Self-Harm Before and Six Months After Obesity Surgery.

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Bariatric Surgery
• Mental Health

Background:

• Obesity surgery (OS) is associated with weight loss and improved mental health, but potential increases in self-harm behaviors require investigation.
• Existing research on self-harm after OS primarily uses clinical data, necessitating studies on self-reported behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To longitudinally examine self-reported self-harm behaviors before and after OS.
• To identify psychopathological correlates of self-harm in patients undergoing OS.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 220 patients completed questionnaires pre-surgery and six months post-surgery.
• Self-harm was assessed using the Self-Harm Inventory, alongside measures of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, alcohol use, and suicidal ideation.

Main Results:

• The prevalence of any self-harm remained stable (24.6% pre-surgery vs. 25.0% post-surgery).
• No significant differences were found in the number or prevalence of self-harm behaviors before and after OS.
• Self-harm behaviors post-OS were strongly associated with depression and suicidal ideation.

Conclusions:

• Obesity surgery does not appear to increase self-harm behaviors overall.
• A subset of patients exhibited self-harm post-OS, linked to psychopathology, highlighting the need for integrated screening.
• Further longitudinal research is warranted to understand long-term trends.