Researchers say there is a strong link between obesity and mood and anxiety disorders, and the association is even more pronounced among white people with higher education levels and larger incomes. The study, in the Archives of General Psychiatry, found that an obese person is 25 percent more likely than a non-obese person to have a mood or anxiety disorder, such as depression. It also showed that among Caucasian Americans and more educated people who are obese, that likelihood may be as high as 44 percent. Researcher Greg Simon explained that while their study didn't show whether obesity leads to depression or vice versa, "it's almost certain that the association works in both directions." Surprisingly, the researchers also found a negative association between obesity and substance abuse. Specifically, they say that an obese person is 25 percent less likely than a non-obese person to have had a substance abuse disorder sometime in their lives.
The statistics don't paint a pretty picture as far as Americans are concerned, as about 20 percent of Americans are diagnosed sometime in their lives with depression. "Understanding the connection between obesity and depression is an important public health issue because both of these conditions are so common and have a significant impact on our health care systems," Dr. Simon explained. That's certainly true, as the evidence showed that an average American has a 30 percent chance of being obese, and this study shows that when a person is depressed, the odds of also becoming obese are as high as 40 percent.
Unlike previous studies that showed a link between obesity and depression among women, this study revealed the connection in both genders. But there were significant differences among social and cultural groups. In groups where obesity is more common - that is, among non-white and less educated groups - there is less depression among the people who are obese. But in groups where there is less obesity, it is accompanied by more depression.
The researchers speculate that this may indicate that stigma accounts for some of the relationship between obesity and depression. "Perhaps in groups where obesity is less socially normative, it's less acceptable and that's why there's a greater association with depression," he suggested. "But in groups where it is less stigmatized, obesity doesn't seem to be as depressing," hypothesized Dr. Simon.
Source: Group Health Cooperative Center for Health Studies
