Does comorbid psychiatric disorder argue for or against surgical treatment of obesity?

摘要

In this issue of the journal, Miihlans et al. describe high rates of mood, anxiety and eating disorders in a sample of patients awaiting bariatric surgery for severe obesity. Nearly one third met criteria for a current mood disorder; one fifth had a current anxiety disorder, and over half had at least one current psychiatric diagnosis. Elevated rates of mood and anxiety disorders in patients awaiting bariatric surgery are certainly not surprising. As Muhlans et al. describe, community surveys consistently find an association between obesity and common mental disorders, and most find that this association grows stronger with increasing body mass index (BMI). Given the mean BMI of nearly 50 in this sample, a 30% rate of current mood disorder is consistent with data from community survevs.