Even if obesity isn’t a psychiatric disorder included in the DSM IV-TR, it is associated with a high prevalence of psychopatological features. Mainly obese patients on a waiting list for bariatric surgery are affected by psychiatric disorders more often than non-obese individuals.

To estimate the prevalence of psychopatology in obese patients on a waiting list for weight loss surgery.

To demonstrate the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to bariatric surgery that includes a psychodiagnostic evaluation.

Forty-seven patients on a waiting list for bariatric surgery were assessed using the SCL-90-R.

In a high rate of patients (83%) was identified a significantly altered value at least in one of the SCL-90-R subscales. Mainly the 80.85% has expressed a psychological distress through physical symptoms (SOM), the 63.82% had a deflection of mood (DEP), the 61.7% had a higher ability to perceive both internal and external stimuli (IS); suspiciousness (PAR) occurred in 59.57% of patients (PAR).

Our results suggest a high rate of psychopatological alterations in patients on a waiting list for weight loss. These individuals try to manage their emotions through the relationship with food, and the body become a way to express themselves. Therefore the early detection and the treatment of the psychopatological features associated with obesity could have a role to improve the therapeutic outcome, and a multidisciplinary approach could represent an essential element to reach a global resolution of both clinical and mental features of patients.