Psychiatric Suitability Assessment for Bariatric Surgery

Abstract

The aim of this chapter is to review the current evidence base for a psychosocial assessment of bariatric surgery candidates and provide recommendations for providers who evaluate weight loss surgery patients preoperatively. The purpose is to equip practitioners working with bariatric surgery candidates with the tools to help perform evaluation and make appropriate recommendations to patients and surgical teams. Two case vignettes of common clinical presentations will be used to illustrate the assessment process and highlight possible challenges. Recent recommendations and guidelines for the aims of the evaluation, the key elements of the assessment, psychosocial contraindications, and the most common outcomes of the evaluation will be summarized. Finally, the need for a standardized assessment tool as well as multidisciplinary and collaborative approach to bariatric candidates will be highlighted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)