Bariatric surgery is essentially a palliative method which is sometimes accompanied by a fatal adverse events (pulmonary embolism, peritonitis, complications in pancreas, stomach). The surgeon using different methods reduce stomach volume. Therefore, satiety occurs in humans at the lower volume of food. In this case, strong-willed efforts of a human who consciously wants to reduce food intake and lose weight, are replaced by the unconditioned reflex. A small volume of the stomach fills with food quickly, and goes to the brain satiety signal from the stomach. The human begins to lose weight and feel psychologically better.

You have to mesure it before a surgery. It should be done by a psychologist or a psychiatrist.

Indeed, bariatric surgery will result in a great weight loss that mean a great change in body perception. Sometimes, it could be hard for patients and some eating disorders can (re)appeared.

I send you a review of litterature published in Obesity Research & Clinical Practice in 2014. It could be a first step to answer to your question.

About the recommandations, in france there is no preference for one technique when there is psychopathology specially. In fact, if there is per example an eating disroder, yuo have to treat it before an eventually surgery.

Any form of surgery, especially surgery related to self-esteem issues like bariatric surgery, should teach the patient transcending, such as through the effective Natural Stress Relief (NSR) course.

Transcending is an effortless mental technique that brings deep rest to elminate internal, stored stresses. Over time, the regular practice of transcending gradually eliminates all internal stresses, producing a flexible individual capable of peace, happiness, love, productivity, and contentment in life. Further information at www.nsrusa.org .

NSR is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization entirely run by volunteers.

Thank you - I will be looking at the website to find out more.

Hi Maureen,

These resources may interest you.

http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jobe/2013/837989/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3096263/

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/store/10.1038/oby.2008.571/asset/oby.2008.571.pdf;jsessionid=1DD03989BC524E3B9240E1920CC3EB10.f02t03?v=1&t=iq1h4k7u&s=f7ae2a63264bb6c67144933b562746d0aac6ad91

I have heard some reports of patients experiencing suicidality (including suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and some dying by suicide) after bariatric surgery.  We suspect this may relate to a malabsorption of magnesium.  (See the last paragraph in the Implications section of chapter 12.3 "Study of Magnesium in the Treatment of Impulse Attack Suicidality Disorder" in Suicidality: A Roadmap for Assessment and Treatment by DV Sheehan and JM Giddens for more information.)

Book Suicidality: A Roadmap for Assessment and Treatment

Dear Maureen Mitchell

In answer to your question What are the psychological effects of undergoing bariatric surgery to lose weight? As a clinician I have been contacted and treated these patients into working with other physicians, psychologists and bariatric surgeons, if I am convinced of the psychological impact of morbidly obese people who have undergone this type of surgery.

15-20 years long, bariatric surgery was considered to be a palliative treatment for morbid obesity and is used in patients with more than 200 kg, which in addition to obesity as a disease had a lot of complications such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia , venous and arterial peripheral circulatory problems, respiratory failure (COPD), hypertensive and ischemic heart disease, bedsores, infections and respiratory airlines, just to mention a few. Therefore the guirúrgico risk was very high and severe and numerous side effects.

Today bariatric surgery is still indicated in morbidly obese but not extreme degree as before. An equal or greater weight of 40 kg compared to the ideal, and is ideal for display and this intervention time. There are various types and the reason for the discussion is not detail them.

But if we can say that in many cases is no longer palliative, it is preventive for major and serious organic problems (IM, EVC, HAS, EP, TVP, DM2, etc ..). Moreover, there are already scientific evidence of metabolic reversal larago term DM2 and insulin resistance syndrome, insomuch that begins to manage the term of long-term control or cure.

On the positive psychological impact, no doubt. morbid obese patients with depression, anxiety and suicidal tendencies before bariatric surgery; after it improves their quality of life, greater psychological strength, improve self-esteem, self-concept and self-image; depression decreases or disappears, or in the worst case, is more tractable both psychological therapy such as antidepressants, and therefore disappears suicidal ideation.

According to the contributions of Stephen Cheung, interesting and to consider scientific evidence to assess the psychological impact of bariatric surgery

Add others that will be useful to have a more complete picture

regards

Dr. Jose Luis Garcia Vigil

The following is a recent publication on the topic of gastric bypass surgery and self-harm / depression / suicide.

Article Suicide, Self-harm, and Depression After Gastric Bypass Surg...

Dear Maureen:

I attended an interesting course in your institution in 2014 about adolescent obesity and I asked this question to one of the speakers because my perception, as a bariatric surgeon who follows patients in a public university hospital, is that the gain in self-esteem and the improvement in anxiety and depresión is incredible among young obese patients.

I agree with my former colleagues, who gave you scientific information, that pre and post psycological evaluation is quite important and each patient is a different world. First of all, obese adult women have  and important boost of self-esteem due to a significant weight loss and the positive efect in their social sphere. However, cosmetic problems appear later on and should be taken into account.

In all bariatric patients who experience a significant weight loss, the possibility to move without physical problems, the resolution of comorbidities and other improvements are quite important as a positive post-surgical effect.

Nevertheless, bariatric surgery could have serious complications and this should be done by experts, in order to minimize them.

I have never had a suicidal experience among my patients but I agree again that could be possible due to the dramatic change in the body image. Therefore, it is necessary to send these patients, as soon as possible, to the psychiatric team when any alert symptom was discovered in the outpatient clinics.

Best wishes

Jorge de Tomás PhD

 Thank you everyone for sending me very further and interesting resources and publications.  I am glad that there has been interest, thought and research into this form of surgery and functioning.  It seems that there is a lot of provision for the mainstream eating disorders but not obesity per se.