Disability and psychological burden in severe obesity: results from a structured psychosomatic assessment of candidates for metabolic and bariatric surgery - Takeaways - MDSpire
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Psychological Impact and Disability Associated with Severe Obesity: Findings from a Comprehensive Psychosomatic Evaluation of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Candidates

  • By

  • Angelika Thönnes

  • Sebastian Holländer

  • Gudrun Wagenpfeil

  • Michael Noll-Hussong

  • Christoph Heinz

  • Matthias Riemenschneider

  • July 8, 2026

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  • 1

    A total of 220 adults with severe obesity underwent a structured psychosomatic assessment prior to metabolic and bariatric surgery.

  • 2

    Over 60% of patients met DSM-IV Axis I criteria for current psychopathology, with affective disorders being the most prevalent.

  • 3

    The mean WHODAS score was 20.3, indicating that 76.7% of patients experienced clinically significant disability.

  • 4

    Moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms were observed in 47.1% of patients, highlighting the psychological burden associated with severe obesity.

  • 5

    Disability was more strongly associated with depressive symptoms and psychosocial functioning than with BMI among the candidates.

Original Source(s)

Disability and psychological burden in severe obesity: results from a structured psychosomatic assessment of candidates for metabolic and bariatric surgery

  • by Angelika Thönnes, Sebastian Holländer, Gudrun Wagenpfeil, Michael Noll-Hussong, Christoph Heinz, Matthias Riemenschneider

  • July 8, 2026

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