(14-06-10) Obesity in Teen Girls May Lead to Depressive Symptoms

Heightened depressive symptoms, but not necessarily Major depression, may
occur in teenage girls who are obese
Researchers, led by Kerri Boutelle, PhD, associate professor of pediatrics and
psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have
found that obesity is a risk factor for depressive symptoms, but not for
clinical depression, suggesting that weight status could play a part in the
development of depression in some adolescent girls.
?This is important, because depressive symptoms are considered a precursor to
major depression,? said Boutelle.
According to the Centers for Disease and Prevention, childhood obesity has
more than tripled in the past 30 years. The prevalence of obesity among
adolescents aged 12 to 19 years increased from 5.0 percent to 18.1 percent in
2008. Similarly, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an annual survey
sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration,
found that2.0 million youths aged 12 to 17 experienced at least one major
depressive episode in 2007.
Knowing that the teenage years are often a tumultuous period in a young person?
s life, Boutelle and her colleagues set out to determine whether obesity
contributes to the development of depression among youth. This is in contrast
to the well-documented conclusion that depression increases the risk of
obesity. Results of their study will appear in the May 21st issue of Health
Psychology.
Using a structured psychiatric interview test ? the Schedule for Affective
Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children (K-SADS) ? assessors
gathered responses from almost 500 girls between the ages of 13 and 16 years,
of various ethnicities. To receive a diagnosis of depression, the girls had to
report the presence and severity of at least five symptoms. At each of four
yearly assessments, the girls were weighed and measured. Data from the
interviews indicated that obese status was associated with an increase in
depressive symptoms, but not Major Depression.
?Based on our findings, I would encourage parents, teachers and physicians to
monitor overweight and obese girls for depressive symptoms, and refer them for
evaluation if they are concerned,? said Boutelle.
Additional contributors are Peter Hannan and Jayne A. Fulkerson, Scott J. Crow
University of Minnesota, and Eric Stice, Oregon Research Institute.
This study was funded by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health.

Source : http://health.ucsd.edu/news/2010/5-24-teen-obesity.htm

News

---

In evidenza

"L'informazione presente nel sito serve a migliorare, e non a sostituire, il rapporto medico-paziente."

Per coloro che hanno problemi di salute si consiglia di consultare sempre il proprio medico curante.