When people come to us for weight loss surgery they ask about the pre operative psychological evaluation: why is that required?

It is not a screening examination — no psychologist or psychiatrist can tell the future, and see if you have what it takes to undergo the band. Nor is it like a cardiac clearance — where we ask a cardiologist, on some patients with heart issues, to help us improve their heart’s performance for the operation.

We use the pre-operative psychological examination to make you aware of the tools out there to succeed. One of them is the psychological support. Our greatest support is from fellow patients- who have been through this. We have a special site on Google Plus for our weight loss surgery patients. In addition, there are Google Hangouts with Dr. Simpson – where you can interact with him directly, and not worry about driving to a facility.

Some people find that things in their lives change, and their relationship with food changes, and they want to talk with a professional about it. The pre-operative examination allows you to be introduced to someone, and know that these resources are available.

One of our psychologists is a patient herself!