Medical Center

Other Issues Associated with Obesity
Heart disease, diabetes and cancer are often talked about as complications of obesity. Unfortunately the list does not stop there. There are many other conditions associated with obesity such as: strokes, gallstones, bone and joint problems, gout, breathing problems, complications of pregnancy, irregular menstrual cycles, infertility and depression.
One of the most painful aspects of obesity may be the emotional suffering it causes. American society places great emphasis on physical appearance and slimness is valued. This is especially true for women. The messages, intended or not, make overweight people feel unattractive. Obese people (including children) often face prejudice or discrimination at work, at school, while looking for a job, and in social situations.
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Obesity and depression or anxiety
Clinicians should be aware that the association can occur in both directions
Obesity and common mental disorders, such as anxiety and depression, independently account for a substantial proportion of the global burden of disease and its associated economic costs, so it is important to determine the interaction between the two conditions. In the linked prospective cohort study (British Whitehall Study II; doi:10.1136/bmj.b3765), Kivimäki and colleagues looked for a bidirectional association between obesity and common mental disorders. Between 1985 and 1988, they recruited civil servants who were aged 35-55 years at baseline and studied them in three waves over 19 years. They found that common mental disorders were associated with an increased risk of obesity, and that the risk of obesity increased with the number of episodes of depression or anxiety. In contrast, they found weaker non-significant associations between obesity and the risk of common mental disorders.
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Depression and Obesity
Obesity and depression are closely linked in that each raises the risk for the other, a new meta-analysis confirms. The study found that obese people have a 55% increased risk of developing depression, and those with depression have a 58% increased risk of becoming overweight over time. These results should spur medical specialties to collaborate in an effort to prevent depression and obesity, each a condition that poses major health problems, said lead author Floriana S. Luppino, MD, Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands.
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New Alzheimer’s Tool Predicts Disease Progression
An Alzheimer’s disease (AD) progression rate measure that can be calculated at the initial visit can reliably predict how quickly the individual patient will lose cognitive and other abilities.

Rachelle Doody, MD, PhD, and colleagues from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, report initial results using the prognosis indicator with 597 patients followed up for 15 years published online February 23 in Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy.
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Healthy Weight Loss

Q. I have tried many diets but I always end up gaining the pounds right back. What is the best way to loose weight and keep it off?
A. Diets are just temporary solutions to a long-term problem. To maintain weight loss successfully, you need to focus on changing your lifestyle. These changes should be done slowly over a long period of time. Slow, steady weight loss is the healthiest way to lose weight and keep it off. The following are key steps to help you successfully do this.
Don’t skip meals-Eating small meals frequently throughout the day is a beneficial strategy to help you eat less calories overall.
Reduce calories-Choose foods that are naturally low in calories and fat like vegetables, fruits, and low-fat dairy.
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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
What is post-traumatic stress disorder?
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a type of anxiety disorder that can develop after experiencing a very traumatic or life-threatening event. Feeling physically threatened or witnessing violence, even if you were not physically injured, can lead to PTSD. Post-traumatic stress disorder can be terrifying and even disabling for some people. It can cause flashbacks, sleep problems and nightmares, feelings of isolation, guilt, paranoia, and sometimes panic attacks. Examples of traumatic events that can lead to PTSD include:1

War combat.
Terrorist attacks.
Violent crimes, such as a rape, domestic abuse, or physical assault.
A serious accident or injury.
A natural disaster, such as a fire, tornado, flood, or earthquake.
Ongoing physical or sexual abuse.
What are the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder?
Common symptoms of PTSD include:2
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A lifestyle-based intervention for adults with panic disorder that is implemented by occupational therapists in the primary care setting is at least as good as routine care by a general practitioner (GP), according to data presented at the European Psychiatric Association 18th European Congress of Psychiatry.

“Panic disorder in the UK is most often treated with medication and psychological therapy; however, both approaches yield modest outcomes at best and more often poor outcomes along with high relapse rates,” Rod Lambert, DipCOT, CHSM, MA, PhD, University of East Anglia in Norwich, United Kingdom, told Medscape Psychiatry.

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