Bipolar Disorder Support Group

Bipolar disorder is not just a single disorder, but a category of mood disorders marked by periods of abnormally high energy and euphoria, often accompanied by bouts of clinical depression. This is the place to talk about your experience with bipolar disorder, learn from others' experiences, and find support.

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CaptainFibro 07/09/2013

My lawyer sent me to a doctor for a psych eval and I was there for four hours. The first hour was filling out paper work and the next three were talking with the doc, filling out more paperwork, solving puzzles, answering more questions, and taking a full IQ test.

I am exhausted. I had no clue that I would be there for that long. The last time I had to take a psych eval, it only lasted about 30-45 minutes.

He said that he thought I might also have BPD.

Has anyone else ever had an eval last that long?

deleted_user 07/09/2013

I spent about 2 hrs in the waiting room and 2 in the office talking to the phsych.

deleted_user 07/09/2013

Hi Captain...wow, that's a very long eval! Sorry you had to go through that. That does sound odd. I'm BP and haven't been on disability in years, but my BF is Schizophrenic and he just went in for a psych eval for SSI. We waited in the lobby a bit long, but once he was in, he was out in 10-20 mins. I only think they asked him questions...not all that you went through! Sheesh! How draining!

I'm not sure if this varies state to state? I'm in Cali. Perhaps you should ask your lawyer about this.

On the other note, Interesting that he should say you also have BPD...I've been told that too. You should do some research on it. BP and BPD have a lot of crossover, but there are some distinct characteristics that divide them. And I wouldn't let an eval psych for disability determine your diagnosis...that's not his biz...that's your doc's biz.

Hope you are able to get a little mental rest after all that!
Lollster

CaptainFibro 07/10/2013

Thanks, lollster.

I've had two other psych evals in the past and they were both less than 30 minutes which is why I was so caught off guard by this one.

As for the BPD, the doctor that did the eval said that he was making notations in my file about his suspicions but that he was not officially diagnosing me, especially since we only had one session together.

I think I might sleep all day tomorrow to try to recover lol.

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