Obesity in America: Implications for Clinical and Health Psychologists
- 7 August 2008
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings
- Vol. 15 (3), 214-224
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-008-9124-9
Abstract
The number of individuals classified as overweight and obese is increasing at alarming rates and these conditions are associated with numerous psychological and physiological health problems. Within this epidemic, there is an increasing need and demand for psychologists and other mental health professionals to participate in the care of patients with obesity, both in assessment and treatment domains. The current paper provides a review of the status of the obesity epidemic, including psychological comorbidities and treatment approaches. Throughout this review, we highlight and discuss the important roles and impact psychologists can have. These roles include serving as members of multidisciplinary obesity treatment programs, conducting assessments for bariatric surgery, and treating related psychiatric disorders, such as depression and disordered eating. Other considerations, such as weight gain associated with psychiatric medications, and directions for future involvement of psychologists in addressing the obesity epidemic are also discussed.Keywords
This publication has 70 references indexed in Scilit:
- Long term pharmacotherapy for obesity and overweight: updated meta-analysisBMJ, 2007
- Is there a place for obesity in DSM-V?International Journal of Eating Disorders, 2007
- Adolescent Obesity and Risk for Subsequent Major Depressive Disorder and Anxiety Disorder: Prospective EvidencePsychosomatic Medicine, 2007
- Pathogen-avoidance mechanisms and the stigmatization of obese peopleEvolution and Human Behavior, 2007
- Night eating syndrome and nocturnal snacking: association with obesity, binge eating and psychological distressInternational Journal of Obesity, 2007
- Binge eating disorder treatment: A systematic review of randomized controlled trialsInternational Journal of Eating Disorders, 2007
- Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in the United States, 1999-2004JAMA, 2006
- ObesityAnnual Review of Clinical Psychology, 2006
- Psychological interventions for overweight or obesityPublished by Wiley ,2005
- Empirically Supported Psychological Interventions: Controversies and EvidenceAnnual Review of Psychology, 2001