Psychiatric Involvement in Obesity Treatment

Obesity is a growing concern among all areas of medicine. Psychiatric patients in particular are more likely than the general population to be overweight and suffer from obesity-related comorbidities. Psychiatrists need to be aware of the risks inherent to psychiatric patients, as well as the weight-related side effects associated with many psychiatric medications. However, awareness alone is not sufficient. Psychiatrists are being asked to take on a greater role in weight management because psychiatric patents frequently do not receive such assistance from other physicians. Another role that psychiatrists may become involved in is the evaluation of bariatric surgery candidates. There are several key areas that must be reviewed to identify patients at risk of poor surgical outcomes and sufficiently address those risk factors.