Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A Comparison of Eating Disorders among Patients Receiving Surgical vs Non-surgical Weight-loss Treatments

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Obesity Surgery Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

Little is known about differences between patients in surgical and non-surgical weight-loss treatments (WLT) regarding eating disorders, level of general psychopathology, and health-related quality of life (HRQL). Such differences could indicate different clinical needs in the management of surgical compared to non-surgical WLT patients.

Methods

Participants were a subset of 100 patients from a Swedish study investigating the long-term effects of eating disorders in WLT. Participants filled out the Eating Disorders in Obesity Questionnaire as well as self-rating questionnaires of general psychopathology and HRQL before initiating surgical (n = 54) or non-surgical (n = 46) WLT.

Results

Eating disorders were found to be more common among patients accepted for surgical treatments, whereas binge eating (as a symptom) was found to be equally common in both groups. Surgical patients also indicated higher levels of psychopathology compared to those receiving non-surgical treatment.

Conclusion

Patients in surgical WLT are younger, more obese, and indicate higher levels of eating disorders and psychopathology than non-surgical WLT patients. Results highlight the importance of surgical WLT units having adequate knowledge, resources, and methods for detecting and addressing issues of eating disorders and psychopathology before and during the WLT. Future longitudinal studies need to ascertain to what extent eating and general psychopathology influence the outcome of WLT in terms of lapses, complications, weight gain, quality of life, etc.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Pories WJ, Beshay JE. Surgery for obesity: procedures and weight loss. In: Fairburn CG, Brownell KD, editors. Eating disorders and obesity. 2nd ed. New York: The Guilford Press; 2002. p. 562–7.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Wilson GT, Brownell KD. Behavioural treatment for obesity. In: Fairburn CG, Brownell KD, editors. Eating Disorders and Obesity. 2nd ed. New York: The Guilford Press 2002. p. 524–8.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Hsu LK, Mulliken B, McDonagh B, et al. Binge eating disorder in extreme obesity. Int J Eat Disord. 2002;26:1398–403.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. de Man Lapidoth J, Ghaderi A, Norring C. Eating disorders and disordered eating among patients seeking non-surgical weight-loss treatment in Sweden. Eat Behav. 2006;7:15–26.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Spitzer RL, Yanovski SZ, Wadden TA, et al. Binge eating disorder: its further validation in a multisite study. Int J Eat Disord. 1993;13:137–53.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Burgmer R, Gritgutch K, Zipfel S, et al. The influence of eating behavior and eating pathology on weight loss after gastric restriction operations. Obes Surg. 2005;15(5):684–91.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Bulik CM, Sullivan PF, Kendler KS. Medical and psychiatric morbidity in obese women with and without binge eating. Int J Eat Disord. 2002;32:72–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Doll HA, Petersen SEK, Stewart-Brown SL. Obesity and physical and emotional well-being: associations between body mass index, chronic illness and the physical and mental components of the SF-36 questionnaire. Obes Res. 2000;8:160–70.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. de Zwaan M, Lancaster KL, Mitchell JE, et al. Health-related quality of life in morbidly obese patients: effects of gastric bypass surgery. Obes Surg. 2002;12(6):773–80.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Yanovski SZ, Nelson JE, Dubbert BK, et al. Association of binge eating disorder and psychiatric comorbidity in obese subjects. Am J Psychiatry. 1993;150:1472–9.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Marcus MD, Wing RR, Hopkins J. Obese binge eaters: affect, cognition and response to behavioral weight control. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1988;56:433–9.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Mitchell JE, Mussell MP. Comorbidity and binge eating disorder. Addict Behav. 1995;20:725–32.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Gladis MM, Wadden TA, Vogt R, et al. Behavioral treatment of obese binge eaters: do they need different care? J Psychosom Res. 1998;40:375–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Hsu LK, Benotti PN, Dwyer J, et al. Nonsurgical factors that influence the outcome of bariatric surgery: a review. Psychosom Med. 1998;60:338–46.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Greenberg I, Perna F, Kaplan M, et al. Behavioral and psychological factors in the assessment and treatment of obesity surgery patients. Obes Res. 2005;2:244–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 4th ed. Washington DC: American Psychiatric Association; 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Dymek-Valentine M, Rienecke-Hoste R, Alverdy J. Assessment of binge eating disorder in morbidly obese patients evaluated for gastric bypass: SCID versus QEWP-R. Eat Weight Disord. 2004;9:211–6.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Kalarchian MA, Wilson GT, Brolin RE, et al. Effects of bariatric surgery on binge eating and related psychopathology. Eat Weight Disord. 1999;4:1–5.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Kalarchian MA, Wilson GT, Brolin RE, et al. Assessment of eating disorders in bariatric surgery candidates: self-report questionnaire versus interview. Int J Eat Disord. 2000;28:465–9.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Giusti V, Héraief E, Gaillard RC. Predictive factors of binge eating disorder in women searching to loose weight. Eat Weight Disord. 2004;9:44–55.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Grissett NI, Fitzgibbon ML. The clinical significance of binge eating in an obese population: support for BED and questions regarding its criteria. Addict Behav. 1996;21:57–66.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Ricca V, Mannucci E, Moretti S, et al. Screening for binge eating disorder in obese outpatients. Compr Psychiatry. 2000;41:111–5.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Ho KSI, Nichaman MZ, Wendell CT, et al. Binge eating disorder, retention, and dropout in an adult obesity program. Int J Eat Disord. 1995;18:291–4.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Banchieri L, Patrizi B, Kotzalidis G, et al. Treatment choice and psychometric characteristics: differences between patients who choose bariatric surgical treatment and those that do not. Obes Surg. 2006;16:1630–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Kuehnel RH, Waddem TA. Binge eating disorder, weight cycling, and psychopathology. Int J Eat Disord. 1994;4:321–9.

