Obesity as excess fat in the body. On the other hand, overweight is having extra weight, which does not specifically refer to fat. This can have consequences for health, and it was discovered that there is a relationship between obesity and depression.
Obesity begins with an imbalance between fat intake and calorie consumption. This balance varies from person to person. The most well-known health consequences are the increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, arthritis and also some cancers.
In the case of women, obesity can lead to reproductive disorders at the time of conception, during pregnancy and childbirth itself, and also problems with menstruation. While in boys and girls this disease is related to growth problems, especially in the case of bone development.
Obesity and depression
Although physical illnesses pose a high risk factor for people suffering from obesity, psychological risks are no less dangerous and harmful. In fact, obesity, in many cases, begins its journey in people's lives when there is stress, sadness, depression or anxiety. That is to say, the emotional factor influences.
Obesity and depression are directly related. Many depressed people overeat and neglect self-care. It is usual for the increase in fat in your body to begin there.
Other people, when they see themselves as obese, sink into a depression that is difficult to treat, either because of the image that is returned to them in the mirror, or because of the social stigmatization of which they are victims. This is because society has a negative view of people who are overweight.
The media show an ideal figure model, which is very far from being overweight. This produces what is known as social stigma. Stigma can bring serious psychological problems in obese people, such as anxiety disorder, addictions, eating disorders and depression.
Obesity is associated with a social stigma that further contributes to the depressive states of overweight people.
Mind and body combined
Obesity, as stated above, has various origins. While some are genetic, many others have to do with how people feel. Feelings of sadness, anxiety or stress, so common in today's society, often lead to overeating and a sedentary life.
It is estimated that about 43% of cases associate obesity and depression. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, a country that is greatly impacted by obesity, across different strata of the population, obese people are 55% more likely to suffer from depression.
Women are more at risk of having excess body fat than men in genetic terms. But also in them, the cycle of obesity and depression is more common than in men. According to the American Psychological Association, in the population of women with obesity, depression had a 37% higher incidence than in men.
The relationship between obesity and suicidal ideation is also more evident in women than in men. Here the burden of the social stigma that weighs on obese people appears again, since women are culturally and socially expected to take care of their bodies according to the beauty ideal of thinness.
Women have a higher prevalence of obesity than men, and also a higher prevalence of depression
Psychological intervention to address obesity and depression
There is no evidence that the relationship between obesity and depression responds to a genetic or biological pattern as such. For this reason, the most appropriate thing for those who suffer from this condition is to request psychological help.
Mental health professionals agree that it is possible to reverse the cycle of obesity and depression with early intervention. To do this, it is important to take into account that obesity is frequently related to the symbolic act of eating.
Compulsive eating can be due to anxiety states. And the latter is usually related to negative psychological experiences, which are not recognized and which find a way of expression through excessive food.
A psychological intervention helps obese people develop their body image and self-esteem in a more appropriate way. It also facilitates the change of habits towards a healthier lifestyle, based on the recovery of emotional control.
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