**5. The current practices of pre-surgical psychological evaluation**

Although the relevance of the psychological assessment for bariatric surgery candidates was recognized for a long time, currently no evidence-based guidelines are available [9, 10].

According to the most commonly used practices in surgery clinics, the evaluation of candidates for bariatric surgery comprises a medical chart review, a comprehensive clinical interview, and psychological testing [11]. Moreover, the psychological assessment should be part of a multidisciplinary approach aimed to carefully assess risks and benefits for the patients related to surgery.

Clinical interviews are commonly used in bariatric centers. During the interview, several areas of interests should be properly investigated:

• Patient's understanding of the surgery

Patients seeking bariatric surgery are required to have adequate knowledge about the surgery procedures, including which are the potential risks associated with surgery, as well as the lifelong behavioral change that must occur for achieving expected results. For these reasons, during the presurgical psychological evaluation, it is important to know which are the patient's expectation to surgery and assess their willingness to engage themselves in a stable lifestyle behavioral change.
