Major Depression, Antidepressant Medication and the Risk of Obesity

Vol. 78, No. 3, 2009

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Regular Article

Major Depression, Antidepressant Medication and the Risk of Obesity
Scott B. Patten^{a, b}, Jeanne V.A. Williams^a, Dina H. Lavorato^a, Lauren Brown^c, Lindsay McLaren^a, Michael Eliasziw^a

^aDepartment of Community Health Sciences and
^bHotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta., and
^cSchool of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada

Address of Corresponding Author

Psychother Psychosom 2009;78:182-186 (DOI: 10.1159/000209349)

Key Words

Obesity
Body mass index
Epidemiologic studies
Longitudinal studies
Depressive disorder
Antidepressive agents

Abstract

Background: Cross-sectional studies have reported an association between major depressive episode (MDE) and obesity. The objective of this longitudinal analysis was to determine whether MDE increase the risk of becoming obese over a 10-year period. Method: We used data from the Canadian National Population Health Survey (NPHS), a longitudinal study of a representative cohort of household residents in Canada. The incidence of obesity, defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30, was evaluated in respondents who were 18 years or older at the time of a baseline interview in 1994. MDE was assessed using a brief diagnostic instrument. Results: The risk of obesity was not elevated in association with MDE, either in unadjusted or covariate-adjusted analyses. The strongest predictor of obesity was a BMI in the overweight (but not obese) range. Effects were also seen for (younger) age, (female) sex, a sedentary activity pattern, low income and exposure to antidepressant medications. Unexpectedly, significant effects were seen for serotonin-reuptake-inhibiting antidepressants and venlafaxine, but neither for tricyclic antidepressants nor antipsychotic medications. Conclusions: MDE does not appear to increase the risk of obesity. The cross-sectional associations that have been reported, albeit inconsistently, in the literature probably represent an effect of obesity on MDE risk. Pharmacologic treatment with antidepressants may be associated with an increased risk of obesity, and strategies to offset this risk may be useful in clinical practice.

Author Contacts

Prof. Dr. Scott Patten
Department of Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW
Calgary, AB T2N 4N1 (Canada)
Tel. +1 403 220 8752, Fax +1 403 270 7307, E-Mail patten@ucalgary.ca

Article Information

Received: April 24, 2008
Accepted after revision: July 11, 2008
Published online: March 24, 2009
Number of Print Pages : 5
Number of Figures : 1, Number of Tables : 1, Number of References : 25

Medline Abstract (ID 19321971)

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