- Being obese is socially undesirable
- Obesity causes physical problems and illnesses
- People with obesity are less physically active
The study completed in Australia accepts that, among people seeking treatment for obesity, there is a high incidence rate of depression or mood disorders. These patients, however, have already indicated an unhappiness with their current situation and therefore, the numbers may not be indicative or accurate of the general population. When looking at samples from the general population, according to Jorm, “there really isn’t any consistent relationship [between obesity and depression or anxiety]. In addition, Jorm and his associates were interested in the difference between obesity increasing negative thoughts or reducing positive thoughts. Altogether, Jorm and his associates interviewed 7000 people, in three separate age groups.
Through the interviews, Jorm found there were a series of problem facing people that were overweight:
- Worse physical health
- Less physically active
- Less educated
- More financial difficulties
- Women, in particular, faced more criticism from family members
According to his research, it is not the obesity itself causing the depression, anxiety or other mood disorders, it is the impact of obesity on physical and emotional well being that affected mental health. Physical health, however, seemed to have the most impact on mental health. Those people in poor physical health had the largest rate of depression or anxiety.
When all other factors were taken into consideration, according to Jorm, people that were underweight, rather than overweight, had a higher incident rate of depression or anxiety. However, since people that are underweight do not have the same number of physical problems, they are more able to cope with symptoms or mask symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Losing weight will help people to become healthier, but according to Jorm, it will not necessarily make them happier. In an indirect way, losing weight can help to reduce anxiety, by improving health and the other concerns associated with obesity and related to higher levels of anxiety.
