Enhancing psychosocial adaptation to gastric partitioning for morbid obesity.

Gastric partitioning, a surgical treatment for morbid obesity, challenges patients to drastically change their eating habits and self-image. Preoperative psychiatric assessment should not be aimed simply at selecting patients in whom there are no psychiatric contraindications. Many patients have some degree of risk for postoperative problems. If the risk factors can be identified before surgery, appropriate pre- and postoperative psychologic intervention may help minimize maladaptation.