Focus. Obesità, chirurgia bariatrica e supporto psicologico

Focus: Obesity, bariatric surgery, and psychological support Quotidiano Medicina 190226 Today, bariatric surgery and psychological support are among the most critical, confirming the markedly multi-specialist approach to severely obese patients. Bariatric surgery is not just an intervention on the anatomy of the stomach, but a profound metabolic and psychological reset and restoration. Dr. Bardi, why do we say and read that the bariatric patient, the obese patient, is a unique patient? Is it because of the complexity of the process they undertake? Is it because of the multidisciplinary interaction that places the surgeon at the center of a mosaic made up of pieces that encompass no fewer than six professional specialties? This week, our journey into obesity treatment addresses the psychological aspects, among the most critical. The approach to the severely obese patient has three phases, all three delicate and fraught with pitfalls. Phase I is the pre-operative phase, where the patient's clinical and emotional suitability is assessed. Dr. Melchiorre, we read that the psychologist explores emotional readiness. What should he identify? Is one of the objectives persuading the patient that surgery is a tool? But does this goal require rigorous participation from everyone, including the patient himself? Dr. Bardi, does the green light for Phase II, the surgery, begin only when the patient is prepared and convinced of the changes that await him? What do you explain to him before the critical moment in the operating room? Dr. Melchiorre, we are in Phase III, the most difficult. After surgery, the body changes rapidly, but the mind is perhaps slower to understand and adapt to what is called body dysmorphic disorder. And there is a danger: the brain can remind the patient of hunger. What kind of hunger is it? How should it be managed? Dr. Bardi, in this delicate phase, the psychologist must assist the patient in recognizing himself in a new body. But he also always seeks you, the surgeon, to ask him many questions. What questions will you ask her? (open the video for free)... Focus with Dr. Ugo Bardi, Head of General Surgery and Bariatric Surgery at C. Cura Salus Battipaglia (SA) and with Dr. Flavia Melchiorre, psychologist and psychotherapist