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Assessing overweight and obesity across mental disorders: personality disorders at high risk

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Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of the present investigation is to assess the prevalence of obesity in people diagnosed as having a mental illness and to investigate differences between disorders. This adds to the paucity of research in this particular population of people and assists with preventative knowledge to obtain optimum physical health.

Methods

Data were collected for all 508 male and female inpatients (new and already existing) in a public mental health service centre in Western Australia between January and December 2008. Current weight for all patients and weight gain for some patients were calculated to obtain a body mass index (BMI) value, and diagnostic information was aligned to one of the six major categories of mental illness.

Results

The percentage of obese inpatients (30.3 %) was much higher than that of the general population (21.4 %), with females showing a higher propensity toward obesity than males. Most diagnostic categories had a mean BMI in the overweight range, whereas Personality Disorders had a mean BMI in the obese range (30.07). A gradual increase in weight over a 9-month time period can be seen in most patients who were assessed on more than one occasion.

Conclusions

The proportion of obese people within the mental health system far exceeds that of the general population, with these people at a much greater risk of becoming obese. The highest level of obesity was found in people with a personality disorder rather than in people with psychosis. Further research is needed to ease out the mitigating factors behind weight gain occurring across disorders.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge and thank the Fremantle Hospital Mental Health Services for providing information from their Agitation and Arousal Medication Audit and access to inpatient medical records for the compilation of data.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicting interests.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, Community, Culture and Mental Health Unit, University of Western Australia, Fremantle Hospital, W Block, L6, 1 Alma Street, Fremantle, WA, 6160, Australia

    Susanne H. Stanley & Jonathan D. E. Laugharne

  2. Fremantle Mental Health Service, Fremantle Hospital, Fremantle, WA, Australia

    Stephen Addis & Diane Sherwood

Authors
  1. Susanne H. Stanley
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  2. Jonathan D. E. Laugharne
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  3. Stephen Addis
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  4. Diane Sherwood
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Susanne H. Stanley.

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Stanley, S.H., Laugharne, J.D.E., Addis, S. et al. Assessing overweight and obesity across mental disorders: personality disorders at high risk. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 48, 487–492 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-012-0546-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-012-0546-1

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