Is being obese a mental health problem?

[Prinky Doodsie]

Two threads prompted me post this. Is obesity becoming to normalised and what's wrong with you?

from: www.health.harvard.edu

Effects of obesity and exercise: Is obesity a mental health issue? The Harvard Mental Health Letter investigates

Not so long ago, it was commonly believed that overweight and obese people were compulsive eaters, anxious, depressed, under stress, or trying to compensate for deficiencies in their lives. But today, when almost everyone seems to be getting heavier and obesity has become a national issue, both experts and the public are dismissing the idea that weight gain is a personal emotional problem. The October issue of the Harvard Mental Health Letter looks at the undefined relationship between mental health and obesity.

The American Psychiatric Association has never regarded overeating or excess weight as a psychiatric disorder, and most obese people do not qualify for a psychiatric diagnosis. Accordingly, most studies do not find a clear association between mental health and weight.

But with the abundance of overweight people, there is plenty of room for exceptions. Some research suggests that depressed persons are more likely to develop the metabolic syndrome that often accompanies excess weight, especially when this weight is concentrated around the waist. People may console themselves with "comfort food", which is usually high in fat, sugar, and calories because they are anxious, lonely, angry, or suffering from low self-esteem. There is a characteristic type of depression with symptoms that include lethargy and overeating. Like most mind-body interactions, obesity can lead to ill health, which is linked to depression and anxiety.

Additionally, overweight people are also more likely to lose the psychological benefits of exercise. If they feel rejected, unattractive, or suffer social discrimination, the emotional strain may cause further weight gain. The problem is worse if they fail to lose weight and are blamed (or blame themselves) for lack of self-control.

The October issue discusses the therapeutic approaches available for obesity. A common approach is behavioral therapy, often in groups directed by a dietitian or psychologist. The pillars of this therapy are self-monitoring and stimulus control. Therapy may help dieters repel self-defeating thoughts and reject unrealistic goals.

[Deleted]

I'd say obesity is an addiction. I can't speak for everyone but when I was fat it was sugar that cause it. Or perhaps not directly but the things I ate that contained sugar made me fat. I don't recon it should be treated as a mental health problem but like an addiction.

[NihilSustinet]

Why would you ask that to a forum of people who are not mental health professionals? Almost no one here is qualified to answer that question. Just seems like you're trolling for shitty opinions.

[Low Hanging Fruit]

For some it likely is. Some are also lazy. Others poor and can't eat the right foods. Some just don't know what to eat and how much. While some others likely have some genetic issues. I doubt this is something you can just pin the tail on the donkey and conclude everything under one umbrella.

[Total Crica]

If it were, for the sake of argument, what are you going to do?

Lock up all fat people and starve them until they are skinny? Haha.

I am down with 3 hots and a comfortable cot that I don't have to pay for.

Lock me up, I will go willingly!

[Freighter]

No, it's an eating too much for your activity level problem.

[Deleted]

If being lazy and having no self control is a mental health problem, then i guess it is.

[Independent voter]

You don't see any fat people at President Lincoln's speeches back in 1865.

No electricity so you did everything by hand, washed your clothes by hand, beat the dust out of your rugs, walked to work, cooked your own food. Most people where farmers and farm work was hard back then, digging ditches, running a plow.

[pionock]

I'd be real hesitant to link mental health to obesity. That further allows people to make excuses to not try to improve themselves. If you're obese or even just overweight because you're suffering from depression, getting past that and working towards losing weight can cause a positive feedback loop that will alleviate your depression.

That's why I don't like the idea of fat shaming or insulting fat people. I don't do it to random strangers because I don't know them or their situation. They could be overweight when I see them but 6 months ago they were 100 lbs heavier. I never judge fat people in the gym because at least they're there trying to do something. Only if I know the person and they said they gave up because nothing works will I judge them to myself. I still don't insult them to their face because that doesn't do any good to either party.

Long story short, I don't think mental health causes obesity. Obesity is a lack of willpower.

[dr2022]

You don't see any fat people at President Lincoln's speeches back in 1865.

No electricity so you did everything by hand, washed your clothes by hand, beat the dust out of your rugs, walked to work, cooked your own food. Most people where farmers and farm work was hard back then, digging ditches, running a plow.

aren't most of those are soldiers tho?

