Why Obesity is Linked to Depression

DepressionAt a certain point in your life, have you ever felt being unhappy and miserable? That moment when you feel like you are at your lowest point and nothing is going right. Well, frankly speaking, you are suffering from what we call depression.

Depression refers to a mental state in which you are sad and you feel like you don’t enjoy anything that you do because you feel unpleasant or you are always not in the mood. This kind of mental state or illness is usually felt by people who are what we call obese. Obesity is a medical condition by which a person suffers excessive or abnormal fat accumulation that may bring adverse effect to that person’s health. In other words, obesity is having too much body fat and may put the person’s health into risk.

Based on recent studies, the issues about depression and obesity remain to be a major topic. The question becomes does obesity cause depression or is depression a result of obesity. One thing is certain, each one affects the other.

Where it is a known fact that there is a connection between obesity and depression, it is still unresolved on which condition comes first. An obese person is more likely to feel depressed for reasons such as being uncomfortable with their physical appearance and afraid of being bullied especially for those in the adolescent stage. Obese persons have the tendency to lose confidence and become more sensitive and vulnerable.

Depressed people tend to isolate themselves from others and are more comfortable being alone. They find comfort by eating and the craving for food is much higher than the usual. For some obese people, foods provide emotional comfort. When you are depressed there is not much motivation in you, you don’t have the energy to participate in activities and the tendency is to just become sedentary. This lack of physical activity contributes to weight gain; and once your body gets used to poor eating habits and sedentary lifestyle, you will not notice you are already considered obese.

Obesity and depression are a serious psychological illness and considered a primary health concern and must be given extra attention. Depression is usually treated by way of therapy and counseling. But with the case of obesity, there are a lot of ways to lose weight and shed off those extra pounds. Natural weight loss methods that can be used such as various fitness programs and diet programs fail 98% of the time. Only 2% manage to lose more than 20 pounds and keep it off for 5 years.

Most often than not, natural weight loss methods work best for those people slightly overweight not for the obese. The difference between overweight and obese is that overweight is generally a common condition and can be treated by the usual diet and exercise while obese is a medical condition usually caused by genetics and inability to control diet. Obesity responds best to surgical methods, or bariatric surgeries, of restriction and reduction.

Speaking of weight loss by means of the surgical method, there are several different weight loss surgeries available and one of the most successful surgical procedures is the vertical sleeve gastrectomy surgery. This is a weight loss procedure by which the size of the stomach is reduced through removal of a portion of the stomach. This method has indicated excellent long-term results based on recent studies.

Obesity and depression are two interchangeable conditions and is recommended that people who are obese and at the same time suffering from depression must be treated at the same time.

Why Obesity is Linked to Depression
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