Depression

Depression

Do psychological disturbances cause some people to become fat? The answer varies greatly depending on whom you ask.

"It might be more of a situation of what came first, the chicken or the egg," says Richard O' Connor, Ph.D., a psychotherapist in Lakeville, Connecticut, and auther of Undoing Depression: What Therapy Doesn't Teach You and Medication Can't Give You. "I know that depressed people don't eat as well as nondepressed people. We eat comfort foods, lose self-discipline, and overeat."

"When I see someone not eating well, I look to see if depression has some bearing," adds Stephanie Dixon, R.D., a nutrition consultant in San Francisco. Correcting bad eating habits isn't the remedy, but if you're depressed you usually don't care about dieting.

Depression also could very well be a consequence of being fat in a society that worships slimness. Having others reject you because you're overweight definitely causes unhapiness, which in turn may make it harder to lose the weight.