title: Correlates of suicidal ideation and/or behavior in bariatric-surgery-seeking individuals with severe obesity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Approximately 10% of severely obese bariatric-surgery-seeking individuals report a lifetime history of suicide attempts, a higher rate than in the general community. Being overweight is associated with weight-related stigma, making an individual more vulnerable to social isolation, a potential risk factor for suicidal ideation and/or behavior.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  In this cross-sectional study of surgery-seeking adults with severe obesity, we examined whether weight-related stigma increases (1) the likelihood of suicidal ideation and/or behavior or (2) the degree of loneliness; and whether hypotheses (1) and (2) are supported (3) if loneliness mediates the effect of weight-related stigma on suicidal ideation and/or behavior.
  
  
  METHODS
  Online questionnaires were administered to 301 women and 95 men seeking bariatric surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Approximately 30.3% reported having at least a passing thought of suicide, and 5.55% a suicide attempt during their lifetime. The suicide attempt rate appears lower than other bariatric surgery samples, but possibly higher than community and other surgery sample rates. For severely obese surgery-seeking women, weight-related stigma was associated with suicidal ideation and/or behavior, though this was not mediated by loneliness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Future studies are needed to model and compare suicidal ideation and/or behavior in bariatric-surgery-seeking individuals and control groups.
authors.affiliation: Adult Eating and Weight Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA. chen@bsd.uchicago.edu
authors.forename: E Y
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Fettich
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: McCloskey
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D050110:Bariatric Surgery / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008132:Loneliness / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires