Women and young people, however, report varying degrees of distress, rang-
ing from feeling self-conscious or unattractive to feeling downright rejected
or suicidal. In fact, according to a study published in the
Journal of Adolescent
Health
, teens do not even have to be overweight to contemplate suicide
because of their body image—they only have to believe that they are obese.
This study included 14,000 high school students, and suicidal thoughts were
found to be the same in both boys and girls.
Neurochemical
and Genetic
Components
Americans are slowly, very slowly, catching on that
many social stigmas attached to obesity only reveal
misinformation and ignorance. People who are over-
weight or obese are not necessarily lazy or undisci-
plined, and they certainly aren’t stupid. Yes, lifestyle choices (food selection
and activity level) can cause excess weight in some people, but they aren’t the
cause for everyone. Some people are just wired to be a larger size. More and
more evidence suggests that biochemical and genetic components play a
greater role in being overweight than traditionally believed.
Obesity is a complex condition, and it varies from individual to individ-
ual. Some people can attain a healthier weight by cutting down on certain
foods and getting more exercise. For this population, diet and exercise are
proper interventions because they work. But there are also many overweight
people whose bodies do not respond to such seemingly logical approaches.
(We all know someone who has diligently tried to lose weight, experienced
limited success, and then just gained it back again.) Why can some people
succeed with diet and exercise while other people fail? The answer may be in
the genetic code.
Evidence from twin, adoption, and family studies strongly suggests famil-
ial similarities in maintaining body weight. Putting on the pounds is often
Weighing on Your Mind: The Psychological Impact / 85