Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2025 Feb 28. doi: 10.1007/s00787-025-02673-1. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
Introduction Obesity in adolescents is associated with increased mental distress and psychiatric disorders, both of which are under-diagnosed in clinical practice. Methods We designed a mixed methods study, to explore the practical challenges of this screening and its consequences. The qualitative part interviewed 20 physicians: non psychiatrist physicians and child and adolescent psychiatrists – practicing in various specialized settings. The quantitative part examined self-assessment questionnaires and psychiatric clinical diagnoses in 242 patients admitted for inpatient appraisal of obesity. Results 7.9% reported severe depressive symptoms and 71.9% severe anxiety symptoms. Among this cohort, 28.5% were diagnosed with anxiety disorder and 16.9% with depression disorder. Both qualitative and quantitative data show that a large share of adolescents with obesity experience mental health distress, often intense. However, in most of these adolescents, this distress is not diagnosed as a mental health condition, thus creating a discrepancy which we named a “gray area” of psychological suffering. Conclusions Screening adolescents with obesity for both mental health distress and disease should be systematic. Frontline professionals need improved training and referral pathways and resources.
PMID:40019497 | DOI:10.1007/s00787-025-02673-1
