Prevalence of psychiatric disorders in a population candidate for obesity surgery: experience in psychiatric assessment in a public hospital within a multidisciplinary morbid obesity treatment team

Abstract

Currently, obesity has become one of the greatest concerns of global health since it is associated with a significant increase in population morbidity and mortality. Specifically for severe obesity (BMI> to 40) treatments that include bariatric surgeries have shown greater efficacy in the long term outcomes. This article presents the prevalence of psychiatric disorders observed in the pre-surgical assessment of 968 candidates from a multidisciplinary team of a public hospital in the city of Buenos Aires during the period 2006 to 2011. The 68% of the sample (n=656) corresponded to women from an age range of 19 to 69 years while 32% of de sample (n=312) corresponded to males from 18 to 72 years. The evaluation was carried out in the form of a semi-structured clinical interview that resulted in a high prevalence of psychiatric disorders: 46.5%. Of which eating disorders predominate (51%), affective disorders (36.2%) and anxiety disorders (10%), including in the latter the percentage of adjustment disorders. These results were contrasted with relevant studies from other countries. As a conclusion, the need for standardized measurement methods is evident. So is the importance of specialized psychiatric approaches within the framework of surgical treatment teams for obesity, given that the most prevalent psychiatric pathologies are not considered an impediment to surgeries if they are adequately treated. The role of the mental health specialist is of vital importance for the improvement of the treatment results, so it should not be reduced to assess the aptitude of the candidate for surgery.