Weight-related anxiety should be taken seriously, researchers conclude

By Staff Writer

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) states that social anxiety disorder (SAD) should only be diagnosed if the individual's anxiety is unrelated to a medical condition.

However, a new study from Rhode Island Hospital researchers indicates that the social anxiety experienced by many obese people, which is directly related to their weight, can be just as severe as the traditional symptoms connected with SAD. The findings are available in the online edition of the journal Depression and Anxiety.

Researchers examined three separate groups of volunteers: 135 individuals diagnosed with SAD, 40 participants who experience severe anxiety due to their weight and 616 adults with no history of psychiatric disorders. They discovered that weight-related social anxiety was just as severe, and in some cases more disruptive, than the stress faced by SAD patients.

In light of these results, the study's authors said that people who experience weight-related anxiety may benefit from treatment that is administered to patients diagnosed with SAD.

Overweight adolescents who experience anxiety because of their physique may benefit from the structured environment that is offered by many boarding schools.