I am so stressed out. The disability determination has now set me up with an appointment for an Adult mental status evaluation. They told me that they are done with the physical evaluation of my case and need me to go to see a psychiatrist for this exam. Is this a positive thing? Anyone have any input about this? My lawyer says this is "pretty standard", whatever that means. Please tell me what this is about.
yes nikki , it is standard so please do not worry. everyone goes through it.. usually they ask you if you know the current day ., date, year., who is the president. they may give you a couple of words to remember when they ask you about them after a few minutes. they may also ask you to count backwards from 100 by 4's.. i dont remember what else it was. they want to see your cognitive functioning for the most part. i wish you all the best.. and send you HUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGS
suzie
I know several people that had to go for the evaluation I think it is pretty standard to do so. I wish you all the best.
Hi Nikkisuds,
I went through the exact same thing, with the exact same questions. Please try to relax; your attorney seems to be right on this and it does seem to be pretty standard for those of us with fibro. The reason being we also suffer a lot mentally from fibro, in terms of memory, ability to do sums, etc. When I went, I was asked the name of our president, my governor, some other things, plus what day it was and how to do some basic sums in my head. I also talked about how fibro has affected my ability to live on my own (could I still live on my own? Nope.) What I could still do at home, etc. I also walk with a cane and he asked me about that. He was super nice; in fact, I think he helped to clear the way for my being approved for disability.
Be sure to mention just how much it does affect you. Don't be afraid to let the person know if you have something associated with the fibro that's also affecting you. It can only help you to let them know what you suffer, as they don't know otherwise. If you suffer from a lot of depression, for instance, tell them. Fibro is not an illness that affects only one thing, so it's important to be sure to talk about your various other fibro-related problems.
Good luck and I hope that you're approved soon!
Petunia
I went through the same examination and was as worried as you probably are. It seems a little scary at first, all the clear cut answer questions like the date, etc., but then it gets personal and it is really important to be honest with the examiner. The one I had noticed how anxious I was and told me to relax as much as I could. He was a chronic pain psychologist, so he explained that he was used to speaking with patients and assessing them on a daily basis. He even read back to me all the comments he had written down. Not sure all do this, but it helped ease the anxiety. My visit lasted a little over an hour, which usually is about 1/2 hour. He only spoke with my daughter for about 5 minutes.
I received social security benefits exactly 20 days after my appointment. Stay strong and be honest- even if you break down during the interview, this is a part of all our lives. The ups and downs, the good and bad. Just be yourself. You're the best example of what you go through daily. Big hugs of strength to you!!!