hi everyone! i had my medical today. everything went smoothly except .... lo and behold, i have to undergo psychiatric evaluation! I'm coming back tomorrow to get the results. i was actually kinda expecting and as some of the members here are aware of, i posted a topic about having scars on my wrist. Does anyone have an idea how long a psychiatric evaluation would take and if I would have to postpone my interview on August 4? And would I be undergoing psych evaluation at SLEC or would I be referred to a physician outside the hospital grounds? I read a topic posted by Loterly_Richard and she was in the same boat as I was. From what I've read, she passed her psych evaluation and her visa was approved but I don't see how long her psych evaluation took.

The doctor who attended to me was very...irritable. She snapped at me several times, especially when I was trying to remember when I had my last asthma attack. I was counting the months out loud trying to remember and she said, "just answer my question!". I almost peed in my pants. Heheh. I guess I'd be irritable too if I had to wake up at 7 in the morning.

Please pray for me! My husband told me to tell the psychiatrist that I'm not just crazy, just crazy in love! I don't think the psychiatrist would appreciate a witty banter. Heheh. Does anyone have similar stories? I do hope it's not grounds for visa denial.

read this: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=139310

The doctor who attended to me was very...irritable. She snapped at me several times, especially when I was trying to remember when I had my last asthma attack.

Don't you think the doctor needs a psych.test? Being irritable could mean she/he got poor coping mechanisms and that could result to mental illness. Naku, baka mabasa 'to.
Well, maybe they just want some added expenses...mahal na kaya ang gasolina.

Lotterly, whom I mistakenly called Lotterly(jackpot) also underwent psych.test and passed. I just hope as you comply with it they won't cause any delay in getting the results like the doctor went on a seminar, that's the usual thing I've read here.

My good luck wishes for you. You'll make it!

I was right! After reading this, it was exactly the same issue as what I have read with previous posts here in VJ why I got the thought.

hello daisy, i got a friend who also undergo with that, dont worry, as long u know u are not having mental disabilty then u will pass it. i guess it only took 1 days for the result. dont worry ull be ok, right now she in state now. if u want to contact her just let me know. good luck.

Yeah. I guess there are worse things to worry about. I overheard a receptionist telling someone that she would have to have another medical after 2 months because of "suspicious lungs", hence would have to delay her interview for another 2 months. I saw a long line of people wearing masks earlier. The nurse said it doesn't mean that they have Tb or anything, it's just that they were exposed to it.

I can't stand the suspense! I guess this is the most critical leg of the visa process...the make or break part. I can honestly say that I'm better now. I've never been a threat to anyone and I don't have a criminal record. I don't know if it helps to provide evidence that I'm a productive member of society. I wrote the anniversary coffee table book of the WB of St. Luke's but I don't think that's worth mentioning, unless of course it proves that I'm functional. I'm sorry if this sounds rather conceited but I need honest-to-goodness advice regarding my situation. When I inflicted those scars on myself, I graduated 3rd honorable mention in high school and I was on a scholarship for four years in college while I was a working student and helping my family financially. I don't know if that information would help or not, if that proves that I wasn't mentally incapacitated during the time that I inflicted those scars.

sorry for being a scatterbrain. i don't think i made it clear. i won't be getting the result tomorrow. i'd be coming back tomorrow to get the results of my physical exam and to get further information about when i'll be having my psych exam. the doctor who attended to me was the one who conducted my physical, not the psych exam. =) heheh.

I'm talking to someone, courtesy of bevs, who went through the same thing. I'm gonna try to stop worrying about it for now. I hope there's no reason for them to conclude that I'm mentally unstable, considering that I've been productive and have never been in trouble. *sigh* No matter how hard I try to keep a positive outlook, I still can't help but feel a bit scared! After all, my future with the love of my life is on the line. Please pray for me guys!

Hi daisychain I underwent a psyche test too just last Friday, it was short and simple. I don't think it will be a ground for a visa denial coz she said "as long as you won't do it again, it won't be an issue"...but i didn't do it and she would insist and no way will i confess something i didn't do. So there after my physical exam, i went to clark (window G) and he told me to come back early in the morning (around 8 am, 4 days after) and pay for 1000 pesos. After the payment, wait for your name to be called (Psychiatry Evaluation is located on the secret floor hehehe 6th floor) hmmmm i remember the maintenance guy assisted me to go to that floor with a mop hehehehe baka raw may gawin akong masama e So there I'm sure you've read my post and learned what caused the delay Good luck and just be yourself. I'm sure you'll pass

DAISYCHAIN, DO NOT WORRY!!!

EVERYTHING IS GONNA BE ALL RIGHT!!!

hi alizeyah. thank you so much for sharing your experience. that makes me feel so much better. i sent you a PM by the way.

thanks for the encouragement babybebita. i'm keeping my fingers crossed.

My psych exam is on July 24. I was just wondering if I would have to postpone my interview on August 4. The lady at the counter said, "no". But she also said that the results will come out 2-3 business days after July 24, so that makes it July 29 - 4 business days before my visa interview. That's cutting it too close and I'm worried my medical results might not make it to the embassy in time for my interview. WHat do you guys think?

