One of THE GREATEST UNSUNG aspects of the obese & their struggle with their weight lies in the Mental AND Emotional aspects to this issue.

Indeed one could also argue about the issues of Addiction, Depresssion & Obesity connections as well.

So, if we're going to argue about these ideas we should first come up with basic definitions so we know what we're all agruing/discussing in the first place.

So here goes:

Major depressive disorder or simply 'Depression', is a mental disorder characterized by a pervasive low mood, loss of interest in one's usual activities and diminished ability to experience pleasure. When severe, thoughts of suicide are not uncommon often bourne out of an ability for one to consider that they 'are-stiuck' in the now AND cannot even distantly consider 'a-tomorrow' at all.

Diagnosis is made if a person has suffered one or more major depressive events. The onset is usually in early- to mid-adulthood & diagnosis is based on the patient's self-reported experiences and observed behavior.
There is no laboratory test for major depression, although Doctors often test for physical conditions, such as hormonal or Thyroid disorders, infections (such as HIV or Spyhilis) or even Epilepsy patterns are tested for that may cause similar symptoms before arriving at a diagnosis.

The course of illness often varies widely in that it can be a once-in-a-lifetime event or have multiple recurrences. Further, it can appear either gradually or suddenly; and can either last for a few months or be a life-long disorder.

More soon!