DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND BINGE EATING BEFORE AND AFTER BARIATRIC SURGERY: PROBLEMS THAT REMAIN

BACKGROUND: As the number of surgeries increases and the elapsed time of the realization increases as well, the postoperative evaluations would become increasingly necessary. AIM: To assess the psychological profile before and after surgery. METHODS: Were evaluated 281 patients from the public service of bariatric surgery. In this study, 109 patients completed the evaluations before surgery (T0) and up to 23 months after surgery (T1); 128 completed the evaluations in T0 and between 24 months and 59 months after surgery (T2); and 44 completed the evaluations in T0 and 60 months after surgery (T3). A semi-structured interview, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety (BAI), and the Binge Eating Scale (BES) were used. RESULTS: There was a higher prevalence of female (83%), patients with less than 12 years of education (83%), and patients who have a partner (64%). Analyzing all times of evaluation, regarding anxiety, depression, and binge eating, there was a reduction in all symptoms in T1, pointing to significant improvements in the first 23 months after surgery. Already, in T2 and T3, there was an increase in all indicators of anxiety, depression, and binge eating pointing to the transient impact of weight loss or bariatric surgery on these symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows the importance of the continuous psychological evaluation and needs for the appropriate interventions for these patients who have undergone bariatric surgery, even after weight loss.