Suicidal ideation and behaviours among adolescents receiving bariatric surgery: A case-control study

Objective This study examined the prevalence and correlates of suicidal ideation and behaviour (SI/B) among adolescents receiving bariatric surgery. Method Charts of 206 adolescents receiving bariatric surgery were reviewed. Cases with SI/B (current/lifetime reported at baseline or event occurring in the programme n = 31, 15%) were case matched on gender, age and surgery type to 31 adolescents reporting current or past psychiatric treatment and 31 adolescents denying lifetime SI/B or psychiatric treatment. Results Before surgery, adolescents with SI/B reported significantly lower total levels of health-related quality of life (p = 0.01) and greater depressive symptoms (p = 0.004) in comparison with candidates who never received psychiatric treatment. No significant differences were found between groups for the change in depressive symptoms or body mass index following surgery. Conclusions As in studies of adults, a notable subset of adolescents receiving bariatric surgery indicated pre-operative or post-operative SI/B. It is critical that clinicians evaluate and monitor adolescent patients undergoing bariatric surgery for risk of SI/B.