Bariatric Surgery Is Associated with Postoperative Improvements in Depression

Many researchers have examined mental health outcomes associated with bariatric surgery. In this meta-analysis, researchers assessed the prevalence of preoperative and postoperative mental illness and its relation to weight-loss outcomes. In 59 studies (>65,000 patients), researchers reported mental illness prevalence, and in 27 studies (>50,000 patients), investigators assessed associations between preoperative mental illness and postoperative outcomes in bariatric surgery patients. Mean age range of participants was 40 to 50; mean body-mass index range was 45 kg/m² to 50 kg/m².

Before surgery, prevalence of any mood disorder was 23%. The most common mood disorders were depression and binge eating disorder, with prevalences (19% and 17%, re…