Coexistence of obesity and mental disorders
Although obesity is a disease that mainly affects our body and affects the formation of a number somatic diseases, for example related to the circulatory or respiratory system, it turns out that it is very significantly related to various types of mental disorders. Many studies show that obesity coexists with diseases such as depression– characterized by a depressed mood, bipolar disorderin which the mood changes from depressive to manic or euphoric. Additionally, there was a correlation between the occurrence of obesity and anxiety disorders, for example panic attacks or agoraphobia manifested fear of open space and leaving the house. Anxiety occurs in this population of over people twice as often than in people whose BMI remains normal.
Susceptibility to mental disorders
The conducted research shows that among obese people they are more prone to mental disorders, especially depression women. You might wonder why this is so. It is possible that this is related to the importance women put on their body image compared to men. Possession negative beliefs about your appearance easily translates into maladaptive thoughts about yourself, which then generalize into the way you think about your whole life – we develop a belief that our unattractiveness causes all kinds of troubles and all negative situations that we encounter. According to the concept cognitive – behavioral about the origin of mental disorders, the emergence of such maladaptive beliefs may lead to the development of a full-blown depression. In addition, it is also indicated that the higher the degree of obesity, the more severe the symptoms of depression that an individual will develop.
What is the cause?
So far, researchers have not found a clear answer to the question of which disorder triggers the other disease. Does obesity determine the emergence of mental disorders, or are they rather responsible for gaining weight? Most probably the impact is two-way, there are indications of two-way dependencies. Nevertheless, many hypotheses about this relationship arise. Some say the presence of too much adipose tissue in our body affects the functioning of the endocrine and neurohormonal systems, thus contributing to the formation of inflammatory processes that may be related, for example, to the activation of depression. This approach treats mental illness as a derivative of obesity. On the other hand, the influence of mental disorders on the development of overweight is also indicated. They play a very important role here lekiwhich often lead to the accumulation of unnecessary kilograms. Especially substances do this antipsychotic, administered in diseases such as schizophrenia. In this case, there is also a second risk factor – patients suffering from this disorder give up physical activity, which additionally may increase the deposition of adipose tissue. In this case, it is worth taking care of a proper diet and providing the patient with an active lifestyle.
Sexual dysfunctions and obesity
Apart from typical mental disorders, obesity also coexists with dysfunctions in the area sex life. In this case, the significant influence of obesity on the appearance of problems of a sexual nature is indicated. The reason lies in cardiovascular disorders caused by being overweight – it reduces sexual arousal and increases the frequency of erectile dysfunction by 30%. These factors mean that sexual satisfaction is often lowered in obese people.
So, as has been shown, mental and somatic diseases are mutually dependent reducing our quality of life. Therefore, it is worth starting to act immediately, when you see disturbing symptoms in yourself – going to a specialist doctor who will introduce the most appropriate treatment method is the most important thing we can do to prevent the occurrence of vicious circle mutually conditioning disorders.