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Depression and Disordered Eating in the Obese Person
Lucy F Faulconbridge1, Colleen F Bechtel1
1Center for Weight and Eating Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, 3535 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
Current Obesity Reports
|March 29, 2014
Summary
Obesity is linked to depression, binge eating disorder (BED), and Night Eating Syndrome (NES). This study explores if depressed individuals can achieve weight loss and mood improvement, challenging historical exclusion from trials.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry and Endocrinology
- Obesity Medicine
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Obesity is frequently comorbid with mental health conditions, including major depression, binge eating disorder (BED), and Night Eating Syndrome (NES).
- These conditions are particularly prevalent in individuals with Class III obesity (BMI >40kgm(2)), a demographic often seeking bariatric surgery.
- Historically, individuals with depression have been excluded from weight loss interventions due to concerns about mood exacerbation, limiting treatment options.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the impact of pre-operative depression, BED, and NES on post-bariatric surgery outcomes.
- To examine recent advances in treating obese individuals with depression.
- To determine if individuals with depression can achieve significant weight loss, mood improvement, and adhere to weight loss programs.
Main Methods:
- Review of cross-sectional and longitudinal studies examining the relationship between obesity and mental health disorders.
- Analysis of literature on the effects of pre-operative mental health status on bariatric surgery outcomes.
- Synthesis of recent research on interventions for obese individuals with depression.
Main Results:
- Independent relationships exist between obesity and depression, and between obesity and binge eating.
- Severely obese individuals (Class III) show the highest prevalence of these comorbid conditions.
- Evidence suggests that depressed individuals can achieve clinically significant weight loss and mood enhancement within weight loss interventions.
Conclusions:
- Mental health conditions like depression, BED, and NES are significantly associated with obesity, particularly severe obesity.
- Exclusionary practices in past weight loss trials have hindered the development of effective treatments for obese individuals with depression.
- Recent findings indicate that obese individuals with depression can successfully participate in and benefit from weight loss interventions, showing both weight reduction and mood improvement.
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