Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-p9bg8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-21T01:52:00.022Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Relationship between body-mass index and depressive symptoms in patients with major depression

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

Ivan Berlin  and
Francis Lavergne
Ivan Berlin*
Affiliation:
Département de Pharmacologie, Pitié-Salpêtrière University Hospital, 47, Bd de l’Hôpital, 75013Paris, France
Francis Lavergne
Affiliation:
Institut ADI-SL Internationale, 50, Bd Arago, 75013Paris, France
*
*E-mail address: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Background

Appetite and weight changes are commonly occurring symptoms of depressive illness. The occurrence of these symptoms may not only be related to depressive mood but may also be related to body weight.

Aim

To examine the relationship between symptoms of depression and body weight.

Methods

Symptoms of depression were assessed by the Montgomery-Asberg depression rating scale (MADRS) in 1694 patients seeking medical help and fulfilling DSM-IV criteria for a major depressive episode. The level of anxiety was evaluated by Covi’s anxiety scale. Body weight was expressed as body-mass index (BMI, kg/m2) and treated both categorically and continuously.

Results

The total MADRS score was not statistically different across the four BMI categories (underweight: 32.3 ± 0.6, normal weight: 30.9 ± 0.2, grade 1: 30.6 ± 0.3, and 2 overweight: 30.6 ± 0.6, P = 0.053 (NS)). In women with BMI ≤ 18.5 kg/m2 MADRS was significantly higher than that in other BMI categories (underweight: 32.4 ± 0.6, normal weight: 30.6 ± 0.2, grade 1: 30.6 ± 0.4, and 2 overweight: 30.6 ± 0.6: P = 0.036). Increasing BMI was related to a linear decrease in symptoms “Reduced appetite” (P < 0.0001) and “Pessimistic thoughts” (P < 0.003). The presence of melancholic or atypical features was not associated with lower or higher BMI, respectively.

Conclusions

In patients with major depression higher body weight is likely to be associated with less reduction in appetite and less pessimistic thoughts.

Keywords

Body-mass indexSymptoms of depressionAppetitePessimistic thoughts
Type
Original article
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 18 , Issue 2 , March 2003 , pp. 85 - 88
Copyright
Copyright © Éditions scientifiques et médicales Elsevier SAS 2002

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, DSM-IV. Washington DC: American Psychiatric Association; 1994.Google Scholar
Bowman, RL, DeLucia, JL.Accuracy of self-reported weight: a metaanalysis. Behavior Ther 1992;23:637–55.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Calle, EE, Thun, MJ, Petrelli, JM, Rodriguez, C, Heath, CW.Body-mass index and mortality in a prospective cohort of U.S. adults. N Engl J Med 1999;341:1097–105.Google Scholar
Carpenter, KM, Hasin, DS, Allison, DB, Faith, MS.Relationship between obesity and DSM-IV major depressive disorder, suicide ideation, and suicide attempts: results from a general population study. Am J Public Health 2000;90:251–7.Google Scholar
Covi, L, Lipman, R, McNair, DM, Czerlinsky, T.Symptomatic volunteers in multicenter drug trials. Progr Neuropsychopharmacol 1979;3: 521–33.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Crisp, AH, McGuiness, B.Jolly fat: relation between obesity and psychoneurosis in general population. Br Med J 1976;1:7–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Crisp, AH, Queenan, M, Sittampaln, Y, Harris, G.‘Jolly fat’ revisited. J Psychosomatic Res 1980;24:233–41.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Erickson, SJ, Robinson, TN, Haydel, F, Killen, JD.Are overweight children unhappy? Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2000;154:931–5.Google ScholarPubMed
Goldsmith, SJ, Anger-Friedfeld, K, Beren, S, Rudolph, D, Boeck, M, Aronne, L.Psychiatric illness in patients presenting for obesity treatment. Int J Eating Disorders 1992;12:63–71.3.0.CO;2-5>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Istvan, J, Zavela, K, Weidner, G.Body weight and psychological distress in NHANES I. Int J Obesity 1992;16:999–1003.Google ScholarPubMed
Kittel, F, Rustin, RM, Dramaix, M, De Backer, G, Kornitzer, M.Psychosocio- biological correlates of moderate overweight in an industrial population. J Psychosomatic Res 1978;22:145–58.Google Scholar
Korner, A, Nielsen, BM, Eschen, F, Moller-Madsen, S, Stender, A, Christensen, EM, et al. Quantifying depressive symptomatology: inter-rater reliability and inter-rater correlations. J Affect Disord 1990; 20:143–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lecrubier, Y, Steru, L, Lancrenon, S, Lavoisy, J.Les déprimés ambulatoires en pratique de ville : une enquète épidémiologique. Actualités Psychiatriques 1983;2A:19–26.Google Scholar
Montgomery, SA, Asberg, M.A new depression scale designed to be sensitive to change. Br J Psychiatry 1979;134:382–9.Google ScholarPubMed
Montgomery, SA, Smeyatsky, N, de Ruiter, M, Montgomery, DB.Profiles of antidepressant activity with the Montgomery-Asberg depression rating scale. Acta Psychiatr Scand 1985;72(Suppl 320): 38–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pellet, J, Decart, M, Lang, F, Chazot, L, Tatu, P, Blanchon, Y, et al. Description d’un échantillon de 300 échelles MADRS portant sur des sujets déprimés. Ann Méd Psychol 1987;145:170–5.Google Scholar
Roberts, RE, Kaplan, GA, Shema, SJ, Strawbridge, WJ.Are the obese at greater risk of depression? Am J Epidemiology 2000;152:163–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Siegel, JM, Hyg, MS, Yancey, AK, McCarthy, WJ.Overweight and depressive symptoms among African-American women. Preventive Med 2000;31:232–40.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stewart, AL, Brook, RH.Effects of being overweight. Am J Public Health 1983;73:171–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.