I have a question

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-11-2004
I have a question
13
Sun, 05-30-2004 - 3:02pm
I have noticed lately a few of the posts dicussing depression and meds. I too suffer from depression. I take two antidepressants (Lexapro and Buspar) and a sleeping pill (Trazadone). I also recieve therapy twice a month. I was not depressed when I was thinner and much younger. My questions are:

Do quite a few of individuals with weight problems suffer from depression? Could the depression be being caused by the Weight problem or is it just a contributing factor? or a side effect? I know my weight didn't cause my depression, bad choices did, but does it make it worse? If I lose the weight will my amount of control get better? What are you finding? OK, I know I have now set myself up to be the resident crazy on this board, but I was just wondering.

Hugs, brenda

Hugs, Brenda 

Pages

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-15-2004
Sun, 05-30-2004 - 3:15pm
IMO I think they go hand in hand. I think people can become depressed and start eating or they gain weight and then become depressed.
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-26-2003
Sun, 05-30-2004 - 4:34pm
Hey Brenda,

Complicated question. Overeating and weight gain are symptoms of depression. Gaining weight is a trigger for depression for some people. Depression also causes overeating. So for some people it might be a vicious cycle kind of thing, gain a little weight get depressed, eat more because of the depression, gain weight, depression deepens, and so on. I don't think weight gain in and of itself can cause depression, but your thoughts about your weight gain definitely could trigger or make your depression worse.

I don't think that statistically depression is any more common among overweight people than thin people.

Depression is a biological, biochemical phenomenon. Bad choices don't cause it, might trigger it sometimes, but if you weren't already predisposed to depression then you wouldn't get depressed just because of bad choices (no matter how bad). Don't beat yourself up over it anymore than you would beat yourself up for getting chicken pox. I think there probably are some etiological links between obesity and depression, I know both of them have been repeatedly linked to abnormalities of a certain dopamine transmitter. They also seem to run together in families. I wish we knew more about this, too, because both run in my family.

In any case, I'm sorry you're depressed! It sucks, but the good news is that it always gets better. It just takes some time sometimes.

Hugs,

Erin

http://www.GlitterMaker.com/ - Glitter Graphics
Mom
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-19-2004
Sun, 05-30-2004 - 6:04pm
Brenda, if you are the resident crazy, you have me for company. I will be totally open and honest and have nothing to lose by sharing what I have to say. It might help people understand where I am coming from a bit better. So...

* I take Effexor XR, 75 mg., once a day, since February '04.

* I have a low-grade chronic depression that has recently resurfaced, along with General Anxiety Disorder and have one or two off-the-chart(require sedation) panic attacks a year. I also have manifestations of Tourette's Syndrome (which is NOT where my barking comes from, lol)from my father's side (he has manifestations, too, but my brother has full-blown Tourettes)

* In 1998 I was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, but have been sucessfully treated with Prozac and behavioral therapy and symptom free for four years.

So, that is it in a nutshell. If anyone wants to discuss things more in depth, email me. Now I'll try to answer your questions.


Q: Do quite a few of individuals with weight problems suffer from depression?

A: I Believe alot of people suffer, many of them in secret, some in denial. I do, and have for years, since I was about seventeen or so.

Q: Could the depression be being caused by the weight problem or is it just a contributing factor?

A: Both. It can be a vicious circle. Physiologically, carrying extra fat cells won't make one depressed unless it has an effect on your endocrine glands and hormones. Then it may cause an organic problem. This is just a guess. I know alot of Fat N'Happy people out there, but I never was. I hated myself and how I looked. I hated people who passed judgement on me simply because of my weight, and I secretly hated my self even MORE for agreeing with them.

Q: Or a side effect?

A: Weight gain/problems/mainaining weight can common with depression. Some people lose, some gain. My brain was rigged to gain. Food was a coping mechanism and was replacing things in my life, specifically interpersonal relationships, that I was left unsatisfied and unfufilled by. He doesn't love me? EAT!

Q: I know my weight didn't cause my depression, bad choices did, but does it make it worse?

