Eating Disorders and Obesity

Obesity is a condition that can lead to serious and even life-threatening complications. People who have untreated obesity are at high risk of developing depression or anxiety disorders. It can also lead to the person developing an eating disorder. People who are obese have a high risk of developing serious medical conditions like hypertension, stroke, high cholesterol, heart disease, and diabestes. Obesity is implicated in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people each year. Appropriate treatment doesn't only help individuals to feel good about themselves, it can save lives.

Obese people often feel a strong sense of shame and are sometimes unable to connect properly with people. With a proper therapeutic intervention the individual can be helped to learn new skills and to confront the harmful shame. The person will be helped to deal with the psychological issues that are leading to the obesity and also given practical lessons on how to reach a healthy weight. The aim is not only to deal with the physical problem but also to address the emotional problems that obesity creates.

Obesity is usually defined as being more than 20% over your ideal body weight. This ideal weight is based on your age, gender, and how much exercise you do. Having a body-fat percentage more than 30% for women or 25% for men is usually considered a symptom of obesity.

Obesity has many contributing factors that work together to produce it. These factors include genetic predisposition, individual rate of metabolism, developmental factors, personality factors, environmental factors, how active the person is, and their general lifestyle. For some people obesity results from using food as a way to soothe and cope with unpleasant emotions like stress, anxiety, or helplessness.

Obesity is treated on several levels which reflects the multi-factor way in which it develops. A comprehensive obesity treatment program will have a biological element to help the person return to a healthy weight and deal with the symptoms of hypertension, high cholesterol, etc. It will include a psychological element to address the core emotions like depression and anxiety that influence obesity. It will also take a systemic approach to viewing the patient in the context of his/her family and cultural setting to help address dynamics that lead to the obesity. A proper treatment should be conducted by a professional in a treatment clinic who will recommend a further action plan for treating this problem.