After looking at more than 8,800 people who had undergone weight-loss surgery, researchers have said that people undergoing bariatric surgery to shed weight face heightened risk of self-harm two to three years following the surgery.

Study researchers have followed these people for three years before their surgery and three years after their operations. The researchers have found 62 reports of self harm in the period before the surgery in comparison to 96 reports of self-harm in the three-year period after people having weight-loss surgery.

Of all, the most common form of self-harm was intentionally overdosing on medication, which was responsible for 115 of the reports. “Because self-harm emergencies are a strong predictor of suicide, these findings highlight the importance of screening for self-harm behaviors in patients undergoing bariatric surgery”, said the researchers.

It is not the first study that has raised concerns about increased risk of self-harm after a weight-loss operation. Study’s lead researcher, Dr. Junaid Bhatti from the University of Toronto said that overall, bariatric surgeries are safe, but it is important that patients should be aware of the risks.

Major incidents of self-harm took place among those having mental health disorder in the five years leading up to the surgery. But the researchers have also stressed on the fact that the incidents have taken place two to three years after surgery, which means there is a need to follow up with patients during that time period.

"Bariatric surgery is more than just an operation," Ghaferi and Lindsay-Westphal wrote. "It is time we recognize and treat it as such," they added.