Do psychiatrists make you get on the scale?

I have been avoiding doctors ever since I hit a high BNI and because I have this hangup where I think I'll be the ultimate failure and never be able to recover from being a failure if I ever enter into official obese territory. I realize this is irrational and whatever, but it's how I feel. If I am now at an obese weight, I don't want to know about it and don't want a doctor or anyone else to know about it. So until I can get my weight down, I don't want to go to any doctors since doctors weigh you.

Anyway, my concentration problems have been causing me a lot of distress lately, so I scheduled an appointment with the psychiatric group here to see if I can get on some ADD medication. They scheduled me for an appointment a month away. I realize I could probably get a prescription from a primary care doc much sooner, but I chose to schedule with a psychiatrist because I thought they didn't have scales. My friend told me her psychiatrist weighed her, so now I feel like I have to starve myself between now and my appointment so I'll lose weight in case they weigh me.

Just wondering if it's true that a lot of psychiatrists weigh you. I've only been to one other psychiatrist before, and he didn't weigh me, but I don't know if it's more the norm for them to do so.

None of the P'docs I have ever seen has made me get on a scale. If asked you are always allowed to say no.

Thank you. I just didn't know if they might refuse to treat me if I won't get on the scale because they'll say they need my weight for dosage purposes or something.

It depends....they some times do if you go inpatient or in my case they weighed me because I joined a research study to get additional care for free and one of the things they were looking at at was drug induced weight gain. But yeah the guy didn't even have a scale anywhere on his floor we had to go somewhere else to do it. Also I don't know this but it might be the case that they weigh you if you have an eating disorder just to make sure you haven't fallen into danger territory but again a lot of that is in patient. It's defiantly not standard.

Some do weigh you for two reasons: 1. it is an indication of how medications and illness affects your health over time and 2. some medication's dosing are weight dependent. This is not common practice however because it is not common or needed for most medications now.

I absolutely hate the scale as well. I try to remember that a scale is just a tool and not a very accurate one when it comes to muscle mass to fat ratios. I now try to look at it that they are trying to help me and to help me help myself. I now try to use that information to either help make changes so it is isn't about the number but what I do to help my health and make better decisions. It is just a number. It is more important how we treat ourselves and our bodies. Focus on that as health is more important.

Good luck with your appointment and getting the help you want. Focus on that and the rest won't matter. Truly. Best wishes.

I believe it happened once to me. I have no idea why. I have been to the pdoc many many times and it only happened once.

I think that BMI scale is bunk. I would like to lose several pounds and know I am overweight but losing the weight would be where I am comfortable and not according to that stupid BMI.

I have only been weighed by a pdoc when I went into a crisis unit setting-its a house you live in temporarily. I had a bad experience there so I will leave it at that.

The only time my pdoc asked me to get on a scale was when I was on a med that is notorious for weight gain. He had a "respect" for that side effect and didn't want it to be an additional problem, so weighing was to monitor what was going on. Otherwise, no, weighing is not generally the norm. Even in the hospital, they've always just asked for my weight when I was admitted; they haven't actually had me get on a scale.

both psychiatrists i've seen in the past weighed me.
maybe ask the doc to not tell you the number and not look at the scale when weighing.

If you walk in the shrinks 3 stone heavier, He will notice and put you on the scale it could save your life if on the wrong med. My gp often puts me on the scale I hate it to , never seem to loose any, but prob worry if I did.

Thanks, everyone. Hopefully he won't have a scale or won't insist that I get on it if he does. Simply asking not to know the number isn't enough because I don't want anyone to know the number, so if he insists, I will just walk out.

I have severe anxiety around scales - at my GP or gyno appointments, I simply decline to be weighed. I informed both docs that I would only get on a scale if they determined it was medically necessary and then we could discuss it.

My pdoc's office is very much like my therapist's office - not at all a "medical" setting in any way. He's never once mentioned weight or asked me to get on a scale.

Not my psychiatrist, but my GP does and types it into my referral to my psychiatrist :-/

When my son started taking ritalin in kindergarten his pdoc weighed him at each visit. Now that he is adult he doesn't get weighed.

Some pdocs weigh their patients, some don't. It may occur at every session or only once a year. It really depends on the way they do their assessment and treatment, and the patient's particular needs. For some medications, they will want to monitor weight regularly, such as in a child taking stimulants, or any age patient taking antipsychotics. Weight is also a marker of physical and mental health. Some people waste away when they get depressed and charting weight gain can be one way to tell if the treatment is working and the patient's depression is resolving.

I think I have decided to barely eat anything for a week or two and then try to schedule an appointment with a primary care doctor to discuss my concentration instead. I know from past experience that doing so usually causes me to at least lose several pounds in water weight, and I need something to help with my concentration as soon as possible since I begin my chemistry class Monday. Hopefully the primary care doctor will be willing to at least prescribe something to tide me over until the psychiatrist can see me.

Not my pdoc, i could option the scale at neuro checks, but they just ask and take bp(the nurses that is). My gp and obgyn, yes on scales. All data is linked up, anyways.

Sent from my LGMS323 using Tapatalk

I have only had that with Ritalin, as it might cause bad weight loss.

Came out I gained weight on it... yay..

I'm regularly weighed at my pdocs office. After you sign in you go to a smaller room off the waiting room to get your blood pressure and weight taken. I was told it has to do with promoting preventative health- the office is a part of an academic medical center. I was weighed at the first two appointments then I said something like "I don't want to be weighed today". Since then the medical assistant takes my blood pressure and opens the door to let me out without being weighed. Occasionally she'll mention, "you don't want your weight do you?"

I think children will get weighed since they are growing and differnt meds can affect growth. But as an adult I've only been weighed when an ED was suspected. You should be able to decline, even my primary will ask if it's not an annual physical.

My insurance requires my weight or blood pressure. He "forgets" as often as he can.

I usually get weighed, not sure if its like mandatory...I don't have an issue with it but then I have problems becoming too underweight especially when stressed and might not even exactly realize I'd lost that much weight.

I think the main reason a psychiatrist would have that done is to check on if the meds might be contributing to weight gain/loss or just to check on if someone is at a healthy weight or not and if that correlates with their psychological issues at all or something to that effect...its not so they can shame anyone or anything.

Freefallen,
Try not to be so hard on yourself. You are doing the best you can. Your weight is just a number, it's not who who are. I've seen many Pdocs and half of them made me weigh in. I try(although difficult like you) to accept that it's for both our benefit to keep me as healthy

Mine does every time I go now. I said I don't like it and he said hes required to weigh me.

I think it depends on where you see a Pdoc. When I was able to see a private Pdoc there was no BP checks or weight done. Now that I go to a clinic they do the checks and ask about medical problems but I just tell them I don't want to do the weight and it's no big deal. My PCP however I get my weight taken everytime whether is a routine vist or for a specific treason.