Psychosocial Characteristics of Bariatric Surgery Candidates

This chapter discusses the psychosocial characteristics of individuals who present for bariatric surgery. Psychosocial distress is common among those with extreme obesity and likely plays a significant role in the decision to undergo surgery as well as expectations of postoperative outcomes. A comprehensive discussion of the personality characteristics influenced by extreme obesity is exhaustive; here we focus on presenting a broad summary of some of the most relevant preoperative issues. The related literature on quality of life, body image, and sexual behavior is reviewed in Chap. 3. While we briefly discuss symptoms of depression, anxiety, and disordered eating, a more complete discussion of these clinical conditions appears in Chaps. 2 and 3. The assessment of these personality characteristics and formal diagnoses is an important part of the preoperative assessment of bariatric surgery candidates. The preoperative mental health assessment is described in detail in Chap. 5. The present chapter concludes with a discussion of the relationship between preoperative personality characteristics and related life experience and postoperative outcomes.