In recent years, the number of bariatric surgeries is constantly increasing as these interventions allow the patient who is suffering from obesity to lose weight and thus improve his quality of life.
So, once you make the decision to undergo a bariatric surgery, you will have to consult a psychological specialist in obesity. The psychological interview usually takes place at the beginning of the bariatric operation process and must be followed later.
Psychological assessment
It is important to know that psychological and relational problems can lead to changes in eating habits, in quality as well as in quantity, and this sometimes without the knowledge of the person who may not be aware of this change.
This is why it is important to perform a psychological assessment. Its objective is to identify the intellectual and emotional disorders that could explain your situation but especially to identify :
Your expectations
Your motivations
The difficulties you have
The difficulties you have encountered in the past.
In short, it is important to understand the reasons that led you to make the decision to undergo a bariatric surgery such as gastric sleeve, gastric bypass… Indeed, it is common to observe psychiatric and addiction disorders in patients.
An incomplete psychological assessment and a poor identification of motivations could have important consequences, including on the health of the patient. Moreover, surgery impacts your physical body and your mind, first and foremost the image you have of yourself. Weight loss, scars, changes in the way people look at you and behave around you as it is not easy to cope with these changes.
In some cases, it can aggravate psychological difficulties or create new ones. This is what doctors want to prevent in order to avoid any risk of complications and for your health.
Care before intervention
This consultation is often the occasion for the patient to meet a psychiatrist for the first time. An empathetic and motivational approach is useful. After these exchanges with the psychologist or psychiatrist, and depending on the results, you will be asked to continue the consultations of the preoperative assessment and/or to begin psychological care before the operation. This can take place over several months.
Post-surgery psychological follow-up
It is proven that a psychological support optimizes the chances of success of surgery. Indeed, although the appearance of the body changes overnight, a certain number of habits and behaviors can remain, in particular the difficulty to take responsibility for one’s diet. Psychological help after a bariatric surgery can take the form of psychological support, cognitive and behavioral therapy, psychotherapy referring to psychoanalysis, projective approaches (projecting one’s internal perceptions into the external world, through drawing and body expression for example).
