Relationship between depression and obesity

A depressed person may gain or lose weight, eat more or eat less. Obesity is the most common chronic physical illness in modern society, and depression is the most prevalent psychological condition.

Obesity is increasingly prevalent and associated with numerous health complications including hypertension, coronary heart disease, and increased mortality.

Data from the 2005 National Health Interview Survey, a study of over 30,000 American adults, found that depression and body mass index (BMI) correlated at .08. Depression is hypothesized to cause obesity indirectly through such behaviors as emotional eating, eating calorie-dense food, and decreased physical activity

Archives of General Psychiatry - The results of a new metanalysis have shown that obesity and depression are closely linked, and that an increase in one increases the risk for another. In obese people, the risk of developing depression increases by 55%, and in people with depression, the risk of developing obesity increases by 58%.
Relationship between depression and obesity