Making Connections between Obesity and Mental Health

Despite the growing prevalence of obesity across the United States, this medical condition remains paradoxically both one of the easiest to recognize and one of the hardest to treat effectively. Obesity, which is characterized as having more body fat than is optimal for good health, has a huge impact on every bodily process, including mental health.

Many factors influence how obesity is handled in a healthcare setting. When it comes to obesity risk factors, it can be hard to pick just one area to focus on. Genetics, medications, and medical issues or chronic conditions may all have a major impact on a person’s risk for obesity. In addition to health-related factors, socio-economic and environmental factors, including income, neighborhood, access to healthy foods, and family dynamics, influence obesity.

Then there are mental health risk factors, including anxiety and depression, which may trigger someone to seek comfort or control through food — making maintaining a healthy weight more challenging.

As a patient, it’s essential that you find health professionals who understand how obesity is influenced by mental health, and vice versa. Today, we’ll cover the basics of this connection, and explain how primary care providers can help patients implement meaningful lifestyle changes that improve their overall physical and mental health.

The Prevalence of Obesity in the United States

Currently, it’s estimated that a majority (55 percent) of people in the United States are classified as overweight, with half of those falling into the range of obesity. This large percentage of the population with a higher-than-average body mass index (BMI) has implications not just on trends in national public health, but also on our collective mental health. (BMI is a mathematical formula that divides a person’s weight by the square of their height; the resulting number is used to place the person into one of eight bodyweight “categories.” While BMI is frequently used as a guide, many healthcare professionals dispute its accuracy in determining a person’s healthy weight.) 

Obesity and Mental Health Risks

In the 2007 National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R), researchers found a 25 percent increase in mood and other anxiety disorders in individuals with obesity. This study supports associations that researchers have been making for years. However, it is still challenging to determine exactly how obesity and anxiety or obesity and depression affect each other. Many studies have been conducted to try and reveal additional details about these connections.

Ultimately, the authors of the NCS-R concluded that “we have no way of distinguishing the direction of the causal relationship between obesity and psychiatric disorders nor the possibility that unmeasured common causes induce an association between them.”

Whether obesity stems from mental health disorders, mental health disorders stem from obesity, or an alternative common cause triggers both, all healthcare providers and patients must be aware of their irrevocable connection. If you are seeking to lower your weight, talk to your healthcare provider about how seeking care for your mental health may benefit you.

Lifestyle Changes That Positively Impact Both Obesity and Mental Health

There are many issues that can influence both mental health and BMI, including lack of sleep, stress, and even medical conditions like attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or arthritis.

To mitigate the negative effects of both obesity and mental health disorders, healthcare providers should help guide patients towards positive, meaningful lifestyle changes. These can include:

     • Getting enough sleep

     • Regular exercise

     • Avoiding or mitigating stress

     • Minimizing the cycle of rapid weight loss and weight gain

     • A diet rich in nutrient-dense foods like whole grains, fruit, vegetables, and lean proteins

With so many complex relationships between conditions, it can be a challenge to isolate each one to determine how it affects a person. Some people may find it helpful to work with a therapist who can help them determine identifiable patterns in habits they would like to change.

With our country’s history of stigmatization of overweight people, it’s important to ensure that patients feel supported without being judged for their physical appearance. Carbon Health is committed to providing inclusive, judgment-free healthcare to everyone.

Looking for more health resources? Download the Carbon Health app or visit us at carbonhealth.com today. 

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Carbon Health’s medical content is reviewed and approved by healthcare professionals before it is published, but it is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Talk to your healthcare provider about questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition, and before making changes to your healthcare routine.