Depression and Anxiety in Obese Patients

ABSTRACT

Objectives: Epidemiologic data suggests an association between obesity and depression. However, a limited number of studies have investigated the prevalence of psychiatric symptoms among obese patients without a psychiatric diagnosis. The objective of this study was to determine psychiatric diagnosis in patients with obesity who applied to the endocrinology department and to determine the pattern of the depression and anxiety symptom levels in obese patients without a psychiatric diagnosis.
Materials and Methods: 62 patients with obesity (obesity group) and 27 control subjects (control group) attending the endocrinology outpatient clinic were included in the study. Body mass index was calculated and diagnostic psychiatric assessment carried out for all patients. All participants were evaluated using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale [HAM-D] and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale [HAM-A].
Results:  Total scores obtained both from HAM-D and HAM-A were significantly greater in the obesity group than in the control group. The most common psychiatric diagnose among obese patients was depression. Nearly more than half of the obese patients without any psychiatric diagnosis marked one of the HAM-D items which describes depressed mood, guilt feeling, somatic anxiety, work and activity loss and general somatic symptoms as well as the items within the HAM-A scale which describes anxious mood, tension, cognitive difficulties, insomnia, depressed mood, somatic anxiety, cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal and autonomic symptoms.
Conclusion: Most common psychiatric diagnosis in patients with obesity was major depressive disorder. Obese patients who have not been diagnosed with any psychiatric disorder also show certain anxiety and depressive symptoms. The presence of anxiety and depressive symptoms in patients having any psychiatric disorder may be due to the psychosocial effects of obesity and these symptoms should be followed up in obese patients so that psychiatric disorders can be determined earlier.