The Impact of Bariatric Surgery on Body Image and Mental Health
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51338/rppsm.2019.v5.i4.90Keywords:
Bariatric Surgery/psychology, Body Image, Mental Disorders, Mental Health, Obesity/psychologyAbstract
Body image, in the subsequence of bariatric surgery and the inherent fast and massive experience of weight loss, may suffer many changes such as dissatisfaction or distortion. This narrative review aims to explore the conception of body image in obese patients and the experience of their own body after bariatric surgery, as well as the reflection of this intervention in their mental health. Additionally, this study further clarifies the potential dissociation between the time of physical‑metabolic adaptation and psychological adaptation, the use of aesthetic correction procedures after bariatric surgery, as well as the motivations that sustain the choice for such surgical strategies.
The acquisition of the bibliographic information was performed through a research on PubMed and SCOPUS platforms, starting from the following combination of terms: body image and bariatric surgery. Studies obtained in the last five years were analyzed, corresponding to investigations conducted or based on the obese population.
Most of the studies corroborate the benefits of bariatric surgery in the conception of body image; however, the existence of unsatisfactory results, limited improvements in time or negative repercussions in the field of mental health have also been reported. The psychological transformation may even take a different pace of development from the fast and simultaneous physical‑metabolic transformation. The evidence of the benefit of having subsequent aesthetic corrective surgery, such as body lifting, has been increasingly consistent, associated with generalized psychosocial improvements.
However, the motivations that underlie the use of bariatric surgery and body lifting remain unclear.
The changes caused by bariatric surgery may expose the patient to stresses never experienced or projected before surgery, so that the long‑term follow‑up of the post‑bariatric patient by psychology or psychiatry is an essential step for the whole evaluation of the effect of this type of surgery.
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