Temperamental and personality traits in obese/overweight patients who refer to Plastic Surgery: a Padua Pilot study.

Background: literature evidenced correlation between psychiatric disorders and overweight/obese (BMI>25) conditions, management and treatment. There are involved psychiatric diseases and temperamental traits. Our study, born from collaboration between Psychiatric and Plastic Surgery Clinic of Padua University, wants to detect psychiatric disorders, temperamental traits and body image perception in overweight-obese patients who seek surgical liposuction or abdominoplastic. Methods: we studied (March 2008 -June 2011), 28 consecutive patients who refer for surgical enhancement (age 18-60 ys) with BMI<34.9 at the recruitment. Exclusion criteria are: organic disorders or drugs that could interfere with obesity; cognitive deficit and psychosis. 30 patients refused psychiatric evaluation. This clinical population has been compared to a control group (N=25) from general population. Psychiatric evaluation was based on clinical information, Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview, Beck Depression Inventory, Yale Brown Scale, Paykel Life Events Scale, NEO Five Factory Inventory, Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire, Body Shape Questionnaire. Results: case group evidenced higher scores in lifetime depression and BSQ scores with a moderate/mild concern with body shapes; focus on personality traits, TPQ revealed higher score in subscale dependence/independence and significant higher presence at YBS for obsessive-compulsive characteristics; NEO-FFI Openness to experience is higher in control. Conclusions: It’s unmistakable that affective sphere is relevant but also obsessive-compulsive and temperamental traits and negative body shape perception. These aspects are implicated in treatments adhesion and clinical outcome. Possibility to individuate patients who present those characteristics is an instrument to avoid early post-treatment relapse and give the possibility to refer to psychiatric care before and after surgery.