Self-Harm Before and Six Months After Obesity Surgery

• Published in: Obesity surgery Vol. 34; no. 10; pp. 3579 - 3591
• Main Authors: Thomas, Tobias A., Tilk, Katja, Klassen, Katharina, Pommnitz, Melanie, Wunder, Ruth, Mall, Julian W., Köhler, Hinrich, de Zwaan, Martina, Meyer, Günther, Hüttl, Thomas P., Müller, Astrid
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.10.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental depression; Original Contributions; Psychopathology; Self destructive behavior; Suicidal ideation; Surgery; Weight control; Depression; Anxiety; Obesity surgery; Self-harm; Eating pathology; Alcohol use
• ISSN: 0960-8923; 1708-0428; 1708-0428
• DOI: 10.1007/s11695-024-07439-3

Purpose Previous research on obesity surgery (OS) showed that patients do not only experience weight loss but also improvements in certain mental health outcomes (e.g., depression) after OS. However, self-harm behaviors might increase after OS. Regarding self-harm, the literature is mostly limited to studies using data from hospital or emergency room charts. This longitudinal study examined self-reported self-harm behaviors and potential psychopathological correlates before and after OS. Materials and Methods Pre-surgery patients ( N  = 220) filled out a set of questionnaires before and approximately six months after OS. Self-harm behaviors were captured with the Self-Harm Inventory. The assessments further included standardized instruments to measure symptoms of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, alcohol use, and suicidal ideations. Results Any self-harm was reported by 24.6% before and by 25.0% after OS. No differences in the number of self-harm behaviors or prevalence of any self-harm before and after OS were found. Overall, 11.4% experienced self-harm behaviors at both times. A subset showed self-harm behaviors only before (13.2%) OS and another subset only after OS (13.6%). These two groups were about the same size. Self-harm behaviors showed strong associations with psychopathology after OS, especially with depression and suicidal ideation. Conclusion No increase in self-harm behaviors after OS emerged. Still, a subgroup showed self-harm behaviors after OS closely linked to further psychopathology. This mirrors the need to implement screening for self-harm before and after OS into OS care. Further studies with longer follow up periods are needed to extend these findings. Graphical Abstract