Mental Illness and weight issues often go hand in hand. Some people gain unwanted weight during the intense phase of mental trouble while others may lose it to an unhealthy degree.
In general, multiple symptoms show up in this period such as lack of energy, appetite disturbances, and low motivation levels.
Unintentional weight loss is often assumed to be a sign of physical illness, but studies show that people with serious mental illness such as depression, bipolar disorders, and schizophrenia may also end up losing weight at a rapid pace.
There are certain other risk factors as well, but weight trouble is the most pressing issue of all. Weight loss and hazy mind is a combo that carries extreme damage for physique of the patient.
It makes a person more prone to allergens and infections in the environment. Now the question is, what is the connection between mental illness and weight loss? Is there a biological reason why mental illness leads to drastic weight fall?
Below, we explain how weight loss links with mental issues:
Activated stress response
When a person is anxious or depressed, their body secretes stress hormones into the bloodstream.
These hormones then travel to particular spots in the body where they trigger psychological, physiological and emotional changes that enhance the body’s ability to deal with threats.
This process is called, “emergency response”, or “fight and flight response“. As the name suggests, a person struggles to deal with the situation, or they run away from it.
Stress hormones act as stimulants to elevate metabolism and fuel consumption of the body. Increased metabolism means that energy resources of the body are consumed quickly causing the fuel to burn faster.
This abrupt fuel burning means that the body will need more food to make fuel. And when the eating portions are not sufficient to offset the fuel consumption, the body automatically starts losing weight.
Hyperstimulation
Overly apprehensive behavior causes the stress response to become hyperstimulated. It can then lead to stomach and digestive problems. Some common gastrointestinal discomforts include heartburn, diarrhea, stomach pain and constipation.
Naturally, a person who is facing digestive issues tends to eat less. The body finds a reduction in available energy resources, and it makes use of the fat stores for fuel.
As the body starts depleting the fat stores, it starts to lose weight…
