Journal of Obesity & Weight Loss Therapy
Open Access

Abstract

Background: Non-standardized assessment and small size of the sample hamper conclusions of the investigations on relationship between severe obesity and psychiatric disorders. Methods: 393 treatment-seeking patients (79.1% women; mean age 43.0 years, mean BMI: 47.8 kg/m2) were consecutively recruited from a bariatric center and trained clinicians ascertained the psychiatric diagnosis of the participants through SCID-I. We determined the frequency, persistence and co-morbidity pattern of psychiatric disorders in the sample. Results: The rate of current psychiatric disorders was 57.8%, being anxiety disorders the most frequent diagnosis (46.3%). The rate of lifetime disorders was 80.9%, being affective disorders the most frequent diagnosis (64.9%). Psychiatric disorders showed to be a persistent feature (SR 71.4). Anxiety disorders were significantly the most persistent class (SR 84.7). Subsequently, eating disorders (SR 57.2) stood out as a salient class of disorders. Affective disorders and substance use disorders appeared to be unstable across lifetime, being 33.3 and 17.4 respectively. Bipolar disorders were significantly correlated with all classes of disorders (p<0.0001). Worth noting, depressive disorders did not correlated with eating disorders in this sample of severe obese patients and anxiety was not correlated with substance use. Conclusions: Psychiatric disorders are frequent and persistent conditions among obese patients before bariatric surgery. Anxiety, mood, and eating disorders stand out as the most related with severe obesity. Implications of recognition and treatment of psychiatric disorders on surgery outcome should be demonstrated in follow-up and intervention studies.

Biography

Email: leoduarteguerra@hotmail.com