The effects of depression and impulsivity on obesity and binge eating disorder

The effects of depression and impulsivity on obesity and binge eating disorder Objective: The aim of study was to evaluate depression and impulsivity in obese people with binge eating disorder (BED). Method: The study included 149 obese subjects who were compared to 151 non-obese healthy controls. They were assessed with the Structured Clinical Interview (SCID-I), Eating Attitudes Test (EAT), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11). Results: The prevalence of BED was 47.6% in the obese subjects. Obesity with BED was more common in females. Depressive disorder was detected in 41.2% of the obese subjects. There was no significant difference between BED (+) and BED (-) groups with respect to depressive disorder (p>0.05). The cognitive impulsivity and non-planning activity scores of the depressive group were significantly higher than for the subjects without depression (p<0.05). The cognitive impulsivity scores of depressive obese subjects were significantly higher than for obese subjects without depression (p<0.05). Conclusion: Obesity appears to be associated with depression rather than impulsivity. Impulsivity was found in obese people with binge-eating specifically. This study suggests that depression and/or binge eating may be mediating factors for the outcome of obesity.