Mental woes common in weight-loss surgery patients

About two-thirds of people seeking weight-loss surgery have suffered from a psychiatric disorder at some point in their lives, and personality disorders are also common among this group, according to researchers.

As reported in the American Journal of Psychiatry, Dr. Melissa A. Kalarchian and colleagues from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center used standard questionnaires to assess psychiatric disorders in 288 patients hoping to have weight-loss surgery.

The group was 83 percent female and 88 percent white, with an average age of 46 years. Their average body mass index was 52. By comparison, a BMI of 25 is considered normal, 27 is overweight, and 30 and above is obese.

Overall, 66 percent of subjects had a lifetime history of at least one psychiatric disorder, most commonly major depressive disorder. Also, 38 percent were currently diagnosed with such a disorder, most often binge eating disorder.

A lifetime history of personality disorder was noted in 28 percent of the subjects, the most common being avoidant personality disorder.

The findings, the investigators point out, "are consistent with studies suggesting psychosocial impairment among (weight-loss) surgery patients."

The team's future work, they say, "will focus on the course of psychiatric disorder during the post-surgery period and its relationship to weight loss and maintenance."

SOURCE: American Journal of Psychiatry, February 2007.