Hi all....

I have been banded just over a year and this surgery saved my life. I did it to 'trick' my body into making hormones again which thankfully it did 48 hours after the surgery.

I have a precious friend who is violently ill hormonally speaking with PCOS/IR like me...I KNOW the band will correct this side of her illness...

My question to you...anyone out there see improvements with OCD/depression? I know it's all tied together. But my searches haven't provided the real people data I am looking for.

Your information could be saving the precious life of Mandy.

Thanks for your comments...

LB:thumbup:

I think most seriously overweight people suffer depression...even those who don't recognize it for depression or won't admit it to themselves. Losing all that unwanted weight will help with self-esteem and that will get people out of their homes and doing more social things and that can and will improve or even eliminate depression. There's no way anybody here and predict the impact on any given individual but I think it's safe to say that help with those problems is an indirect result of weight loss.

For me, losing weight and not falling off the wagon and already regaining has been the biggest boost of all!

Hi - congrats on all your weight loss! I too have had my band for over a year now and love it. Everything has changed for the better. HOWEVER - losing weight does NOT solve clinical depression. I did have terrible self esteem and depression issues due to my weight, the way I was treated, the things I couldn't do, etc. And that part of the depression has improved enormously. But I also have clinical depression and found that I have had more issue with it since I have lost weight. Mainly because as you lose weight, your hormones keep changing and adjusting which in turn means you need to keep seeing a doctor to change and adjust your depression meds to reflect that. For me, my husband actually notices the signs of depression sooner than I do and lets me know so I can make an appointment. This helps manage the depression better than waiting until it is a real problem and THEN trying to get an appointment, etc. Given the wait time for appointments, the potential time of insurance approval, and the time it takes to adjust to the new levels of depression meds before seeing any results, it is crucial to stay on top of it.

That being said, the band in no way made any of those issues worse. And because it did alleviate so much depression associated with the weight, the issue of managing the depression was easier as well. And once you get to the point where the weight is much slower to come off or you hit goal, the meds are pretty steady as well and you see MUCH improvement in every aspect of your life.

I hope this makes sense! Good Luck!!

Hi - congrats on all your weight loss! I too have had my band for over a year now and love it. Everything has changed for the better. HOWEVER - losing weight does NOT solve clinical depression. I did have terrible self esteem and depression issues due to my weight, the way I was treated, the things I couldn't do, etc. And that part of the depression has improved enormously. But I also have clinical depression and found that I have had more issue with it since I have lost weight. Mainly because as you lose weight, your hormones keep changing and adjusting which in turn means you need to keep seeing a doctor to change and adjust your depression meds to reflect that. For me, my husband actually notices the signs of depression sooner than I do and lets me know so I can make an appointment. This helps manage the depression better than waiting until it is a real problem and THEN trying to get an appointment, etc. Given the wait time for appointments, the potential time of insurance approval, and the time it takes to adjust to the new levels of depression meds before seeing any results, it is crucial to stay on top of it.

That being said, the band in no way made any of those issues worse. And because it did alleviate so much depression associated with the weight, the issue of managing the depression was easier as well. And once you get to the point where the weight is much slower to come off or you hit goal, the meds are pretty steady as well and you see MUCH improvement in every aspect of your life.

I hope this makes sense! Good Luck!!

I also suffer from clinical depression and have been banded 5½ months, lost 44 lbs. no problems with band. Depression is worse sometimes than before surgery but I was having panic attacks several times a week and have only had 2 since surgery with no change of meds. Losing weight makes me happy but my depression is deeper than that. I have done 2½ counseling and try to use my meds and coping skills. Hope that helps!