And I could see how they were less fat people back then. Sure, they do all that labor, but when it comes to dinner what do they eat?

[Elim Garak]

The way our body functions is as follows (in layman terms):
1. When you are hungry your body secretesa chemical that makes you crave food.
2. When you fill your stomach your body secretes a chemical that neutralizes the first chemical and makes you feel "do not want to eat".
3. There's a delay obviously, it's not an instantenious effect. So you keep eating even though you are full, normally the delay is around 20 minutes.

Now here's the fun part:

When you consume daily more than your body needs (due to the 20 minutes delay that's very easy) the part of the brain that is responsible for triggering the secretion of the second chemical STOPS working (it feels neglected and becomes sad).

Now here's the even funnier part:

It stops working LONG BEFORE you become visibly fat.

So that's how people can (easily) become fat in the western world (abundance of high caloric food).

Now here's the kicker:

Hypernormalization - it works like this: you don't become fat overnight. You grow slowly. You become accustomed to small (hyper) weight gains. They become normal. The next hyper weight gain is treated as trivial as the very first one. You are fat but you don't consider it a problem becuase it's just a small weight gain compared to what you have been conditioned to by your own mind. You don't get fat you are just getting "fatter", you know like with aging, same bullshit. And for some people the fact that they are actually VERY FAT comes as a SHOCKER at certain point and then there's "oh well cannot go back now".

[Dhrizzle]

For some people it can be caused by depression or other mental health issues - Boogie2988 released a video explaining how he suffered abuse that brought him so low he wanted to "eat himself to death." For others it's more like an addiction, the drive to eat or extent to which they feel hunger is more acute - imagine someone trying to kick a heroin addiction if heroin was reallly cheap, sold everywhere and you needed a small amount to stay alive and healthy.

For other people obesity is more of a social or lifestyle problem. Some might not understand healthy eating until they've already put on an excessive amount of weight. Others may not have time or enough money to eat healthily and rely on convenience or junk foods.

[Mosotti]

Obesity is eating too much, not a mental issue. I know because I am one. Not one of those that can't walk, far from that, but for me it's pretty clear what obesity is: you eat more than you actually need. Why? BECAUSE IT'S FUCKING TASTY. Even one like Boogie that says they eat because of depression, they for sure don't eat some shit, they eat some huge tasty thing with lots of little tasty things around.

[belfpala]

For other people obesity is more of a social or lifestyle problem. Some might not understand healthy eating until they've already put on an excessive amount of weight. Others may not have time or enough money to eat healthily and rely on convenience or junk foods.

The zero-ith law of thermodynamics should be taught at an early age. Conservation of energy. That leads to the conclusion that calories in should match calories out, and it's not a conundrum.

...but there are so many misconceptions out there. Juice is not healthier, for example; it has as many carbs as soda, which your body will readily turn into fat. And so on.

As for the OP's question, I put overeating on the same plane as alcoholism or smoking.

[Viikkis]

Obesity can be a symptom for mental issues. It's not always the case. Like others have pointed out boogie has great videos explaining his personal experiences.

[Spiral Mage]

It mostly certainly is NOT.

But it can be CAUSED by one.
There are so many causes for obesity.

Hell, some people just have bodies that do that shit, they can't even control it.

[Mosotti]

As for the OP's question, I put overeating on the same plane as alcoholism or smoking.

So you think if you hide the fries the obese will go into withdrawal? Yeah, right...

[belfpala]

So you think if you hide the fries the obese will go into withdrawal? Yeah, right...

I don't know. The obese people I know rarely eat fries in front of me.

What happens behind the scenes? That's when alcoholics drink, and as a smoker I can say with authority that's when smokers smoke.

Do you know otherwise?

[Mosotti]

There are so many causes for obesity.

No, there aren't, only excuses. There's only one cause: you eat more than you consume, because it's good. I grew up in a communist country and the only few fat people were the ones that had access to TASTY food. And we can't say that it wasn't like a general depression. But apparently depression doesn't make you eat margarine until you get the size of a truck. I wonder why... hmmm maybe because IT FUCKING SUCKS? Lol

[BloodyAngel12]

Junk food = cheap
Healthy = Expensive

Not always mental health issues.