What are the guidelines for what doctors should state in a letter for the petitioner, in connextion with psychological treatment of depression, anxiety, weight loss, heart palpitations, insomnia, etc.

Could anyone fill me in on what Laurel Scott recommends? Does she have a checklist, or questions the dotcor should answer? The I2US site is having problems and I can't get through.

I would appreciate any insight. I am alreay being treated for these things by my family doctor and a specialist. I need to find a doctor, possibly a psychiatrist/therapist, and I'd like to know what to tell the provider as to what kind of letter he/she needs to write.

I'm sure I can find a good and cooperative doctor as I work in a law office and have access to this option.

Thanks.

Laurel doesn't provide a checklist to the public (maybe to her clients) but the bottom line is to have the doctor clearly identify/explain each condition, prognosis, necessary follow-up appointments/monitoring, prescriptions, treatment, etc. While you will probably have to supplement the doctor's letter with official explanations of the nature of each condition, one of the most helpful things would be for the doctor to indicate that your condition would be best treated in the US where doctors follow a standard of care (or something like that). Anything from the doctor that indicates the worst possible thing that could happen if you don't have access to US medical care is great. You should also compare medical treatment in your spouse/fiance's country to clarify why it's necessary for you to continue treatment in the US and detail your relationship with your doctor (how long has s/he been treating you, how comfortable you feel with him/her) as well as the doctor's credentials.

Strongly recommend that if you want to know what Laurel thinks on this matter you should pay for a consult with her. She is more than willing to answer questions and give advice with just a consult. The good thing about doing it that way is you get an answer based on your circumstances not someone else's. Each case is totally unique and using other's examples is a bad idea as i quaranty you will not get the full story from them and will miss something important that is specific to your case.

This report gives a great understanding of what is needed in a psych report for immigration purposes. Have a look: http://www.acfei.com/pdf/onlinece/2003/Mar...b4212b5ecc920e7

Thanks. This is very helpful!

I wish we'd kept a copy of my husband's letter that the GP had to write in relation to his (ongoing) treatment for depression. I COMPLETELY freaked out when I found out we had to get a letter from his doctor; in fact it's the reason I joined VJ in the first place, not having heard of this place during any of the main application process.

I can't seem to make the search engine work, but try searching the posts I wrote in September 2006 about this issue or simply run a search on the word 'depression'.

I will tell you now what people here told me at the time...depression is not usually an excludable condition unless the person in question has a history of violent behavior, or of being a danger to self/others. I freaked out and was 100% sure they'd deny the visa because my husband takes Prozac, but everything turned out absolutely fine. This page from VisaJourney was a comfort to me:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...mp;page=medical

thanks so much for your help!!