Obesity and The Blue

1. 59

   Hui (蕙)posted 12 years ago

   "While depression will affect more than 16 percent of Canadian women at some point in their lives (at a rate of 1.5 times that of men.) Researchers have observed that those who are obese are more likely to become depressed, and those who are depressed are more likely to become obese."
   
      To what degree do you think there is a necessary cause-effect relationship between depression and obesity? And to what degree this relationship is different between men and women? Why?

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2. 61

   knolyourselfposted 12 years ago

   If the ideal is the skinny model, and all media enforces this - to sell of course, it might naturally make those depressed, who
   take such things seriously. If I am already fat and depressed may as well eat. What else is their for me? Or I'll show them. Think you've seen fat? Standards that people cannot conform to, often lead to bad ends.

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3. 61

   TMMasonposted 12 years ago

   It is as much a cause as you allow it to be. If you are self-conscious, then probrably alot, if not self-conscious, then not a lot. I think your entire life situation plays a larger role and probrably some family history, genetics, among other factors, abuse, alchoholism drug abuse, neglect, in your family and your life, etc.

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4. 0

   Valemanposted 12 years ago

   I think there are links between the two.  Because of the impossible image society portrays as the natural body shape, women, and men can become depressed if they feel they fail to live up to the ideal.  Also, depression can lead to overeating, because people are trying to fill the emptiness by turning to food.  Plus, antidepressants can cause people put on a lot of weight.  I have been taking them for years, and have noticed myself gaining a lot of weight.

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   1. 50

      darajamposted 12 years agoin reply to this

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5. 0

   fit2dayposted 12 years ago

   I think many people eat as a remedy for depression, which may be a key factor and also fail to get proper exercise because they dwell on the pain. I think obesity may cause depression because people get down on themselves for not being a certain weight.
   
   To honest though, I think depression is just something everyone deals with so I would say it's closer to 100% than to 16%, it's just that some people deal with it more severely than others.

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6. 60

   fucsiaposted 12 years ago

   I think that a healthy nutrition and an active life are very important to keep the mood high. These simple thing help us to cope with problems, to overcome stress, to increase the natural endorphines. Those who are obese usually do not make sports and are obese because eat wrong.
   Then we can add also the reasons linked to the beauty, adolescent problems related to obesity, the difficult acceptance of themselves.

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7. 61

   recommend1posted 12 years ago

   I think they come from different places because all the many obese people I have met (I ran a bar for 3 years) seemed to be compensating for being unloved, or feeling unloved.  A bar of chocolate will never let you down will it.  Depression seems to be mainle clinical in that the same people could be depressed when things were going well or going badly in the same degree.

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8. 62

   Lisa HWposted 12 years ago

   I don't really think the "food-as-love" thing is as big a problem as many people think it is.  I don't doubt there are people who eat for the wrong reasons (with that one being one of them), but I think, for a lot of depressed/unhappy people who eat the wrong stuff, it's more often something simpler than that.
   
   People who are depressed/stressed (and being depressed is stressful, and maybe sometimes even caused by stress), the body's stress-response system can cause cravings for high-fat or high-carb foods.  (I did the research for a Hub on this).  People can feel like they can't function (physically or mentally) if they don't eat when they're craving.  Besides cravings, though, people feel tired and often eat to get enough of an energy boost to keep going (often because they have responsibility and don't have the luxury of not "keeping going"), or else they may eat to calm down if they're anxious and frazzled (high-fat foods/drinks are calming).
   
   Based only a lot of people I've seen gain weight (and often lose it again), I think weight gain is very often a sign that the person is unhappy/depressed.  Then, though, they get even more unhappy because they've gained weight (but maybe "unhappy" in a different way, or else separate way).
   
   I don't have statistics, but my guess would be that most weight gain (in people who otherwise never had a weight problem) starts with a person's being stressed or unhappy, and only gets to be a more complicated "depression" and weight problem from there. 

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9. 60

   SomewayOuttaHereposted 12 years ago

   ...i don't know what the degree is...but i do know that docs hand out drugs too frequently to both sexes....got a problem? here's a drug (situational depression) - most anti-depressants cause weight gain and many times the wrong one is provided and for long periods of time....i don't believe many docs take the appropriate steps to help the patient - it's easier to prescribe...and the drug co's are happy...docs move the patients along and make their money; people are dazed...and the drugs screw up their system.   
   
   It'd be interesting to look at the number of people in N.A. that have been diagnosed as depressed, for how long, the increase in drug sales/or the dollars made and over the last 30 years and if possible, compare it to obesity rates.
   
   ...the folks who really need the prescriptions to help are faced to figure out what works and what doesn't when they are not in a good position to know - when they are truly depressed.

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10. 55

    ftclickposted 12 years ago

    women are more depressed than men when they are obese.
    Fact:  80% of bariatric surgery procedures are performed on women. Men appear OK with themselves and to the public as a money earner while women need to stay in good shape. Discrimination in employment displays this as well. More overweight guys will be hire than overweight women with all variables being equal. Of course a great personality that shines and a stellar success record will move the odds in one's favor.

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