Psychological Evaluation for Weight Loss Surgery
Why do I need psychological assessment before I have weight loss surgery?
The Obesity Surgery Society of Australia and New Zealand (OSSANZ), International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity (IFSO) and The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) recommend for patients seeking weight loss (bariatric) surgery to obtain a consultation with a psychiatrist.
Your doctor will likely require an evaluation in order to assess if there are any issues that could interfere with the best surgery outcome. Your weight loss surgery is a life changing decision.
This is because your doctor wants to ensure that you are prepared, sufficiently motivated and able to make the post-operative lifestyle changes necessary to give you the best chance of successfully losing weight after the surgery.
By completing a psychological assessment, we can help you identify your strengths and areas where you may need additional support in order to ensure that you are emotionally prepared to undergo the procedure as well as to help maintain your weight loss goals.
If needed, we may recommend certain types of support or counselling, either before or after the surgery.
What does a psychological assessment for weight loss surgery involve?
Prior to your scheduled evaluation appointment, you will be asked to fill out a Bariatric Pre-Surgical Psychological Evaluation Questionnaire.
The form will ask you to provide background information on areas such as eating behaviours, weight loss attempts, and other health-related habits. You will then meet with a psychiatrist who will conduct your evaluation.
It will include a 30-45 minutes interview in order to better understand your motivation and expectations for the surgery, gain background information important to the evaluation and helps us assess how we can best help you.
What do I need to do to prepare for psychological evaluation?
We ask that you complete the Bariatric Pre-Surgical Psychological Evaluation Questionnaire and bring the completed form to your scheduled appointment with a psychiatrist.
If you forget to bring your form to the appointment, it may be necessary to re-schedule the appointment.
If I have had psychiatric/psychological problems, will that eliminate me
from this procedure?
Not necessarily. What is important is how you are coping now, and what coping skills you have developed.
What if I have currently have my own a psychiatrist/psychologist?
Do I still have to see a psychiatrist at the Wellness & Weight Loss Centre?
Not necessarily. Ask your psychiatrist or psychologist if he/she can provide information to Wellness and Weight Loss Centre regarding your psychological diagnosis history and appropriateness for weight loss surgery.
Our staff can provide you with a Consultation Request to assist your psychiatrist or psychologist in determining your suitability for surgery.
What happens after the psychological evaluation?
Your psychiatrist will review the results with you and will discuss specific recommendations based on the results. A copy of the evaluation report, including recommendations, will be sent to your surgeon and your General Practitioner.
After surgery, it is important to have support in maintaining your new lifestyle. This turns out to be a greater challenge than most people realise.
Our clinical speciality is relapse prevention. We also offer full treatment for mood disorders including depression and anxiety.
At the Weight & Metabolic Solutions Australia we offer what we think is the most important part of your treatment: counselling that can aid you prevent weight regain to help you maintain your weight loss.
To schedule a surgical consultation with Dr Anastasia Braun, please contact us or call direct on 07 3353 9694.
