Depression in Overweight Patients and Vice Versa: Harder to Overcome

by Kristi Caporoso

Depression and obesity are both two very difficult things to cope with on their own. However, dealing with the two of them coexisting makes each one more difficult to overcome. There are many ways that the two exacerbate each other. For example, it's necessary for someone who is overweight to exercise to improve their health. However, patients with depression usually have no energy to exercise or have little hope that it will help. The best way to prevent this is starting off on an exercise regimen at the beginning of therapy. Exercise not only will help with your physical health, but also is believed to have antidepressant effects. One way to succeed in getting into an exercise regimen is making the exercise something you enjoy. Being active as opposed to inactive will increase chances of improvement.
Another common occurrence in those sufferring from depression is sleeplessness or sleep disturbances, which is also shown to increase weight gain. Many of the symptoms of depression such as this one make it harder for those with it to overcome obesity or being overweight. Lack of hope, as mentioned above, can interfere with exercise plans or other plans of dealing with obesity. Also, several antidepressants can lead to weight gain, such as clozapine and olanzapine.
There are some ways to avoid this struggle if you are overweight and suffer from depression. Cognitive behavioral therapies have been shown to be very effective in treating depression and obesity together. Also, choosing an antidepressant that is not associated with weight gain will help. Things you can do at home include keeping a journal of medications, exercise, diet, getting adequate sleep, and of course an exercise and diet program.