EVALUATION OF AFFECTIVE TEMPERAMENT IN MORBID OBESE PATIENTS CANDIDATES FOR SURGICAL TREATMENT

Abstract

Introduction: Affective temperaments are understood as part of the spectrum of mood disorders and comprise the concepts of hyperthymia, dysthymia and cyclothymia. Numerous studies have demonstrated a strong relationship between obesity and psychiatric illnesses, especially mood illnesses. However, few studies have evaluated the association between morbid obesity and affective temperament. Objectives: To evaluate the frequency of the 3 main types of affective temperaments in morbidly obese individuals and in controls without a diagnosis of obesity, and to establish a possible association between affective temperaments and morbid obesity in candidates for bariatric surgery. Methods: The is a case-control study and evaluated 206 individuals, 106 from the Case Group (diagnosed with morbid obesity) and 100 from the Control Group (without a diagnosis of obesity). Assessment was carried out using the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, San Diego Autoquestionnaire – TEMPS, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) and Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS). Results: The average age was 48.1 years; women represented 73.8%; at least 1 affective temperament was 74.5% in the Case Group and 63% in the Control Group. In the morbidly obese group, dysthymic temperament was found in 9.4%, cyclothymic in 21.7% and hyperthymic in 61.3%. When comparing the 2 groups, the age subgroup aged 50 or over showed an Odds Ratio of 2.56 for the hyperthymic temperament. Conclusions: In the subgroup aged 50 or over, cases of morbid obesity were significantly more likely (2.56 times) to occur in individuals with a hyperthymic temperament, compared to individuals who do not have this temperament. Among the 3 types of affective temperaments evaluated, only hyperthymia was considered a risk factor for morbid obesity.