How Soon Do Depression and Anxiety Symptoms Improve after Bariatric Surgery?

Depression and anxiety are prevalent among bariatric surgery candidates, yet little is known about the course of symptoms after surgery. This study aimed to identify how soon changes in depression and anxiety occur after surgery. A retrospective review of patients treated at a university hospital was conducted. Participants attended a presurgical psychological evaluation, completed surgery, and attended follow-up visits with bariatric medical providers (2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months postoperatively). Depression and anxiety symptoms were assessed at all time points by the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Depression and Anxiety. Generalized estimating equations models with repeated measures by person over time were used to examine change in depression and anxiety symptoms across time. Among 27 patients, anxiety (incident rate ratio (IRR) = 0.81, p = 0.04) and depression (IRR = 0.78, p = 0.05) significantly improved both 6 weeks and 3–6 months after bariatric surgery, after controlling for education, marital status, surgery type, age, and baseline body mass index. This is the first known study to show faster improvement in anxiety compared to depression after bariatric surgery. Understanding reductions in anxiety and depression symptoms may be important for postoperative care and timing of weight maintenance interventions.