Question:
Has anyone had a psychologist tell them that they turn down 99% of their patients?
My mother just went to get her psyc eval today. Before she sat for the MMPI she was asked if she is still eating out of control. My Mother replied Yes.(Like none of are, right?) This lady then said she denies 99% of all who come to see her for this perpose until they understand why they eat, then refers them to a lady who does this kind of counseling. Does this sound a little fishy to anyone else. My Mom is bipolar and has been stable for years, her Shrink thought the surgery was a great Idea for her. Her Doc is Juarez, in Phoenix. Any Ideas??? — Denise C. (posted on April 22, 2003)
April 22, 2003
Why not have HER "shrink" write a letter of recommendation
indicating that he has a long history of working with her and that he feels
she understands this surgery and is a good candidate for long term success
with it (or some such). I'm not certain it would work and I realize some
surgeons require a psych eval through a person of their choice but it seems
that a letter from a qualified professional who has a history with your
mother and thus would know her better would hold more water than someone
she met for the first time. Was she required to go to this specific
person? Why didn't she use her own psych professional for this? (curious)
— Shelly S.
April 22, 2003
my psych consult was rather disappointing. i feel fine except for the
usual eating for emotional reasons, ( who doesn't, even skinnys?) and
explained that my husband is not my major supporter, and that my mom or
sister would be more supportive. she said that the surgeons dont like to
operate on women whose husbands are not fully supportive. come on, what if
i were single? my hubby works min. 12 hour days and will not be able to
take time off and i will not reschedule and waste his valuable vacation
time when my mom can help, or my sis! what the heck? sorry, you just hit
a nerve, and now i have to bring him to my pre-op instead of those who will
be the ones in my home while i recover. why cant we decide somewhat if we
will be able to cope? good luck with your mom, hope all goes well! darci
— darci T.
April 22, 2003
Before scheduling an appointment with any doc, you should do a little phone
interview to see if they are at least open to WLS or have the experience
you need. For example, when I was interviewing plastic surgeons, right
over the phone I asked if the surgeon had experience with people who had
lost significant amounts of weight. If they said, he's done "a
few," forget it, but if they sure, many, then I scheduled a consult.
Try to get as much info at the first phone call as you can and save
yourself some time, money and heartache. Remember, doctors are your
employee.
— Leslie F.
April 22, 2003
It seems to me that the person conducting the psych eval is making alot of
money off giving evaluations to people she already knows she's not going to
pass. See if the surgeon will allow you to get a second oppinion or as the
other poster said....have her treating psychiatrist write a letter of
recommendation. Good luck!
— denisel
April 22, 2003
I would see if your mom's surgeon would accept a letter from her
"shrink". I have been in therapy for many years and asked my
surgeon if a letter from my therapist would be ok, he said yes. These are
people that know us not some stranger wanting to make an extra buck.
— Nancy S.
April 22, 2003
I would second what Nancy said. If you have someone that's already familiar
with you, have them write a letter of evaluation. Ask the surgeon what he
want's included in the evaluation. Also check with your insurance company
to see if they have any requirements for the evaluation. I think having
someone that's intimately familiar with you would provide a much better
evaluation than mere MMPI results.
Rob
— Rob P.
April 22, 2003
Sounds fishy to me too. I'm doing my PhD in psychology (research, though,
not clinical; I do have 3 years of clinical training however). Sounds like
she's trying to drum up a 'healthy' amount of business for herself and her
partner (or whoever else she refers ppl to) in refusing 99% of patients who
want clearance for WLS. The MMPI (or MMPI-II) is an outdated test. It has
no theory behind it and its norms were based on a biased sample.
WLS is recognized by the National Institutes of Health as the only
effective long-term treatment for morbid obesity. To keep 99% of the people
she sees from having access to this treatment (until they fatten her
wallet) is, in my opinion, unethical. I would stay away from her, and get a
note/clearance for the surgery from the psychiatrist who originally treated
her bipolar disorder. If she shows that she has been able in the past (with
her bipolar disorder) to recognize her need for treatment and has shown
that she can follow medical advice, this should only help in her case for
WLS. It really sickens me when clinical psychologists get carried away!
(Part of the reason I got out of it).
— Patricia E.
April 22, 2003
She probably did not see the psyc doc the surgeon refered her too. Time to
find a new psych doc for approval.
— bob-haller
April 23, 2003
I don't like shirnks. However I found one who is actually human and very
understanding and does'nt drag things out. But to get to the point, I
talked with him about the whole WLS thing and he approved me! But my
insurance wanted to deny me so I had to see their boy. Sound simular to the
^#%$@*$ person your Mom saw. Jerk to put it as nice as possible. Anyway, I
hope she sees someone else. Shoot, we all have eating problems of some
nature or we would'nt have WLS! But because we have those problems does'nt
mean we aren't going to do our best by the WLS. Find someone else. That
shrink is a loser. She is on a power trip. She should be trying to help
people not to push them off on someone else who is going to get rich
concelling them and dragging it out. I tell you, most of this phychological
stuff is just a money rip off. I hope she runs away from that money hungry
grub and finds someone who cares and has "her best interest in
mind". I dislike shirnks but every once in awhile I do see a good one,
and it is nice to know that they do exist. ;) Good luck.
— Danmark
April 23, 2003
Denise, I have a little different view than the other posters to your
question. I think this shrink is correct that if we don't know why we eat
out of control, and have a plan to control it post-op, then most likely we
will sabotage our surgeries. For some who have a quantity issue, the
surgery works well in limiting quantity, but for others who eat mindlessly
even when not hungry, in other words, out of control, this surgery will not
have long term success. There are those who are eating their way back to
obesity post-op. If you want to read about some, go to yahoo groups, OSSG
where you can lurk (only 1 year or more post-ops can post) and read about
quite a few post-ops more than a year out who are regaining, eating out of
control and cannot stop. If we cannot resolve the issues or understand the
issues that caused us to eat our way to obesity in the first place, then we
will not be successful. I think this shrink is saying that your mom and
her other patients need to understand their eating problem first, before
she can approve them for surgery. I agree.
— Cindy R.
April 23, 2003
When I called the clinic where I will have my psych evaluation, I was told
that they have never denied anyone. I think it maybe in your mom's best
interest to find a different psych.
— horserider0146
April 23, 2003
I'm in Arizona too.When I went to take the psych eval. and MMPI2 test the
psychologist told me that some "issues" would most likely come
up.She said that almost all of her patients who are overweight and seeing
her for wls clearance,score high on the MMPI2 for depression and have some
degree of eating disorder.She said that under the circumstances that should
be expected.She doesn't deny people because of it she just recommends
having some therapy in place before and after surgery.Which in my opinion
is a good idea anyway.In my case she recommended therapy and since my
surgeon is scheduling a few months out, as all of the surgeons in AZ.
are,it didn't affect my surgery date.
— jennifer A.
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