Obesity surgery: a greater risk of suicide?
In France, more than50,000 bariatric procedures take place each year. The figure has been steadily increasing for more than six years. These invasive methods are only now revealing some of their deleterious effects. Scientists have shown that obese people undergoing bariatric surgery tend to experience suicidal thoughts two to three years after surgery. However, they were already depressed before the intervention.
The three existing bariatric surgery techniques
Obesity surgery changes the anatomy of the digestive system and how it works. Depending on the method chosen, the amount of food absorbed is more or less reduced.
The gastric band is positioned at the top of the stomach to reduce it to a small pouch. Food is slowed down and the subject experiences a rapid feeling of satiety.
Gastrectomy involves removing 2/3 of the stomach, while removing some of the cells that stimulate appetite. Food arrives quickly in the intestine since the stomach is reduced to a simple vertical tube.
The bypass, too, decreases the size of the stomach as well as the assimilation of nutrients that go directly into the small intestine. This affects the hormonal level as well as that of neurotransmissions that regulate appetite and mood.
To learn more about obesity surgery, do not hesitate toconsult our dedicated file
A very sad observation
According to a new study(1) published in the American medical journalJAMA Surgery, researchers followed nearly 9,000 patients who underwent bariatric surgery for six years between 2006 and 2011. Scientists have shown that suicide attempts can occur two to three years after the intervention for half of them.
Within two to three years of the procedure, obese people who have already attempted suicide may think about it again. This is what this study shows! “Long-term follow-up seems really essential,” according to Canadian scientists.
What to do after a bariatric procedure
We must not be comforted in the idea that the operation is just “a bad time to pass” and that after “the future will be rosy”. As with all interventions, a follow-up must be established with the attending physician because thecomplications are multiple (heart ache, vomiting, depression, regurgitation …). This is why eating habits must be profoundly changed. Some operated replace food with alcohol, others will eat little but always as badly. Thus, chocolate, sweets are consumed in smaller quantities but serve as the only meal. Food intake issometimes completely unbalanced. Specialists recommend ensuring a serious and sustainable postoperative follow-up so that the fragility of the people operated is not multiplied.
Figures to take with hindsight
When we know that depression is a disease that has relapse rates of around 50%, we must take this study with more caution. According to INSERM(2)the depressive episode, even if it is quite rare, can be absorbed within six to twelve months. However, in 50 to 80% of cases,A recurrenceoccurs less than five years after the first episode. The more severe the depression, the more numerous the recurrences. Loneliness, obesity, stress… neither matter.
In the case of obese people whoalready have a depressive profile, they must take this data into account. For them, post-operative care must be rigorous and more sustained in the three years following the operation so that it leads to a minimum of traumatic psychological consequences.
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.