Lifetime Self-Harm Behaviors Are Not More Prevalent in Bariatric Surgery Candidates than in Community Controls with Obesity

Incidence and Determinants of Mental Health Service Use After Bariatric Surgery

Importance

Obesity is associated with an increased prevalence of psychiatric disorders. The association of bariatric surgery with mental health outcomes is poorly understood.

Objective

To investigate the association of bariatric surgery with the incidence of outpatient, emergency department (ED), and inpatient mental health service use.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This statewide, mirror-image, longitudinal cohort study used data from Western Australian Department of Health Data Linkage Branch records from all patients undergoing index (ie, first) bariatric surgery in Western Australia over a 10-year period (January 2007-December 2016), with mean (SD) follow-up periods of 10.2 (2.9) years before and 5.2 (2.9) years after index bariatric surgery. The data analysis was performed between November 2018 and March 2019.

Exposures

Index bariatric surgery.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The incidence and predictors for mental health presentations, deliberate self-harm, and suicide in association with the timing of bariatric surgery.

Results

A total of 24 766 patients underwent index bariatric surgery; of these, the mean (SD) age was 42.5 (11.7) years and 19 144 (77.3%) were women. Use of at least 1 mental health service occurred in 3976 patients (16.1%), with 1401 patients (35.2%) presenting only before surgery, 1025 (25.8%) presenting before and after surgery, and 1550 patients (39.0%) presenting only after surgery. There was an increase in psychiatric illness presentations after bariatric surgery (outpatient clinic attendance: incidence rate ratio [IRR], 2.3; 95% CI, 2.3-2.4; ED attendance: IRR, 3.0; 95% CI, 2.8-3.2; psychiatric hospitalization: IRR, 3.0; 95% CI, 2.8-3.1). There was also a 5-fold increase in deliberate self-harm presentations to an ED after surgery (IRR, 4.7; 95% CI, 3.8-5.7), with 25 of 261 postoperatives deaths (9.6%) due to suicide. Complications after bariatric surgery requiring further surgical intervention and a history of mental health service provision before surgery were the most important associations with subsequent mental health presentations after surgery. Deliberate self-harm and mental and behavioral disorders due to psychoactive substance use before bariatric surgery were the main associations with subsequent deliberate self-harm or suicide after surgery.

Conclusions and Relevance

We observed an increase in mental health service presentations after bariatric surgery, particularly among those who had prior psychiatric illnesses or developed surgical complications requiring further surgery. These findings caution the hypothesis that weight reduction by bariatric surgery will improve mental health in patients with obesity.

Circulating but not faecal short-chain fatty acids are related to insulin sensitivity, lipolysis and GLP-1 concentrations in humans

Microbial-derived short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) acetate, propionate and butyrate may provide a link between gut microbiota and whole-body insulin sensitivity (IS). In this cross-sectional study (160 participants, 64% male, BMI: 19.2–41.0 kg/m², normal or impaired glucose metabolism), associations between SCFA (faecal and fasting circulating) and circulating metabolites, substrate oxidation and IS were investigated. In a subgroup (n = 93), IS was determined using a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression analysis adjusted for sex, age and BMI. Fasting circulating acetate, propionate and butyrate concentrations were positively associated with fasting GLP-1 concentrations. Additionally, circulating SCFA were negatively related to whole-body lipolysis (glycerol), triacylglycerols and free fatty acids levels (standardized (std) β adjusted (adj) −0.190, P = 0.023; std β adj −0.202, P = 0.010; std β adj −0.306, P = 0.001, respectively). Circulating acetate and propionate were, respectively, negatively and positively correlated with IS (M-value: std β adj −0.294, P < 0.001; std β adj 0.161, P = 0.033, respectively). We show that circulating rather than faecal SCFA were associated with GLP-1 concentrations, whole-body lipolysis and peripheral IS in humans. Therefore, circulating SCFA are more directly linked to metabolic health, which indicates the need to measure circulating SCFA in human prebiotic/probiotic intervention studies as a biomarker/mediator of effects on host metabolism.

Depression and Suicide After Bariatric Surgery

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Individuals with morbid obesity benefit from bariatric surgery with respect to weight loss and decreases in obesity-related somatic disorders. This paper focuses on psychosocial outcomes and provides a narrative review of recent meta-analyses and controlled studies concerning postoperative depression and suicide.

RECENT FINDINGS

Considerable evidence shows short- and medium-term improvement in depressive symptoms after surgery. However, a subgroup of patients exhibits erosion of these improvements or new onset of depression in the long run. Some studies have found an increased risk for suicide among postoperative patients. Prospective longitudinal examinations of factors contributing to the increased risk for postoperative depression and suicide and the interaction between these factors are warranted. The inclusion of mental health professionals in bariatric teams would help to monitor patients for negative psychosocial outcomes and to identify those patients who are vulnerable to depression, suicide, and any other forms of deliberated self-harm following surgery.

Skin picking in patients with obesity: Associations with impulsiveness and self-harm

Previous studies suggest elevated prevalence rates of skin picking and self-harm in patients with obesity compared to individuals in the general population. Hence, further studies should investigate prevalence rates and correlates of skin picking in this population - especially its differentiation to self-harm. Skin picking and obesity are both associated with specific facets of impulsiveness. This relation should be explored to shed light on potentially shared mechanisms in etiology. Therefore, the present study examined the occurrence of skin picking and its associations with impulsiveness and self-harm in a sample of pre-bariatric surgery patients with obesity class II/III. Within the routine preoperative psychiatric evaluation, a total of 139 bariatric surgery candidates (78% female, BMI range 35-69) completed a self-report questionnaire assessing sociodemographic variables, anxiety, depression, self-harm, impulsiveness, and skin picking severity (urges: frequency, intensity, controllability; behavior: frequency, intensity, controllability; resistance, emotional distress, impairment, and avoidance). Ten participants (7.2% of the sample) reported recurrent skin picking leading to skin damage, repeated attempts to decrease skin picking, and psychosocial impairment (emotional distress, impairment in functional areas, avoidance) due to skin picking. In line with previous findings, skin picking severity shows a medium correlation with attentional impulsiveness. The majority of self-harm types were not associated with skin picking severity. The current study reveals a high occurrence of skin picking compared to the general population. The results indicate an association between skin picking severity and attentional impulsiveness. Further research is needed to investigate the differentiation of skin picking and self-harm in more detail.