Overweight Depression

Do you remember the saddest moment of your life? Imagine having to live the rest of your life feeling sad and miserable. Depression.

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, clinical depression is a mood disorder in which feelings of sadness, loss, anger, or frustration interfere with everyday life for weeks or longer. Everyone experiences a time of depression, even you. However, there are some that live all their life with this condition because of their weight.

  In today's society people judge themselves off of who and what they see in the media. There is a huge societal pressure to be thin, and when an obese person is bombarded with these thoughts and images of celebrities, it may end up depressing them. Obese people tend to be very self conscious of their appearance, and that spills over to low self esteem and also opens the door for unfair self examination.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are also bullies who make fun of fat people and thinner people who will mock an obese person. Many of this bullying is based on stereotypes.

Being obese may seem just physically, but it has a major social impact. If a person is shy or scared to socialize because they are obese, that loneliness is going to cause depression. That lack of self-confidence is going to make it even harder to socialize, and the vicious cycle continues.  

According to Dr. Stephen Iiardi, author of The Depression Cure, social isolation is a huge risk factor for the onset of major depression, which has more than doubled over the past decade. This usually occurs with obese people because they feel their appearance makes them stand out.
 

Many are discriminated against, stereotyped, and judged for being their size. Imagine being the only obese person in the class. You get picked on everyday, and no one wants to speak to you or be your friend. I'm pretty sure once you leave this class, you will still be affected, and more likely not want to be around many others. This may be the case for some obese people, leading them into isolation.

No matter how you feel, or how others feel about you, being obese definitely has a link to depression. With media leading our thoughts on self-image, being obese can make someone hate the way they look. Also, those who bully the obese can cause them to isolate themselves from social activity. Both of these factors aid to depression. If you or you know anyone who is suffering through obesity or depression, you should seek help immediately.