I know some of you got your BP, Sz, SzA, etc. diagnoses while in IP, while others were diagnosed just from their psychiatrists or therapists, but I'm talking about one of those $1000+ tests that are done in an outpatient setting.

I've personally undergone 4 psychological evaluations, but each of them focusing on a specific disorder or category of disorders. First one was free of charge from my university; the other 3 were covered by insurance.

[Victoria'smom]

I've had several evaluations. all paid for through insurance but nothing like the exam my son has gone through. Some of the exams took 2-3 hours but never testing my iq (when I was little yes) or anything in dept.

[HALLIEBETH87]

I mean I’ve seen pdoc a for help but never a psych evaluation that was that fancy

[yellow_fleurs]

I don't think anything as formal as you describe. I had formal questionnaires for MDD and GAD when I started a clinical trial and that's how I got diagnosed with those originally (although those diagnoses have since changed), but I have not had a formal questionnaire for anything else.

[~Christina]

My life imploded when I was 43, 3 sessions of Therapy and he said... okay you have Bipolar I .. I was like hu???? I thought for about 25-30 seconds and said ... YEP!!! So that explains my whole life ..... I started laughing actually.

I didn’t need no fancy tests.. lol I just got my Gold Bipolar Star

[Sunflower123]

I’ve never had a formal outpatient evaluation. It was just suggested at times that maybe I was seeing as how ADs weren’t helping. That diagnosis eventually got changed.

I'm not entirely sure what you mean by a $1,000 plus type formal evaluation. I guess the only thing comparable (but probably not the same) was a three 50-minute session (150 minutes) consultation with a doctor that was both a psychiatrist and neurologist. I had already had my bipolar disorder type 1 diagnosis for maybe four years, reconfirmed by numerous psychiatrists, but at the time I saw this consulting doctor, I had been having various strange symptoms in conjunction with my bipolar disorder. My then (and still current) psychiatrist had pushed me to go to a regular neurologist and I had a PET scan, MRI, and multiple EEGs done. The neurologist would say my "strange" symptoms were "psychiatrist-related" and my psychiatrist thought some were "neurological issues". He didn't think I was misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder. I had it, but rather had a potential second issue, as well. In the end, my bipolar disorder type 1 diagnosis was confirmed again, and again, and again. As for seizures, one neurologist said I had them, another said they "weren't definitive", and the consulting psych/neuro simply said I "definitely have bipolar disorder type 1 and that 'the strange symptoms' are just probably a different presentation" and that "bipolar episodes, themselves, are likely just a different form of seizure".

The first time I was formally diagnosed with bipolar disorder, the psychiatrist himself had witnessed, in person, both a depressive episode and a manic episode. He was the doctor that first hospitalized me. My current long-term private psychiatrist has seen me experience numerous bipolar episodes of various sorts and severity, over the last 12 years. He has also heard my looooooooong complete story, probably a couple or more times over. Coincidentally, he was my first inpatient psychiatrist.

I remember several years back after 10 hospitalizations and 12 IOPs/PHPs, I went to a potential new therapist (a psychologist). That first session with her, I told her I had bipolar disorder type 1. In response, she said "Well, it doesn't matter what anyone else has diagnosed you with. I'm going to make my own diagnosis." I remember rolling my eyes thinking that was ridiculous at that stage of the game. I had probably been diagnosed bipolar type 1 by who knows how many psychiatrists, and she was going to TELL ME what my diagnosis was. Not surprisingly, at the end of that first session, she said "Yes, you do have bipolar disorder type 1." In response, I cancelled my next session with her. She was obnoxious, anyway.

Someday I will have to change psychiatrists and therapists. I totally dread having to tell my long ***** story again and again. Assuming that my psychiatrist is still around when my hubby and I move, I'm hoping he will call my next psychiatrist, to spare me to a degree. If nothing else, I will ask my psychiatrist to write a letter that I can bring to a new psychiatrist.

[Sometimes psychotic]

I’ve had one and at then at the end she said casually, I think it’s bp plus psychosis because you seem too normal for schizoanything. Like seriously after a three grand test that’s what I got, tells you how scientific psych is.

[sophiebunny]

I had a very formal psychiatric exam that was spread out over a week when I was admitted for what turned out to be for almost a year. I learned I was highly dissociative (DID with a psychotic part), had bipolar 1 disorder with psychosis tending toward severe mania, PTSD with psychosis, OCD, and a documented severe trauma history. A complete review of my medical history was included in the formal exam. They went back to childhood records. It was as thorough as any diagnostic exam could be. I've never needed another one. It has held up well.