Do not blame weight loss surgery!

Congressman Jesse Jackson seems to be blaming bipolar disorder on weight loss surgery.
online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444772404577587492724 366640.html

Yes of course he is.... What else could cause it? Def. not genetic factors, neurotransmitter issues, stress, chemical imbalances, etc etc etc....

Bipolar is OBVIOUSLY caused by WLS.... You read it here first folks.

(read sarcasm)

I think I've heard it all now!

I too am bipolar, was diagnosed years ago with manic depression. I do know my weight issues started after my diagnoses and after I was started on prozac. I could eat and eat like never before once I started the meds. In fact up to that point I never weighed more than 120 unless I was preggers and my highest weight preggers was 136.

Even once I went off those meds the weight creeped up over time. I ate my way out of depression for years.

I think they may have it backwards. Bipolar may cause overeating to the point you need wls.

To be completely fair, there have been incidents of weight loss surgeries causing hormonal changes and changes in the way the brain releases dopamine and serotonin. It is possible that Jesse Jackson's bipolar II was caused by the changes in his body post-op, but it is just as likely that this condition has been around his whole life and that it is just surfacing now.

Bipolar II is tricky because generally the manic and depressive episodes are more fluid than the more obvious episodes experienced by patients with bipolar I. He may have a difficult time treating it due to the fact that some extended release medications are hard for weight loss surgery patients to use successfully.

The statement from Mayo is fairly accurate I think in that it says this: "Bipolar II disorder is a treatable condition that affects parts of the brain controlling emotion, thought and drive and is most likely caused by a complex set of genetic and environmental factors."

Could it have been exacerbated by WLS? Possibly. But hopefully he finds a successful treatment method soon and feels better.

I also want to add that vitamin deficiencies can definitely contribute to emotional problems.  That is one of the reasons I had surgery to reduce my malabsorption.  It affects the way you absorb nutrients both from food and supplements.  And there are several vitamins that can cause emotional problems when we don't have enough of them.  I do not think for a minute that WLS caused his problems but it may have played a part, both from dificiencies and difficulty treating with medication.

It couldn't be the wrong doing he is accused of now would it ? Everyone needs to blame someone or something ..........food for thought ?