Persons With Serious Mental Illness Face Higher Prevalence of Obesity

Obesity is a public health crisis within the general population; however, overweight and obesity issues are even more prevalent in persons with serious mental illness, according to a new report, scheduled to be released on October 3, 2008 by the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD).
Findings and recommendations from the report appear in the September 22 issue of Mental Health Weekly, making the journal the first major media outlet to inform the public of this new technical report.
NASMHPD calls the crisis "an epidemic within an epidemic," and say they hope the new report will go a long way toward improving the systems that provide care and treatment to the SMI population.

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Eating And Weight Gain Not Necessarily Linked, Study Shows

You may not be what you eat after all. A new study shows that increased eating does not necessarily lead to increased fat. The finding in the much-studied roundworm opens the possibility of identifying new targets for drugs to control weight, the researchers say.

The discovery reveals that the neurotransmitter serotonin, already known to control appetite and fat build-up, actually does so through two separate signaling channels. One set of signals regulates feeding, and a separate set of signals regulates fat metabolism. The worm, known scientifically as Caenorhabdtis elegans, shares half of its genes with humans and is often a predictor of human traits.

The signaling pathways are composed of a series of molecular events triggered by neurons in the brain that ultimately "instruct" the body to burn or store fat.

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Obesity tied to risk of psychiatric disorders

Obesity is a well known risk factor for certain physical health problems, but a new study suggests that heavy adults also have higher rates of psychiatric disorders.

Using data from a national health survey of more than 40,000 Americans, researchers found that obese adults were up to twice as likely to suffer from depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions as normal-weight adults.

In addition, even moderately overweight people had elevated rates of anxiety disorders, the study found.

Whether excess pounds somehow lead to mental health problems is not clear, according to the researchers. But the findings do indicate that a range of psychiatric disorders are more common among overweight people.

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F.D.A. Panel Rejects Drug for Obesity

A drug once viewed as a possible magic bullet against obesity was rejected yesterday by a federal advisory panel because of worries that it causes neurological and psychiatric problems and increases the risk of suicide.

Although the drug, rimonabant, is already marketed in 37 countries, it is now unlikely that the FDA will approve its sale in the US without additional safety data.

The advisory panel voted unanimously, 14 to 0, against recommending the drug, saying there was inadequate evidence of its safety. The FDA is not required to follow the advice of such panels, but it typically does.

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