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Bipolar Disorder Symptoms in Patients Seeking Bariatric Surgery

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Abstract

Background

Mood disorders are common among patients seeking bariatric surgery although little data exist regarding the prevalence of bipolar symptoms in this population and how they influence surgical outcomes. Our aim was to describe baseline rates of bipolar symptoms and their relationship to psychological factors and completing surgery in a sample of adults seeking bariatric surgery at an academic medical center.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the relationship of bipolar symptoms to demographic characteristics, baseline weight, psychological factors, and bariatric surgery completion.

Results

Nine hundred thirty-five patients completed the preoperative psychological evaluation. Six percent of the preoperative sample screened positive for symptoms of bipolar disorder. Patients with bipolar symptoms endorsed more robust psychopathology, trauma history, and problematic eating behaviors than patients without bipolar symptoms. Twenty-two percent of the patients with bipolar symptoms underwent bariatric surgery (n = 12), yet only 13 % were denied bariatric surgery for psychiatric reasons, suggesting that other variables may influence the completion of bariatric surgery for these patients.

Conclusion

Prevalence rates of bipolar symptoms may be greater in patients seeking bariatric surgery compared with the general population, and few patients with bipolar symptoms actually undergo bariatric surgery. Psychological factors differentiate patients with bipolar symptoms who undergo bariatric surgery vs those who do not.

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Conflict of interest

Drs. Grothe, Mundi, Himes, Sarr, and Clark; Ms. Geske; and Ms. Kalsy declare that they have no conflicts of interest. Dr. Frye discloses that he receives grant support from Myriad and Pfizer. He discloses nonfinancial support from GlaxoSmithKline, Astra Zeneca, Bristol-Myers-Squib, Otsuka, and Sanofi-Aventis. These relationships have had no influence on the material in this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St. SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA

    Karen B. Grothe, Matthew M. Clark, Sarah A. Kalsy & Mark A. Frye

  2. Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St. SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA

    Manpreet S. Mundi

  3. Alpert School of Medicine, Brown University, 222 Richmond St., Providence, RI, 02903, USA

    Susan M. Himes

  4. Department of Surgery, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St. SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA

    Michael G. Sarr

  5. Department of Biomedical Statistics and Informatics, Mayo Clinic, 200 First. St. SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA

    Jennifer R. Geske

Authors
  1. Karen B. Grothe
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  2. Manpreet S. Mundi
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  3. Susan M. Himes
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  4. Michael G. Sarr
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  5. Matthew M. Clark
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  6. Jennifer R. Geske
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  7. Sarah A. Kalsy
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  8. Mark A. Frye
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Correspondence to Karen B. Grothe.

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Grothe, K.B., Mundi, M.S., Himes, S.M. et al. Bipolar Disorder Symptoms in Patients Seeking Bariatric Surgery. OBES SURG 24, 1909–1914 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-014-1262-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-014-1262-6

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