Undergoing bypass surgery of the stomach and the consequent weight loss greatly helps to improve the mental health of severely obese adolescents. These are the results of a Swedish study published in the journal Obesity. However, one fifth of the patients still showed depressive symptoms. In their study, researchers from Lund University included 88 adolescents (65 percent girls) aged 13 to 18 years who had undergone gastric bypass surgery. The participants had a mean body mass index (BMI) of 45.6 before the intervention, and were examined before and one and two years after the surgery. Receiving a bypass of the stomach had a positive outcome for most patients. “Most young people felt significantly better two years after surgery. On average, they felt the same as most other adolescents, so their mental health had normalized,” explained study author KajsaJaervholm. There were also significant improvements in various social conditions, with patients experiencing much less restriction than before the intervention. Nearly one in five (19 percent) showed no improvement in mental health and still suffered from depressive symptoms. 13 percent even showed symptoms of severe depression. Jaervholm said it is therefore recommended to provide psychosocial support to young people undergoing gastric bypass, especially those who do not feel better even after losing weight. It is therefore important to continue studying these patients.