Psychologist Education... NOTE: This section of our website is geared toward licensed psychologists or psychiatrists. As a result, we use technical terms and language that may have meanings different from routine words or ideas. If you are not a psychologist or psychiatrist, we urge you to use caution in reading and interpreting this section. Thanks for your understanding! As a pyschologist or psychiatrist, you have significant knowledge about mental health, disease, and treatment from your training and practice. We want to help you understand the illness of obesity and our work. Here is a Primer about obesity that discusses the basics of obesity. As part of our evaluation of a patient's suitability for bariatric surgery, we are interested in a variety of aspects of mental health and functioning. In specific, we would like to know if there is: Active serious mental illnesses like multiple personality disorder, dissociative disorder, self-injurious behavior, recent suicide attempts, and recent hospitalization (within 12-24 months) for mental disease. Untreated severe depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, or anxiety may be a concern as well. These illness may make it difficult or even impossible for patiets to follow instructions that are vital for safety and well-being after surgery. If these serious illnesses are not active or well controlled, our surgeons may not consider operation. Active substance abuse, whether alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamines, or any other recreational drug. The abuse of these materials may make compliance uncertain. Lack of support from family, friends, spouse, or coworkers. Poor support networks can precipitate depression, poor dietary choice that can lead to failure of the operation, and severe disappointment for the patient. This lack of support may threaten compliance and lead to complications or even death. Patients that are lying to their family or hiding their choice of bariatric surgery are at risk for failure. Ability to cope with the significant changes in identity, body image, and relationships with others and with food. For many patients, the loss of food as a comfort measure is also a significant component. We are interested in the patient's ability to deal with change, challenge, and their coping methods. This page is still under construction; please be patient as we work to clarify the information on this page. We appreciate your understanding and interest!