Does Weight Loss Surgery Cause an Increased Suicide Risk?

If your obesity problem has caused you to consider weight loss surgery, you aren't alone. Bariatric surgery is becoming increasingly popular among the morbidly obese as a long-term solution to their obesity problems. There are many benefits of bariatric surgery and it has the ability to resolve many weight-related issues like hypertension, diabetes, sleep apnea, arthritis, pseudotumor cerebri and more. Unfortunately, despite the many obvious advantages of bariatric surgeries, there are many risks as well. There is the immediate risk of infection, bleeding, and even death. Some long-term risks include: low blood sugar, vitamin & mineral deficiencies, gallstones, and researchers have recently discovered that suicide is also a risk of bariatric surgery.

Researchers followed over 16,000 post bariatric patients for a period of ten years. The research showed that 14 out of 10.000 males became depressed enough to contemplate or attempt suicide following surgery. For women, 5 out of 10,000 were suicide. Within a two-year period following surgery, 30 percent of 14 male and 5 female post weight loss surgery patients actually committed suicide, and 70 percent within a three-year post-op period. In comparison to those who haven't undergone weight loss surgery, these finding are quite a bit higher, suggesting that the post-surgical patients became suicidal as a direct result of their weight loss procedure.

The reason that many people become depressed enough to consider or actually commit suicide following bariatric surgery is unknown, although some professionals speculate that the drastic lifestyle changes required in order to be completely successful following surgery may be too much for some to handle. This is why surgical weight loss programs require that patients start to make these changes prior to surgery, so that the transition isn't such a shock. Ohters believe that weight loss surgery affects certain brain chemicals, possibly leading to suicidal thoughs. There are other theories that are currently being researched in order to attempt to explain why some people commit suicide after undergoing weight loss surgery.

Although bariatric surgery can completely change a morbidly obese person's life for the better, those choosing to undergo this type of obesity treatment need to be made aware of all of the possible risks of the surgery. Bariatric surgery is no walk in the park, but as long as patients have been informed of every possible complication, there is no reason for a person not to choose this route as a means to treating their condition. Every bariatric center is required to provide or suggest a mental health professional to help bariatric patients pre and post-op, so if the issue ever arises, patients will have the support necessary. One main thing that bariatric patients need to remember is to follow-up regularly with their surgeon, which is essential to continued physical and mentalh health.

References

Health News, Suicide Risks of Bariatric Surgery - http://www.healthnews.com/nutrition-diet/weight-loss/weight-loss-surgery-can-increase-suicide-risk-4483.html

Mayo Clinic Gastric Bypass Info - http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/gastric-bypass/MY00825/DSECTION=risks