Does obesity affect Mental Health?

[Diana Young, RD, LD/N, CDE]

In a study of 9,125 individuals, the researchers found that people who are clinically obese have a 25% higher risk of developing psychiatric disorders, such as depression, bipolar disorder and panic disorder.
The link is strongest among people of European heritage, people with more education and those with higher incomes - the risk was 44% higher, when compared to people of normal weight.

Research on obesity usually examines the physical consequences, such as hypertension, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, arthritis and cancer. This is the first major study to look at an association with psychiatric consequences.

The obvious question is whether depression and other psychiatric illnesses and their treatments, lead to obesity or the other way round. It is most likely that the connection goes both ways.

Obese people are 25% likely to have a substance abuse disorder at some time during their lives when compared to people of normal weight.

While the average American has a 30% chance of being obese, a depressed person has a 40% chance of becoming obese.

20% of US people suffer from depression at some time in their lives - the figure is 28% for obese people. Is this because of social pressure? Is it just that heavy people feel badly about themselves because of the constant pressure to be of normal weight? Or is it something else entirely? The connection seems to be more complex than that, and perhaps to involve some physical mechanisms.

It is particularly important to screen for psychiatric problems in overweight people.

The research team is now engaged in research into three other questions:

-- How difficult is it for depressed people to become more physically active?

-- Do depressed people have different diets from people who are not depressed?

-- Are structured weight-loss programs less successful for a depressed person, and would it make a difference if weight-loss programs were designed specifically for depressed people?

Source: Psychiatric Resource Forum

Thoughts?

[Metroknow]

Yikes! And what tremendous, er, Stress he is clearly under! :)

[Kelly Powell]

Greetings to the board, speaking from obesity & depressing, it has taking somthing so deep inside. To pull myself up from this depression. It had to be grace if God. I have to agree with DR depressed people are unlikely to want to excercise. for may reason. 1. to embarrased to go out in public 2. depression has them so far gone all they want to do is stay locked down. 3. Sometimes it is the aliments that a obses person is going through I am currently taking 19 medication some of them 3 times a day, that makes me tired it is enough to make one depressed. I have aliements now as an adult that I have have never had comeing up as a child. I should have been dead many a times being rushed to the hospital because I can't breathe due to adult asmtha, blood pressure 220/120 somethimes , diabetes well over 700, now I have this pitten adema (I don't know if I am spelling it right) which now I have CHF (Congestive Heart Failure) I'm working on a program to help m e lose this weight. I go to Diabetes classes once o month. I push myself to go. To the structured program they have to really want to want it, What is working for me I see myself healthy, smaller, free of these chronic illness. I see it, I believe it, there for I am going to achieve it.
I wasn't always a oversized person I was very active live and love life, I have been a much smaller person but after my 4 year old was killed I just lost.

So know that everyone has a story and reason as to why the oversizd and depressed.

But I speak life we shall live and not die......

I thank God for Iwoa Avenue