Obesity and Mental Health

Has someone ever advised you to start a diet or work out more frequently? Have you ever been made to go on a run or give up a certain food? Although these situations are common and often people around us tend to look at our physical appearance. As something they have a say in and at times it can get really annoying. It is important to realize that they are not always wrong. It’s challenging and upsetting to be assessed by how you look. Especially when family members criticize your diet or body-shame you in jokes or other ways. However, sometimes it is out of concern and not just about appearance. It is important for one to realize the difference.

There are many times when we ignore those who make such comments and give us advice and though it is not wrong to do so. It is important to realize their intention first. If someone is making a joke or advising you to make some changes in your life. It is important to know why they are doing so as there are many people who do so only out of concern.

Obesity is often defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater. Researchers have discovered certain drawbacks to using BMI to estimate body fat mass. Factors affecting obesity include genetic, psychological, environmental, social and cultural influences. Obesity is not just a cosmetic concern but a medical problem that increases one’s risk of other diseases and health problems. Most often, when people think about obesity, they only think of the potential physical issues it may cause. We think of how being overweight someone may have a harder time exercising or fitting into some clothes. Also about the common comorbid issues like type 2 diabetes, coronary heart diseases, cancers like breast and bowel cancer and stroke among others. The concerns that surround obesity normally do no include mental illnesses.

Despite the fact that there is a complicated correlation between the two. Research have found a connection between obesity and mental health conditions. There are multiple stressors that exist in all sorts of environments both social and private for those who are obese. Obese people frequently face discrimination due to society’s weight stigma, which causes them great emotional and psychological pain. The society at tends to body shame people who are obese. Sometimes body shaming happens openly while other times it is subtle and often goes unnoticed. The way people talk, the way people look at them, everything is a sign of body shaming. Society at large prefers a certain kind of body type and looks down on those who fail to look a certain way.

People often publicly make comments on and joke about people who are bigger than them in size and advice them to lose weight and eat less. There are many times when one’s own family mocks them for everything they do. Just because they do not fit into society’s demands for what a body should look like. These behaviors by society negatively affect the mental health of the individual and they amy start looking down on themselves. They may also isolate themselves and may succumb to the unwanted thoughts that come up when they are alone.

This can be very dangerous. Various eating problems and excessive exercise have reportedly contributed to multiple deaths. These show the length people go to so that they fit into society’s standard. But also shows how poor society’s standards are that it led to such harsh life choices by so many.

Thus, it can be said that there are many psychological consequences of being obese even though they are not widely known in detail. These psychological consequences include lower self-esteem, anxiety and also eating disorders such as binge eating, bulimia and anorexia among others. According to studies, obese individuals have a greater prevalence of depression. Similarly, those with mental health conditions are at a risk for obesity. This correlation of sorts between mental health and obesity could probably be a result of several overlapping factors.

According to research, women are more likely than males to experience a link between fat and depression. This could be as a result of cultural norms that determine a woman’s attractiveness based on her size. Forcing those who don’t fit the mould to endure emotional stress brought on by both herself and society. Obesity may have a substantial negative impact on a person’s sense of self-worth and self-esteem. Making it challenging to see oneself favorably and perhaps leading to undervaluing abilities and capabilities. This may lead to an ongoing internal conflict. There have been many studies that show the correlation between obesity and depression and how they have a significant and bidirectional association.

Studies have connected obesity to issues with mood and anxiety, but they have not yet established a cause-and-effect relationship. There is no conclusive evidence to support the assertion made by researchers that drugs used to treat mental health issues may have a possible fat adverse effect. Some research suggests that serotonin insufficiency, which is linked to melancholy, restless sleep, and anxiety, may be responsible for carbohydrate cravings and weight gain. Chronic stress, depression, anxiety as well as conditions like bipolar disorder might also lead to poor dietary decisions which could lead to obesity and in doing so may aggravate the mental health of those individuals.

This shows that there is a correlation between mental health and obesity however because of lack of enough studies done on these topics we can not say for sure which causes which. It could be that poor mental health aggravates obesity, it could be that obesity aggravates mental health or it could be that they do not really affect each other but just happen to exist together.

Despite the fact that there is a connection between obesity and mental health, many concerns remain unresolved, highlighting the need for more research in this area to fully comprehend this relationship.