Do psychological problems play a role in our obesity and can they lead to our overweight? How will it be possible for these people to lose weight? What are the mental and psychological causes of overeating? How can overweight be eliminated despite neurological problems?
Obesity is one of the biggest problems in today’s world. Many people can be classified as obese or overweight. A BMI of more than 30 is considered obese, and a BMI of more than 25 is considered overweight. There is also a group that has a BMI of more than 40, which is considered super obese. Obesity acts as a host for all kinds of diseases for all these people, but the degree varies depending on the severity of the problem.
Researchers at the Rochester Center for Behavioral Therapy work with patients who are more concerned with obesity and other mental health problems. In fact, this is a common phenomenon among psychiatric treatment centers that have such patients. Obesity in itself is not a mental illness, but it is highly related to some mental problems. The stress of being fat in a thin-obsessed society can strain even the most stable of minds.
Caution: Obesity is not a psychological problem
In today’s society where thinness has become an obsession, people with large bodies are usually rejected, and they may not be treated like others. Sometimes this phenomenon is called fat phobia, sizeism or size discrimination, and it is a kind of indifference that has affected the quality of life of millions of fat people. Some of these people even tend to use drugs, commit suicide and harm themselves.
It is very unfair to think that because someone is overweight, they must have mental problems. In fact, many people who are overweight are mentally calm, have a healthy physique, and they became obese by bad luck, a history of unhealthy habits or a disease led them to such a path. Don’t think that you can measure a person’s health by just looking at them, and never tell someone who is overweight to lose weight, fat people know how society judges them. This is a decision that the individual must make.
Binge eating and practical obsession
Binge eating disorder is an eating disorder that causes people to eat large amounts of food in a short period of time. A binge eater may eat 1,000 calories or more in just a few minutes. Unlike other eating disorders, a person does not throw up after overeating, but they usually feel guilty and depressed after such an event.
Anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorders
People who have a history of obesity or are obese, as well as those who restrict their food, may suffer from various eating disorders. Although most people with eating disorders are thin, this is not always the case, especially with diseases such as bulimia.
The pressure to meet unrealistic standards can lead some people to develop disorders such as anorexia and bulimia, or it can cause a person to cut their calorie intake so low that they miss out on vital nutrients. This is just one reason why we shouldn’t value people based on their weight, or blame all health problems on their fatness. Under such pressures, it seems very natural to have an eating disorder to escape from excess weight as soon as possible.
Depression, anxiety, and trauma
It’s not easy to talk about painful feelings, so it’s natural for people to eat to bury their feelings. Depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder are very common among obese people. In most cases, a doctor should treat these symptoms before serious weight loss can begin.
In a recent study, doctors found that traumatic stress, including child abuse or rape, greatly increases the likelihood that a person will become overweight or even obese. This risk is especially threatening among women. People who have suffered psychological traumas turn to food to avoid the pain they have, they may harm themselves with food and create a self-loathing, or they may become so desperate that they think of starting a The food plan also disables them.
The impact of living in a thin-obsessed society
A simple excess of weight may expose people to all kinds of mental health risks, as an obese person is forced to lose weight in order to get rid of this pressure, and this compulsion increases psychological pressure. Even doctors sometimes label someone who is overweight unhealthy based on their physique. Some of the problems that overweight people face are:
• Sudden but intentional questions and comments from loved ones.
• Medical providers who do not take their concerns seriously.
• Discrimination in employment
Over time, these things can affect a person, lower his quality of life and lead him to depression, anxiety, and other diseases. Obesity may be a health problem, but other people’s weight is not an appropriate topic for discussion. Behaviors are also a stimulating factor for themselves, which further complicates the issue of weight loss.
Dr. Kermani’s website
