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TOP 10 TAKEAWAY MESSAGES:
Obesity and Psychiatric Disease
1. Eating disorders associated with obesity are binge-eating
disorder, bulimia nervosa, and night-eating syndrome.
2. Obesity and mood disorders frequently occur together.
3. The relationship between obesity and depression is bidirectional.
Obesity is a risk factor for mood disorders; mood disorders are a
risk factor for obesity.
4. Obesity and psychiatric diseases may share pathogenic
pathways involving the immune and endocrine system,
hypothalamic and pituitary axis, and nervous system
(e.g., autonomic nervous system, monoamines, synapses,
neurogenesis, and neuroinflammation).
5. Psychiatric diseases can sometimes independently contribute to
overnutrition and/or consumption of foods rich in carbohydrates
and fats.
6. Individuals have unique body weight responses to medications
used to treat psychiatric disease.
7. Study populations support that some psychiatric medications
may generally increase body weight, while others may promote
body weight neutrality or weight loss.
8. Weight loss in patients with obesity may improve mood in
patients even without a diagnosis of clinical depression.
9. Non-surgical, intentional weight loss in patients with obesity
may reduce symptoms of depression.
10. Bariatric surgery often improves mental health conditions
(e.g., depression and binge eating disorders). However,
bariatric surgery is sometimes associated with recurring or
new psychiatric disorders, alcohol or substance abuse, eating
disorders, and suicidality.
