TITLE:
The Relationship between Depression and Severe Obesity: A Case-Control Study
AUTHORS:
Marja Koski, Hannu Naukkarinen
KEYWORDS:
Severe Obesity, Depression, Beck Inventory, Body Mass Index, Weight in Depression
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Psychiatry,
Vol.7 No.4,
August
17,
2017
ABSTRACT: Objectives: This study investigated the relationship between depression and obesity
in severely obese retired individuals using the case-control method. Methods: The subject group consisted of 112 individuals receiving a permanent
disability pension primarily due to obesity. The prevalence of depression was
measured with a personal psychiatric interview and the Beck Depression
Inventory (21). Male and female controls were selected separately, with five
controls for male subjects and three controls for female subjects. The controls
were matched with the subjects according to place of residence, age, time that
pension was granted, and occupation. The statistical analyses included χ2 tests, means, t-tests for paired
variables, a conditional logistic linear model, correlation coefficients and
the percent distributions. Results: Depression was diagnosed more often
in the subject group than in the control group according to the psychiatric
interview. Based on the conditional logistic linear model, individuals with
severe obesity had a higher risk of depression than those in the control group.
The most common disturbance was chronic depression in both groups.
Additionally, there were significant findings regarding the outcome of
depression for every classification in the psychiatric interview. According to
the Beck Depression Inventory, depression was more common in subjects than in
controls. However, slight depression was most common in the study group. Seven
percent of the subjects had masked depression. The questions on the Beck
Depression Inventory that measure irritability, indecisiveness, body image and
ability to work were nearly significant. Regarding weight changes, the Beck
Depression Inventory questions on both weight loss (p = 0.014) and weight gain (p = 0.017) were statistically significant. In the study group, individuals with
BMI over 40 kg/m2 gained the most weight; however, weight loss was
very low overall. Regarding changes in appetite, the majority of the study group responded that they had a poorer appetite
than previously. Conclusion: This research is essential and
provides information on groups that have not been previously examined. The
findings from this study can be utilized to improve the care and understanding
of individuals with severe obesity.