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A recently conducted medical study had proved that there is a close link between obesity and mood disorders. The study named as ‘Are Mood Disorders and Obesity Related: A Review for the Mental Health Professional’ was published in one of the recent issues of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. The research was carried out for establishing connections between excess body weight and mood disorders like bipolar disorder and depression. Some of the revelations made by the research are:
- Adolescents and children suffering from major depressive disorders might be at higher risk of developing obesity
- The percentage of overweight and obese people among patients suffering from bipolar disorder is quite high. Abdominal obesity is also extremely common among bipolar disorder patients; abdominal obesity makes patients susceptible towards cardiovascular disorders.
- Obese people undergoing weight loss treatments might have increased risk of getting bipolar disorder and depression.
- There is close link between obesity and major depressive disorder in the females.
The study shows that there is an overlap between obesity and mood disorder but fails to establish any cause-effect relationship between the two. Both mood disorder and obesity are complex conditions and occur due to interaction between a number of environmental and biological factors. As a result, the relation between them is also not simple.
Majority of the medications for bipolar disorder can help in stabilizing mood and easing depression, but often leads to significant weight gain. Some such medicinal drugs that are known to cause obesity are:
- Mood stabilizers like divalproex and lithium
- Antipsychotics like olanzapine (Zyprexa), quetiapine (Seroquel) and risperidone (Risperdal)
- Antidepressants like isocarboxazid (Marplan) and paroxetine (Paxil)
Medicines used for treatment of bipolar disorder are not the only responsible factors for weight gain; patients tend to have increased appetite as their emotional condition improves due to the treatment.
As obesity invites a number of health disorders including heart problems, preventing weight gain is extremely essential. People undergoing treatment for bipolar disorder can follow the guidelines presented below to avoid weight gain.
- Exercising regularly will help in controlling the body weight; bipolar disorder patients should consult an expert trainer for knowing the right exercise routine for them.
- Patients undergoing treatment of bipolar disorder should have low fat diet.
- Eating slowly results in proper digestion of food and makes one feel full after having a limited amount of food; this stops people from eating excess food and munching between meals.
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