03/03/2010
Weight loss hypnotherapy may be key in breaking cycle of obesity and depression
by William Hobson
New research reveals that a vicious cycle between obesity and depression may be responsible for the problems that many people experience with weight loss.
A review of 15 studies that included nearly 59,000 participants overall, has found a significant link between the physical and emotional conditions, according to a report in Business Week.
Published in the March issue of the journal Archives of General Psychiatry, the study suggests that the low-esteem experienced by many obese people in western society may lead to depression, which in turn may interfere with the endocrine system and impede weight loss. Hypnotherapy and other cognitive behavioural treatments may help break this vicious cycle, removing emotional dependencies on food, as well as helping to promote a healthier diet and mindset.
Dr Floriana S Luppino of the Netherlands' Leiden University Medical Center wrote in the study that "We found bidirectional associations between depression and obesity: obese people had a 55 percent increased risk of developing depression over time, whereas depressed people had a 58 percent increased risk of becoming obese."
Dr Luppino and the other researchers said that the findings could be used to used to help improve patient care.
Business Week's report explains that as obesity is viewed as an inflammatory condition, there is an existing association with depression. Also, because 'thinness' is a beauty ideal in western culture, particularly in the United States and some European countries, being overweight or obese may create low self-esteem, raising the risk of depression. When people are depressed they may gain weight due to interference with their energy levels or perhaps due to the effect of anti-depressant drugs, some of which can cause weight gain as a side effect.
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