Examining Mental Health Disorders in Overweight and Obese Pediatric Patients

Methods: We investigated the frequency and variation in three mental health diagnoses among obese or overweight children and adolescents.
Results: Findings show stepwise increases in three mental health disorders across all age groups in our study. Additionally, anxiety, depressive, and adjustment disorder diagnoses were significantly higher for overweight or obese youth in our sample. Youth are increasingly being diagnosed with an anxiety, depressive, and/or adjustment disorders as they grow from early childhood to middle childhood and into adolescence. Further, we found significantly higher rates of depression and significantly lower rates of anxiety among youth who live in places with higher rates of poverty.
Discussion: Our findings suggest an important target age for providers to focus on mental health screening among overweight/obese patients: (a) early adolescence (11-14 years old) appears to be the recommended target for depression and adjustment disorder, and (b) early childhood (2-4 years old) appears to be the recommended target for anxiety.

Examining Mental Health Disorders in Overweight and Obese Pediatric Patients Academic Article