Obesity Linked to Mood and Anxiety Disorders

According to a recent study in the Archives of General Psychiatry, obesity and mood disorders may be correlated. Analysis of a national survey administered to 9,125 adults suggests that mood and anxiety disorders are roughly 25% more common in people who meet the criteria for obesity than in those who do not. One-fourth of those included in the study were obese, and 22% of these participants suffered from mood disorders, compared with 18% of non-obese participants. Further, obese participants were about 25% less likely than non-obese participants to abuse alcohol or drugs. More research is needed to illustrate the causal relationships between obesity and psychiatric disorders. http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/63/7/824