Casco Bay Surgery

10 Andover Road
Portland, Maine 04102
207-761-6642
www.cascobaysurgery.com

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Bariatric Surgery Program
Psychological Evaluation & Support

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Our therapists are Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW). They evaluate every patient’s mental health and weight histories. They are responsible for educating every patient about emotional eating but also collaborates with outside therapists and psychiatrists when necessary. Many patients seeking Bariatric Surgery have issues around food. Common patterns include:

	Emotional eating - eating when bored, stressed, happy, sad, angry. It is eating when you are not hungry.
	Binge eating - eating a large quantity of food in a small time period and feeling out of control, not being able to stop yourself.
	Grazing - eating small quantities of food throughout the day, even when you are not hungry.
	Compulsive over-eating - eating large or small quantities of food but doing it out of a compulsion, not out of hunger.

If any of the above eating behavior describes your eating patterns, we strongly recommend that you begin therapy before your first appointment. Surgery will not make these behaviors go away. You will need to learn new behaviors and new ways to cope. If you wait until your first appointment before doing something, it is possible that we will require you to seek therapy to address these issues before going on to surgery, therefore delaying the process.

Bariatric surgery is a big step and requires a great deal of adjustment and life change. Our therapists are here to help patients deal with issues that may have led to their obesity and to begin developing positive coping skills and new behaviors that will be important after surgery to maintain long-term success with weight control. In addition to coordinating your preoperative psychological preparation, they will have scheduled appointments with you for 3 months after surgery. They remain involved in long-term follow-up by coordinating a support group for patients who are 3-24 months out from surgery and a separate support group for those who are over 2 years out from surgery. These are directed toward long-term issues of self-esteem, social interactions and relationship with food.

The Bariatric Surgery Center
12 Andover Road
Portland, Maine 04102
(207)-761-5612
Toll-Free: (866)-268-9274
Fax: (207)-253-6073

These pages were created and are maintained by Casco Bay Surgery, PA
Last updated 3/23/07