Mental Health Needs Unmet For More Than Half With Obesity

Oleh Admin 19 Jun, 2023 Posting Komentar

The study found that more than half of obese patients who use weight management services do not feel their mental health needs are being met.

According to published estimates, obese people have a 55% higher risk of depression, and people with depression have a 58% higher risk of clinical obesity. Research shows that the risk of depression increases proportionately for every additional 5 kg/m ² BMI above 30. Although the link between obesity and poor mental health has been established, research on obesity and effective services for people with obesity is limited. Poor mental health requiring psychological support.

Level 2 Weight Management Services (T2 WMS) are behavioral interventions designed for people with obesity or other comorbidities or risk factors such as type 2 diabetes, changes in diet, physical activity, lifestyle and behavior, usually in groups for 12 weeks. “Integrating psychological support into T2 WMS can help alleviate psychological stress and improve emotional well-being, health-related quality of life, weight, and associated risk factors for comorbidities,” says Tamara Brown, Ph.D. prevent progression to more serious mental health problems.

There is an urgent need to better understand the mental health of obesity

A recent review found that there is no evidence for the provision of psychological support in the context of weight management. The report also found that psychological support tended to focus on eating behavior and weight control rather than support for broader mental health needs. In addition, there is a lack of evidence for the need and use of psychological support among men and patients from Black, Asian, and other communities. Based on these findings, there is an urgent need to understand the experiences and preferences of people with obesity and mental health problems.

For a study published in the journal Clinical Obesity , Dr. Brown and colleagues attempted to determine the psychological support provided at T2 WMS by conducting an online survey of current or recent service users who reported mental health needs, 9 commissioners and 17 medical services. . service professionals The survey collected quantitative data on respondents' views on the use and need for such support.

These are unmet mental health needs for many service users.

The study found that more than half (54.2%) of T2 WMS users do not feel that their mental health needs are being met (figure), and 60% indicated that they would like to receive additional psychological support within the T2 WMS. “These results highlight the lack of psychological and emotional support provided in T2 WMS,” says Dr. Brown. Research has also shown that psychological support and behavior change methods are intermingled, and that there is no clear understanding or definition of psychological support between or within service users, health care providers, and commissioners.

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When participants were asked to think about how their mental health affects their ability to manage their weight, the most common responses were food to cope with stress or emotions, low motivation to change and poor quality of life, reduced sleep.

More attention should be paid to providing patient-centered care.

For T2 WMS to be effective, it is important to identify patient needs in advance and place them at the center of program design and implementation. "Our findings may help develop patient-centered weight management services for many people with mental health issues and obesity," said Dr. Brown. Screening is needed to identify obese people in need of mental health. Once identified, it is important to tailor psychological and emotional support measures to the individual in order to optimize outcomes. Further research is needed to clarify the differences between psychological support and general support for behavior change.