a psychiatrist just asked me questions; no physical was performed

I had my eval for SSDI about a month ago. It was really simple.

I sat in a chair with a psychiatrist and answered questions, there is no physical. Be honest when you answer the questions.

There is really no reason to be scared, as long as you are honest. Don't worry, for me it was a lot like the eval I did when I was first dx'ed.

Good luck.

I went through this eval too. Just be honest. I know my tone was flat and I had no energy--both genuine feeling that day. A friend drove me to the appointment and the dr talked to her too. She was honest about how my personality had gone from caring and loving on my job, teacher, to how I could hardly get the nerve to go into the classroom. Honesty is the best thing. Good to take your meds with you. Best of luck.

I don't know if you've had your eval yet, and this is too late, but I just had mine two days ago, and this is basically how it went. I had to fill out more paperwork (surprise), she asked me all sorts of questions about my history and how my bipolar has affected my ability to function, what I do in an average day, how I am when I'm really manic or depressed, the usual. Then she asked me some cognitive questions, like counting backwards from 100 by sevens, from 20 by threes. She asked me how far it was from Paris to New York. She asked if I found a letter on the street, addressed with no stamp, what would I do? She asked what I would do if I was the first one to notice a fire in a crowded movie theater. Asked me to remember three words, then asked me to repeat them when we were done. Also asked me the date, how many weeks were in a year, and some other things. It was kind of strange, but my psychiatrist told me it was just a basic mental test. It only took about 30 minutes, minus the paperwork. Just try to be as honest as possible and try to stay calm. It's really not that bad. Good luck.

ok angie, if you really need disability...don't count on honesty.

i cried through my entire evaluation, i mean sobbed(HONESTLY SOBBED, no faking it was real..i sobbed the whole way there, i screamed and sobbed in the car afterwards for at least an hour, before i could bring myself to drive home, i almost got into a couple accidents getting there, i was so stressed)
bottom line, the pdoc that worked for social security said i was fine. and i was clearly not fine.

mistakes made: 1) admitted to driving myself...to bad if i had absolutly no one in my life to do it for me. doens't matter...they don't dig that deep. they just see that i was able to drive.

my questions were not nearly as deep as carlonlines, my questions were much simpler like who was the president and what town were we in, and simple additions like a double digit added to a single digit.

I knew the answers to these questions. even though it took me 3 tries to get 2 + 1...eventually i got it right.

so i say, forget the name of the president, forget the name of your town. and no matter how many tries they give you, forget how to add!!!!

An SSDI psychiatrist evaluated me a year and a half ago. I recall the appt. was 5-15 minutes long. The focus was on my listing my numerous careers and why I couldn't sustain each one. Of course, at the time, I couldn't remember all of them. My case was rejected.

I had no typical mental eval. I'm told I "present well" because I am so intelligent, articulate, I dress well, I put on a great front, even though my eval was during one of the most severe depressions I have experienced.

I have been advised repeatedly to take no chance on exaggerating or distorting anything to win your case. I have been advised that they are experienced at picking up on that kind of thing. I am inclined to be honest anyway in an articulate way, but I sure get great urges to show up in the nightgown that I have been wearing for two weeks, with my unkempt hair, slippers, limp and emotional. After all, that is the real me much of the time. Somehow, I pull myself together for these kinds of public appearances, to the amazement of my therapist and psychiatrist.

Best wishes. We're all supporting you!

I was sent to have a physical test. Don't know why and don't know the result.

Haven't had a test with a SSDI psych yet but was told by my lawyer I prob will have one.

My reg. Pdoc also put in my file that I'm fine. Grrr if so then why am I on these meds? Just like they said I don't have a problem with alcohol even tho I've had 3 DUI's? (before DX and meds) This is the reason I got a lawyer.

The system is screwed.

I had a psychic eval those multiphasic personality tests where they ask you what ails you and ask you to repreat random numbers forwards and backwords they ask you what word is synonymous and what word is antonymous and they ask you random knowledge questions I passed with flying colors and I guess if you're really mentally ill you're not supposed to pass them. What happens when the mentally ill filing has a decent education and can remember all of that crap that you went to school for and passes the test? Well then they deny you like they did me and you end up fighting it with a lawyer. That's what I am currently doing now. Am on the waiting list for a hearing and I have been waiting one year as of this december. I have to wait another two years before the lawyer will even accept a hearing date from the SSI disbursement officers.