Eating behavior in morbidly obese patients undergoing gastric surgery: Differences between obese people with and without psychiatric disorders

Background: This study analyzes eating behavior in a group of morbidly obes e patients who have undergone gastric reduction surgery for weight loss, an d evaluates whether the existence of psychiatric comorbidity marks signific ant differences in their eating behavior. Methods: The study group was comp osed of 100 morbidly obese patients (85 females, 15 males) who had received surgical treatment for weight reduction (vertical banded gastroplasty). 40 of these patients (40%) met ICD-10 criteria for the diagnosis of psychiatr ic disorders and were included in the "Psychiatric Obese group" (PO). The o ther 60 patients (60%) did not show ICD-10 diagnostic criteria and were inc luded in the "Non-Psychiatric Obese group" (NO). Each patient completed the Binge Eating Scale (BES), the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire, the Bulim ia Investigatory Test-Edinburgh (SITE), and the Eating Disorder Inventory ( ED]). Results: Significant differences were found between the two groups (PO and NO) in the Binge Eating Scale (p<0.001), Three Factor Eating Questionnaire subscale Disinhibition (p<0.001), BITE (p<0.001), Eating Disorder Inventory subscale Perfectionism (p<0.002), and Global EDI (p<0.001). Logistic regre ssion analysis showed correlation between PO group and Global EDI (Odds Rat io OR=1.43) and BITE (OR=1.16). No significant gender differences were foun d for eating behavior, clinical diagnosis, age, percentage of weight loss, time after operation, and BMI before surgery. Conclusion: Surgically treated morbidly obese patients with a psychiatric d isorder (PO) have a more destructured eating pattern (with a predominance o f binge eating and disinhibition) than NO.