Obesity, Mental Health, and Health-Related Quality of Life

Obesity can adversely influence mental health and quality of life. In this chapter, we discuss the psychological and physiological reasons that explain the ill effects of obesity on mental health and well-being. Obesity is a chronic medical condition that commonly leads to physical ill health. Chronic pain and mobility issues are consequences of long-term obese states that interfere with everyday functions at the workplace, at home, and in the community, leading to a reduction in life satisfaction. Weight-based stigma and discrimination are pervasive in Western societies and may hinder personal growth, employment opportunities, and interpersonal relationships, and contribute to psychological distress and negative attitudes toward oneself. Physiological mechanisms link obesity with states of adverse mental health through neuroendocrine aberrations in the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis and inflammatory pathways. Obesity is also associated with an elevated risk for depression, which is more prominent among women and among those with high classes of obesity. Successful treatment of obesity most often leads to improvements in mental health and quality of life. Weight loss significantly reduces debilitating physical health conditions, such as osteoarthritis, and ameliorates the psychological burden that is associated with excess weight. It also improves the degree of aberration found in neuroendocrine systems.