eek: Ugh. =) Ok, jokes aside....what can I expect, in general? :p
 
My psych eval was about 30 minutes. We went over my weight history and family history of obesity, meds, past tries at weight loss. He asked questions that would probe at possible eating disorders. After that I took the MMPI (standardized personality test) which took about an hour. It was all pretty simple. I think it's better to be upfront and honest and not try to 'spin' your answers. You will do fine.
 
Karenina said:
My psych eval was about 30 minutes. We went over my weight history and family history of obesity, meds, past tries at weight loss. He asked questions that would probe at possible eating disorders. After that I took the MMPI (standardized personality test) which took about an hour. It was all pretty simple. I think it's better to be upfront and honest and not try to 'spin' your answers. You will do fine.
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Thank you so much for your reply, Karenina!
I completely agree about not trying to "spin" anything - that goes completely against the way I was raised. Plus, I'm just not very good at it - the only thing I can spin is a top, and admittedly I am not very good at that either, lol.
My biggest fear is that I'll break down and cry - not from depression or anxiety, just from how important it is for me to be able to have this surgery. I don't want him to think I'm an emotional wreck. If I can survive the things I've been through in my life and still be a glass half full person and if I can raise a child with autism and keep my sense of humor, I can handle the emotional part of this surgery just fine but if I cry in the moment, I'm worried he'll think I have unresolved issues, I guess. And I don't, honestly.
 
AmericanBrandy, I agree with Karenina. I had mine last month and it wasn't so bad even though I was pulled over by the police right in front of his office. Talk about nervous! I had run a stop sign. I had to go to a big city that I wasn't used to and just didn't see it. Oh well. I did o.k., I'm sure you will too. Remember he's (or she) is on your side.
 
Hi Brandy,

For some reason that is the one evaluation I worried most about. Got there, took a test. He put me at ease right away and most of the questions revolved around eating disorders and how fast I expected to lose weight. I think he just wanted to make sure my goals were realistic, and that I wouldn't obsess about losing weight. He asked things like how fast I expected the weight loss to go and how long did I think it would take to reach my goal. I gave him the shortest time (14 months) and the longest time (22 months) and admitted that I had friends who lost it faster than that. I felt kind of silly afterwards for worrying so much. It seems that everyone so far has had pretty much the same experience. Just be honest when answering questions and be able to frame your goals with the realization that everyone loses weight at a different rate.
 
So how did it go Brandy?

I was real nervous myself, stupid nervous. It wasn't at all what I expected and took 4 hours, 3 of questionnaires.

I hope it all went well! Good luck on your new journey.
 
Thank you everyone, for your replies and your support! As you all said, I was worried about nothing, lol. The psych eval was a breeze - I'm either perfectly sane or I'm really good at faking it! *wink* I actually had a harder time at the nutritionist appt and that was the one I wasn't worried about, lol. My surgeon requires me to lose 10 lbs prior to surgery (the whole shrinking liver thing) and when I weighed in with her today, I had gained SIX lbs since my initial weigh-in!! I was floored. Now I have to lose 16 lbs in order to move forward to the surgery. The nutritionist put me on a 1600 calorie per day diet and instructed me to walk, even if only for 10 minutes, twice per day. With the fibromyalgia, walking enough to get my heart rate going is a daunting prospect but I'll do what I have to do. So yeah...a little setback but I'm not giving up. =)
Brandy
 
oh Brandy,

Congrats on being perfectly sane. I didn't know you had Fibromyalgia. So do I so I know what you mean about walking. I wish I could swim year round. I may have to join the YMCA for the Winter months so I can swim. I just don't like their hours of operation and when they hold classes or have swim meets. Those times seem to interfere with when it is convenient for me to drive all the way over there so I can swim but I may have to break down and do it. Anyways good luck on the pre surgery weight loss. 1600 calories isn't too restrictive. I think I would try weight watchers for that but maybe the foods aren't right on WW. I don't know but it seemed to me the portions were about the same.
 
Javajoy said:
oh Brandy,

Congrats on being perfectly sane. I didn't know you had Fibromyalgia. So do I so I know what you mean about walking. I wish I could swim year round. I may have to join the YMCA for the Winter months so I can swim. I just don't like their hours of operation and when they hold classes or have swim meets. Those times seem to interfere with when it is convenient for me to drive all the way over there so I can swim but I may have to break down and do it. Anyways good luck on the pre surgery weight loss. 1600 calories isn't too restrictive. I think I would try weight watchers for that but maybe the foods aren't right on WW. I don't know but it seemed to me the portions were about the same.
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Thanks!! =) Yeah, I've had fibromyalgia for about 16+ years now. I did the "med-go-round" early on but quickly realized I'd rather suffer the pain than suffer the side effects of the drugs. Now, so many years later, it's getting harder and harder to avoid seeking medicinal relief so it's just one of the reasons I am looking forward to the surgery. I know it won't cure my fibro but I've read so many cases where fibro pain has been vastly reduced. A definite plus!!
Every doctor I've ever had has told me that swimming is the absolute best exercise for people with fibro but unfortunately, I've never had the opportunity to find out. Whenever I've lived near a pool, I've always had a small child tagging along and swimming for exercise is impossible when you have to keep a toddler safe from drowning, lol. =)
 
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