Obesity and mental illness in a representative sample of young women


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ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relation between mental disorders and weight, especially obesity. DESIGN: Epidemiological study of mental disorders with a representative sample of


young women. SUBJECTS: A total of 2064 women, age 18–25 y, living in Dresden, Germany. MEASUREMENTS: Verbal reports of body mass index, structured clinical interview for psychological


disorders. RESULTS: We found an association between psychological disorders and weight. Obese women had the highest rate of mental disorders overall, and they had higher rates of all


subgroups of mental disorders, although many differences were not statistically significant. Most importantly, obese women suffered from an anxiety disorder significantly more often than


women who were not obese. The observed differences were independent of socioeconomic status. CONCLUSIONS: In young women, obesity is related to increased rates of mental disorders, most


notably anxiety disorders. Future longitudinal research will have to determine the causal relationships behind this correlation. Access through your institution Buy or subscribe This is a


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YOUNG ADULTS WITH OVERWEIGHT OR OBESITY AND MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS Article Open access 09 January 2024 AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany ES Becker, 


V Türke, U Soeder & S Neumer * PUK Basel, Basel, Switzerland J Margraf Authors * ES Becker View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * J


Margraf View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * V Türke View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar *


U Soeder View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * S Neumer View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar


CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Correspondence to ES Becker. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Becker, E., Margraf, J., Türke, V. _et al._ Obesity and


mental illness in a representative sample of young women. _Int J Obes_ 25 (Suppl 1), S5–S9 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801688 Download citation * Issue Date: 01 May 2001 * DOI:


https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801688 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Get shareable link Sorry, a shareable link is not


currently available for this article. Copy to clipboard Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative KEYWORDS * mental illness * health behavior * sociodemography *


socioeconomic status