Increase Rate of Suicide after Gastric Bypass

  Hello All,
I have started a blog to try and get the message out about the startling increase in the rate of suicide and related problems with nutritional related deficiencies post-gastric bypass that many surgeons aren't telling their patients.   The stories that people tell me are absolutely heart breaking. The sad thing is, they are blaming the patients (they call it addiction transfer) when it can be avoided if given the right information. I won't go into the details here, but those of you who are interested or who are experiencing problems or know what I'm talking about can find my blog at http://www.itsnotaddictiontransfer.wordpress.com

I've looked on this site and have seen very little about people with problems with alcohol and addiction.   So either people aren't admitting it on this site or they aren't talking about it, since as many as 30+% of post-gastric bypass patients are having these types of problems. Admittedly, when you are in the depths of despair, you probably aren't going to be on a site like this chatting about how terrible things are - you are probably in denial and hiding it.  Most people go to a site like this to rave about how happy they are.   I know that's what I did my first two years.  These problems usually hit between 18-26 months post-op when your reserves have been ultimately depleted, and you are no longer posting on this site.

I promise this is not to sell anything, I am just trying to get the word out and help people who are having problems and hopefully prevent others from developing problems.   Many of you already know this, but I link to the latest studies on nutritional deficiencies, increased suicide rates, by the scientific publications, etc.  And to all you who are just fine - kudos and congratulations, this is for those who aren't.  If you know of someone who has developed a problem after surgery and they are interested in further information they can email me at [email protected].

Transfer addictions are talked about on here quite often, actually.

I agree with Amber. I've been reading posting daily for 4+ years and alcohol and drug addiction, shopping gambling ...all of the 'transfer addictions' are touched upon. Depression and anxiety are also discussed daily. I will agree that little has been discussed about nutritional deficiencies and their link to increased suicide (nutritional deficiencies and neuropathies, neurological outcomes, dental, osteopathic, reproductive and endocrine are discussed with regularity) but I have yet to see a even a single definitive study that makes a compelling link with suicide. I'm a bit concerned with your statement that doctors aren't informing patients because I don't know whether this is an evidence based statement. My surgeon and metabolic doctor described a detailed set of possible outcomes as a caution to me. That's one bariatric team. There are so many confounding variables with the 'treatment' of morbid obesity via WLS. These are very important issues and there is no doubt that much work needs to be done on longer term outcomes of bariatric surgery, but I'm a little uncomfortable with your post. Susan

 Understood - it is a very uncomfortable issue.  I was very happy to find the cross-addiction forum and will post there from now on (happy is the wrong word though - but glad there is a forum).  I also agree that it hasn't been definitely proven.  Unfortunately, proof in the scientific community is very slow.   They are only just now "proving" that alcohol makes bariatric patients drunker faster, when I knew that in 2001, from my own experience.   At that time, my own doctor said it was because I weighed less when I knew that wasn't true.  I had weighed that in college and knew the experience was much different.  Because the consequences are so severe, many people aren't able to wait for the definitive "proof" and have to draw conclusions based on the best studies that are available and draw the best conclusions they can.   Last night a family friend called me about a family member who had never drank prior to the surgery.   Same story, experienced the "honeymoon period", then became addicted to pills, couldn't get pills, turned to alcohol.   And her husband is a pastor.    The doctors all are going to blame this on unresolved psychological issues, but the statistics are too high for me to buy into that, maybe some of you do, I don't know.   The stories are all just too similar for me.   The symptoms from the stories relayed to me are all occuring around the same time post-op.  I'm just not buying it.   I will post on the other forum though now that I found it, and I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable.

I believe that when you take a population who have issues, particularly this population, and you alter things up, you are goign to get results that are statistically significant, high correlation even, but I also believe that causation is not proven in these instances.

You take an addict, and remove their drug of choice, you get people who will turn to another drug..... sex, drugs, gambling, shopping,whatever. You have a group of people who have a significantly higher rate of psychological issues to begin with, it's not unremarkable to see that they continue to have issues postop. Again, correlation is not causation.

In addition to addiction, there is a "grass is greener" mentality, "IF ONLY I lost a hundred pounds, I'd be able to find Mr. Right and dump the losers I always end up with".... "IF ONLY I lost weight, I'd get promoted.".... "IF ONLY I was thinner, I'd be happier."

Weight loss surgery is a medical intervention for a disease....a disease that is often a physical manifestation of a psychological panoply of issues, and when you fix the side-effect of the deeper issues, that does not mean you fix the real problem underlying and causing the problem.

You talk about the statistics, but then immediately go into stories and anecdotes.. if a study hasn't been done, there ARE no statistics.... there is only information.

I believe that there CAN BE a relationship, but I don't think it's caused by the surgery itself, but rather by underlying issues.

It would be nice if there was a study done. Recently I had surgery to remove my tailbone, but ten years ago, I likely would have been referred to a psychologist or psychiatrist..... told my pain was all in my head. A group of doctors did a study including psychological testing, to see if the medical field's assertion that tailbone pain is hysterial in nature was well-founded. They discovered that among those in the study most did not show any marked psychological issues, and among those who did, they STILL had significant improvement of their chronic pain when it was treated as a medical condition. Studies are invaluable in bringing information to light.