A: In my mind, it makes it worse, because part of being depressed is a marked decrease in caring about yourself. I was having a conversation the other day with an extremely intelligent woman who has had similar issues as myself, and we both had the same experience with a doctor once - even though they were different Dr's, and might I add mine was not trained in ANYTHING remotely psychological - our symptoms and issues were downplayed and poo-poohed because we held jobs, got out of bed every day, washed and fed ourselves, excercised...so there was NO WAY we could be depressed, because depressed people did not engage in such activities. There has been great progress with the notion that depression has varying degrees and many forms and manifestations, not just the typical 'textbook' example. I really stopped caring about how I looked, because I sure FELT like crap, and was not inclined to maintain a good body image. Why should I have? If I was this ugly on the inside, my outside was certainly reflecting it.

Q: If I lose the weight will my amount of control get better?

A: Not neccessarily !

Q: What are you finding?

A: I'm finding that my depression changes as I get older, and medication definetly helps.

I had tried for months to mentally balance myself and tried all my old methods of relaxation, being centered, blah blah blah. Sometimes you just need that little extra push to get you to fix it on your own. I do not see medication as a panacea for everything. It just helped me see clearly enough to have the skills to cope and fix by myself. I find that the more weight I lose, I become different, but not necessarily 'happier'. Happiness is not the norm for most people, we have our ups and downs. Find someone who's happy 24/7 with ZERO problems - ask them what they're on and what dose, LOL!

I hope I answered your questions !

Amy

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-11-2004
Sun, 05-30-2004 - 8:14pm
My Thanks to you all for your answers. I was kind of hopeing someone would say if I lose all this weight things will be better. It will probably take that and a divorce.

Hugs to everyone, Brenda

Hugs, Brenda 

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Sun, 05-30-2004 - 11:11pm

Brenda....that a very good question.

  Shawna-- Proud Cl for 100 Pounds or More to Go 

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-17-2004
Mon, 05-31-2004 - 12:47am

Just from my

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

Fear

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-11-2004
Mon, 05-31-2004 - 3:16am
Shawna and Kerstin, Thanks for you responses. They give me food for thought.

Hugs, Brenda

Hugs, Brenda 

Avatar for javalava
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-08-2004
Mon, 05-31-2004 - 2:05pm
Personal Opinion:

For me, being 150 lbs overweight is depressing. The coulda-woulda-shoulda list is too long; all the things I would have done with less weight on my bod..I enabled everything to drive me to the answer in food, and it is not, and then wondered why i ended up w/ screwed up hormones which does have to do w/ depression for women, and other effects. I went to a doctor to get a physical to start a weight loss program, and she put me on Zoloft becuz she said i must be depressed being fat.....i took it twice but didn't want to cuz i wasn't going there for depression and didn't want to take pills. Then i go to an obgyn for horrible periods which were like a flood, leaving me drained (no pun intended) and then emotional. This was both the fact that i am 42, could be peri-menopause, and also weight induced. She told me the doctor was wrong for putting me on Zoloft, cuz that makes people eat more, she put me on Wellbutrin, and I don't take that consistent either, cuz i still don't want to rely on pills,,,

so, uh-huh i think weight gain can cause depression. and since we are on this board, i will talk plainly,,,,,vericose veins on legs (I have), increased facial hair (I have) and flab and weight rolls are depressing. it means you don't look like Cindy Crawford or the acceptable look. and there goes depression. not being to have clothes look like they do on the manequinn on your body, is depressing......i don't have a boyfriend or spouse, and you feel really big, and that is depressing, i just think a lot of this is hand in hand.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-19-2004
Mon, 05-31-2004 - 2:14pm
Also, what I should have added is don't DEPEND solely on losing weight as a way out of depression.

Divorce is hard, but it's worth it if you know what I mean. Life in general is full of exquisitely painful decisions, but sometimes, it's like a Band-Aid. Pull it off quickly, it only stings for a minute, then all better.

A few years ago I went through something akin to what you are dealing with now...so you have my full suport.

SuperSharkHug,

Amy

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-11-2004
Mon, 05-31-2004 - 5:26pm
Thanks for the hug Amy! Hug back to you, Brenda

Hugs, Brenda 

Pages