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UrduElma Dervic from the Complexity Science Hub explains that they studied a large set of hospital records in Austria from 1997 to 2014 to understand the risks of having other illnesses alongside obesity and to find any differences between men and women. They discovered that being diagnosed with obesity significantly increases the chances of having various mental health disorders, such as depression, nicotine addiction, psychosis, anxiety, and eating and personality disorders. Michael Leutner from the Medical University of Vienna emphasizes that these findings highlight the importance of recognizing psychiatric conditions in people who are obese and seeking help from specialists at an early stage of diagnosis.
FIRST DIAGNOSIS: OBESITY
Dervic explains that they had to create a new method to understand which illnesses commonly occurred before and after the diagnosis of obesity. By using this method, the researchers were able to identify any trends or common patterns in the occurrence of diseases.
In most cases, except for the psychosis spectrum, obesity was most likely diagnosed before any psychiatric diagnosis. Alexander Kautzky from the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the Medical University Vienna explains that previously, doctors often thought that medications used to treat mental disorders caused the association between obesity and psychiatric conditions, including diabetes. However, the data they analyzed does not support this idea for depression or other psychiatric diagnoses. It is still unknown whether obesity directly affects mental health or if early stages of psychiatric disorders are not being adequately recognized.
GREATER IMPACT IN WOMEN
The researchers made a surprising discovery regarding gender differences in the study. For most disorders, women had a higher risk compared to men, except for schizophrenia and nicotine addiction, where there were no significant differences between genders.
The data reveals interesting differences between obese men and women. Among obese men, about 16.66% also experience nicotine abuse disorder, whereas only up to 8.58% of obese women have this condition. On the other hand, the rates of diagnosed depressive episodes were nearly three times higher in obese women compared to non-obese women (13.3% obese; 4.8% non-obese). Obese men were also more likely to be affected, but the difference was not as significant, with about 6.61% of obese men experiencing depressive episodes compared to 3.21% of non-obese men.
COUNTERACT AT A YOUNG AGE
Currently, obesity is a widespread health issue globally, impacting over 670 million individuals. It is well-documented that obesity contributes to metabolic disorders and significant cardiovascular complications, such as diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure (arterial hypertension), and abnormal blood lipid levels (dyslipidemia). Extensive research has been conducted on these aspects of the disease.
The study’s findings highlight the significance of obesity as a risk factor for various health issues, including severe mental disorders. This emphasizes the need for comprehensive screening of mental health problems in individuals who are obese, especially among younger age groups where the risk is particularly high. Early detection and appropriate treatment can help prevent these problems or provide timely intervention. The researchers conclude that thorough screening in obese patients is urgently necessary to promote prevention and ensure suitable treatment measures are implemented.
FIND OUT MORE
The study “Obesity as pleiotropic risk state for metabolic and mental health throughout life” has been published in Translational Psychiatry.
