Emergence of bariatric psychiatry as a new subspecialty

Table 1 The aims of bariatric psychiatry

Aims of bariatric psychiatry
To ascertain that there are no psychiatric contraindications to safe bariatric surgery
To diagnose and treat pre-surgery mental conditions that predict poor weight loss
To diagnose and treat post-surgery mental conditions associated with poor quality of life

Table 2 Specific skills required to bariatric psychiatrists

Specific skills
Understanding the complexity of informed consent by bariatric candidates
Capacity to circumvent patients’ reticence in sharing information that could make them not eligible for bariatric surgery
Ability to detect and diagnose problematic eating behaviors other than bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa and binge eating disorder
In-depth understanding of psychiatric medication absorption and altered pharmacokinetics after surgery, as well as the impact of psychiatric medication on weight loss