Just a quick note: The SLEC will be the one who will reschedule your interview, just in case your result got delayed like another convention comes up hehehehe so you don't need to call the embassy for another schedule or notify them that you won't be coming anymore and that it has been moved.

i heard that if you pass the psych evaluation, they will give you the go signal for the interview.otherwise, they would require you to undergo therapy before setting up your interview. since the result is forwarded to the usem, i'm just wondering if it would have an effect on the visa interview. i know that the consul's job is to verify if the relationship is genuine and if your spouse is financially capable of supporting you. i'm just not sure if the results of the medical will have an effect on the visa interview, if i'll be subjected to administrative processing cus of that.

from what i've gathered from nel, the consul won't bother with the details of the medical. after all, passing the medical proves that you're physically and mentally stable.

anyway, i've received plenty of assurance from other people so the main thing i'm concerned about right now is making it to my visa interview.

thanks guys for the support. =)

hi everyone! just had my psych exam today. it was pretty fast, just a little over 5 minutes. the doctor was soooo nice!

anyway, i told the immunization doctor that i'd rather have my vaccination in the US, but i just found out that the $213 medical fee includes the cost of the vaccination so once i get the results of my psych exam on tuesday, i'm gonna have the vaccine administered. hope it's not too late!

and thanks everyone for the support and encouragement =)

Congratulations!!! . Glad to know it went fast and easy

Here is the thing, the psychiatrist will conduct a psychiatric evaluation looking for mental disorders that are associated with suicide attempts, suicide gestures, or some personality disorders such as Borderline personality disorder, dissociative identity disorder. Maybe substance abuse. He will aske you if are on any medications or if you were seen by a psychiatrist in the past and if you had psychiatric treatment or psychological treatmen. These are the standars for a psychiatric interview.

He will certainly look for depressive symptoms or manic episodes.
He will ask you for previous sucide attempts or gestures, familily history of psychiatric illnesses, family history of suicide attempts.

He will do a mental status examination, which basically will evaluate your appearance (the way you present yourself, eye contact, if you collaborate with the interview). He will evaluate your actual mood (depressed, normal of euthymic, manic). Your thought content: here he will assess if you have psychotic thoughts or delusional thoughts, paranoia for example). If you are oriented to time, place, and self. Your cognitive functions, memory, attention spam, concentration. He will assess for perceptual disturbances such as auditory hallucinations, or illusions.

this sounds complicated, but it´s not really. As long as you are not depressed right now, and as long as you denied having actual suicidal or homicidal ideations, and you do not have hallucinations of bizzare thoughts.

If you have not had psychiatric hospitalizations in the past for conditions such as Schizophrenia or Bipolar disorder, and you are not actually suicidal, you will be fine.

Basically, he will try to determine if you have suicidal riscks at this present time. I you do not, he should clear you on the spot. You will obtaing the psychiatric clearence.

The interview will be probably very short. I believe that the goal for the psychiatris would be to assure that you are not suicidal at this time. On the assumption that the doctor who made the referral thought that you had a suicide gesture in the past.

Past suicide gestures, only poses an increase risk for future suicide attepmts, but if you are not suicidal at this time, and you have a normal mental status and no psych. hosp. You should not worry.

I hope this helps. (pardon my spelling, English is not my primary language).

Actually the psych exam was very short. A little over 5 minutes. It was a quick question and answer thingie. I was actually very nervous during the interview. It was my first time to see a shrink! Hm...I wonder if my gestures displayed my nervousness. I hope not. I mean, I was even acting jolly the whole time... not to the point of being manic though. I even cracked a joke or two. Well.. worrying about it won't do any good. I just hope that I acted normal enough. I was just being myself.. but what if being myself isn't good enough? (uh oh. paranoia talking. hehe).

I think you passed the psych interview, five minutes indicate that everything went well. Try not to lose your sleep over this. Besides, whou would´t be anxious considering the circumstances, you were experiencing normal anxiety not a pathological anxiety.

Now the next setp, prepare for the interview.

Greetings.

all will be fine!! gud luck!!......I have one question. My fiance finished her medical exam today. Before she left, she if passed the medical exam.... they said they are not allowed to say what the result are... so when will we find out about it.. The exam went very smoothly... no hiccups or anything...thanks in advance for your input!!

Wow I had no idea that they sometimes take psych evals

hi acobnamia! thanks for support!

st. luke's won't know immediately if she passed the medical or not because it all depends on the result of the medical. ie. if someone is found to have suspicious lungs, then he/she would have to undergo a sputum test. there is a date at the receipt given back to her indicating when will she be coming back for the results. =) but if she's in good health condition, she wont' have to worry about a thing.

hi sinposto! you're right. i was just experiencing normal anxiety. the only thing i'm crossing my fingers for is for the speedy release of the result so i won't have to delay my interview. a fellow VJ member got the result of her psych exam more than a week after, thereby delaying her interview. but they rescheduled her after a few days, so no worries.

yup, i'm now preparing for my interview. my husband lived here with me for a year so we don't have any phone records to back our relationship up. but we have plenty of pictures plus we worked in the same company and i already got our tax returns and COE forms from the company we both worked for. i hope that would do.

thanks so much everyone for being so kind and supportive! =) will keep u posted.

She was given a receipt but with no date to pick up the result.. they said that they will just forwards the result to the embassy... i guess that's a good thing??

Why yes of course! In that case, she can push through with her interview. SLEC will reschedule the interview if there are problems with the medical. Congratulations!!!!

I just called SLEC and they told me that the results of my psych exam are ready and that I should come back for immunization anytime. I asked them if I should cancel/postpone my august 4 interview and they said that no need, I can still make it to my interview.
So I asked them if I passed the psych exam or not, they said it's confidential. I don't get it. *scracthes non-existent beard* Did I pass or not?

Since you are being asked to get the immunization and they said to go ahead with your interview it looks like you passed. Congrats.
Get ready for your interview. Be sure you get a copy of the DS 3025 [vaccination record] from St Lukes.