A new study published in Monday's edition of the 'Archives of General Psychiatry' indicates that obese people are 25 percent more likely to suffer from depression and other mood disorders than those not classified as obese.
Researchers were not sure whether the obesity was the cause of the depression or a result of it although preliminary indications say it may be a bit of both.
The study examined more than 9,000 adults. Approximately 25 percent of those taking part in the study were obese. Approximately 22 percent of the obese people in the study suffered from some type of mood disorder as compared to 18 percent of those people not considered obese.
Dr. Wayne Fenton of the National Institute of Mental Health, the group that funded the study, indicated that the results 'suggest that the cultural stereotype of the jolly fat person is more a figment of our imagination than a reality.'
'The take-home message for doctors is to be on the lookout for depression among their patients who are overweight,' Fenton said.
The exact relationship between obesity and depression is unclear. Depression causes people to abandon regular activities, including exercise. That could lead to obesity.
Obese people are also stigmatized by our society and are subject to rejection, name calling and other hurtful behavior. This could be one cause that reinforces feelings of depression. Additional studies may explore the cause and effect between obesity and depression.
Both depression and obesity are common in modern American society. Approximately 10 percent of all Americans suffer from depression or some other mood disorder. Meanwhile, roughly one-third of all Americans are considered obese.
