Psychiatria pre prax 1/2021

Psychiatric aspects of bariatric surgery

Metabolic bariatric surgery is a relatively new but increasingly more used treatment of morbid obesity, which has become one of the most serious and fastest growing illnesses in developed countries and represents a significant medical and socio-economic problem. In the last decades, plenty of evidence has come to light connecting a variety of mental disorders with obesity including possible neurobiological connections. Bariatric surgery is currently the most effective treatment method for morbid obesity and its comorbidities. However, new evidence suggests that in some patients it can also have a negative impact on their mental health. Approximately 40% of candidates for bariatric surgeries present with at least one psychiatric diagnosis. Identification of these disorders improves the quality of preoperative care and helps to predict the process of weight loss and the compliance of patients after the procedure. The aim of this article is to introduce the role of a psychiatrist in the process of bariatric surgery. We based this on the results of international studies, scientific publications, case studies as well as our own observations in practice. For years Fakultná nemocnica Trnava (University hospital) has been one of the facilities in Slovakia focused on the complex treatment of morbidly obese patients, and therefore the metabolic bariatric surgeries have become everyday part of psychiatric care in our psychiatric ward.

Keywords: obesity, bariatric surgery, psychiatry, bariatry, sleeve gastrectomy