You are absolutely right.   I don't have all the answers, and I cannot prove anything.  I am contacting researchers and trying to get the studies done, but that takes time and resources that I just don't have.   But I'm trying and as long as we discuss it, people will be aware there are other schools of thought out there if they do develop a problem.    Hopefully something you never need to worry about.

Hi Everyone,
I usually don't join forums but this one was very compelling.  I'm 49, had my surgery in 2000 and have first hand experience of the depression, suicidal attempts, alcohal/drugs, workaholic, etc.  Prior to my surgery I didn't believe I had any addictions.  I was morbidly obese, had a history of obesity and diabetes in my family but was a happy mom of six kids.  Never thought of suicide but did have a social anxiety disorder that I had learned to cope with.

At the time I did go to the orientation, educated myself, etc. but never thought of myself as a depressed person since I had a very full life.  I wasn't happy with my weight and I was scared to die young because I had family that needed me to stick around for awhile.  My motivation was longevity and I wanted to look and feel 'normal' again.

Now looking back at my life I can see that I always had some deep rooted depression that hid itself well within my own self image.  As a young kid I was active and thin but always thought that I was ugly.  I had a very disfunctional family.  My mother was bipolar and my father schizophrenic.  He went to jail and a mental hospital for murder when I was very young and my mother raised us with several stepfathers after that and in the second grade she started disciplining us by beating us, biting u****ting us over the head, digging her nails into us, pulling out our hair, etc.  I felt different and ugly growing up but I grew up.  During the growing up years I started taking laxatives to control my weight and starving myself thin.  My daily caloric intake would not exceed 100 calories and once I challenged myself to go 24 days with no solid food.  I only drank water.  When I was 26 I went to ER and the doctor told me I had bulemia and I was killing myself.  I didn't know that so I stopped immediately.  When I stopped I became obese and then morbidly obese.

As an adult, I looked back on those days with sadness but never dwelled in the memories.  I had my own family, I loved being a mommy, and I didn't think I had a food addiction or used food to hide depression.  I truly just believed I was obese from my father's genetic makeup and I accepted the fact that I was simply fat.

I worked hard, was a great mom, but wasn't happy with my weight and appearance.  At 39 I decided to get the surgery since I had six kids who needed me and dieting never worked for me.

After the surgery I successfully loss 130 lbs. and was very pleased with my new weight.  I started drinking and doing drugs even though I hated alcohal and never did drugs before that. My marriage was over, my family fell apart.  I went to bars and clubs dancing in my new clothes and someone else emerged from me. 

After losing my job, my home, my family basically, I realized what I had done and immediately made the decision to STOP using drugs (about a year period of time) and stop partying.  TO rebuild my family back and pick up the pieces.  It was a very big struggle because of the emotional pain my children had gone through during this time of abandonment.  Guilt and regret haunted me daily.  I worked really hard and became the VP of a company.  My drugs/alcohal had now become a work addiction.  The work addiction is easy to hide because I was able to get a big house for my children, afford things we couldn't afford and my guilt drove me to believe that I was working hard for my family.  I was in denial.

One day the boss said no more long hours.  I started a second business while still being the VP, opened a store and dedicated my emotional mindfulness to zoning out with work.  Although I was present, I was still emotionally abandoning my children.

When I realized what I was doing, I became very suicidal.  I was cornered with no place to run or hide.  I couldnt use drugs, alcohal, work or food to hide my pain anymore.  One day the grim reaper showed my darkness to me head on.  I had checked myself into a motel and taken pills and wanted to die. I had convinced myself that my kids were better off without me and that I was a horrible mother and they'd understand someday.  It was surreal.  I woke up the next morning, surprised I was alive and went to work.  

A few months later I stayed in bed for a week and made up excuses to my boss.  I wrote goodbye letters to each of my kids.  I drove to walmart and felt soo disconnected to the planet I felt like I was floating.  I felt like I was an angel and ready to leave the earth and that I was invisible.  I wanted to die, I was sure I was going to die and I had accepted it.  That was very surreal.

Shortly after that I realized that I needed to pray to get myself out.  I didn't know who to talk to, who to go to, I thought i was crazy like my father or mother.  I knew my kids needed me and I felt so much shame for having those thoughts.  So much guilt and regret for earlier choices.  I felt despair and hopeless and I was in the deepest, darkest hole I had ever been in.  I didn't know how I got there and didn't know how I was going to get out.

It was my secret pain.

I started to pray one night, I asked God to please take my pain into his hands, to take my life into his hands and help me through my darkest hour.  I then realized I had a little girl inside of me, she was like a 4th grader, I could see her and feel her in my mind.  This little girl was sitting in a fetal position inside of me and felt helpless.  I remember telling her not to worry, I would take care of her.  I realized at that time, that girl was me as a child.  I wept like a baby because it was the first time I knew that I was in pain because of my childhood.

Wow, thank you for sharing that incredibly powerful and painful story. 

I agree with MsBatt. Who are you, what is your history here and why should I listen to you? You are making claims using semi-sciency-sounding terminology, yet you make it clear that you are not capable of doing research. So you are collecting anecdotes, expecting....what, exactly?

Pardon my high index of suspicion. You don't have a voice here yet. To me you sound like someone who came here to market something.