    Google Scholar 

  26. Ghaderi A, Scott B. The preliminary reliability and validity of the Survey for Eating Disorders (SEDs): a self-report questionnaire for diagnosing eating disorders. Eur Eat Disord Rev. 2002;10:61–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. de Man Lapidoth J, Ghaderi A, Halvarsson K, Norring C. Validity and reliability of the eating disorders in obesity questionnaire; a comparison with the EDE-interview. Eat Weight Disord. 2007;12(4):168–75.

  28. Sullivan M, Karlsson J, Taft C. SF-36 Hälsoenkät: Swedish Manual and Interpretation Guide. 2nd ed. Gothenburg: Sahlgrenska University Hospital; 2002.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Svanborg P, Åsberg M. A new self-rating scale for depression and anxiety states based on the Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 1994;89:21–8.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Fairburn CG, Cooper Z. The eating disorder examination. In: Fairburn CG, Wilson GT, editors. Binge eating: nature, assessment and treatment. 12th ed. New York: Guilford Press; 1993.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Fairburn CG, Cooper Z, Shafran R. Cognitive behaviour therapy for eating disorders: a “transdiagnostic” theory and treatment. Behav Res Ther. 2003;41:509–28.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. le Grange D, Binford RB, Peterson CB, et al. DSM-IV Threshold versus subthreshold bulimia nervosa. Int J Eat Disord. 2006: 462–7.

  33. Striegel-Moore RH, Wilson GT, Wilfley DE, et al. Binge eating in an obese community sample. Int J Eat Disord. 1998;23:27–37.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. de Zwaan M, Mitchell JE, Specker SM, et al. Diagnosing the binge eating disorder: level of agreement between self-report and expert-rating. Int J Eat Disord. 1993;14:289–95.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Holm S. A simple sequential rejective multiple test procedure. Scand J Statistics. 1979;6:65–70.

    Google Scholar 

  36. Telch CF, Agras WS. Obesity, binge eating and psychopathology: are they related. Int J Eat Disord. 1994;15:53–61.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Sherwood NE, Jeffery RW, Wing RR. Binge status as a predictor of weight loss treatment outcome. Int J Obes. 1999;23:485–93.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Hsu LK, Betancourt S, Sullivan SP. Eating disturbances before and after vertical banded gastroplasty: a pilot study. Int J Eat Disord. 1996;19:23–34.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Kalarchian MA, Marcus MD, Wilson GT, et al. Binge eating among gastric bypass patinets at long-term follow-up. Obes Surg. 2002;12(2);270–5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Medicine, Örebro University and Psychiatric Research Centre, P.O. Box 1613, SE-701 16, Örebro, Sweden

    Joakim de Man Lapidoth

  2. Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

    Ata Ghaderi

  3. Department of Behavioral, Social and Legal Sciences (Psychology), Örebro University and Capio Eat, Varberg, Sweden

    Claes Norring

Authors
  1. Joakim de Man Lapidoth
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ata Ghaderi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Claes Norring
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joakim de Man Lapidoth.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

de Man Lapidoth, J., Ghaderi, A. & Norring, C. A Comparison of Eating Disorders among Patients Receiving Surgical vs Non-surgical Weight-loss Treatments. OBES SURG 18, 715–720 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-007-9250-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-007-9250-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation