Everybody from the President's wife to the local cab driver is talking about the "obesity epidemic" these days. Depending upon their professional training and tendency to conflate correlation with cause and effect, investigators and policy makers, like the six blind men describing an elephant, have advocated widely diverse "solutions". Some have concluded that the main hope for stemming the problem lies in controlling the "obsogenic" environment. One psychiatrist in a December 2, 2007 New York Times Magazine letter to the editor said she has "no doubt" that "Without treating the compulsion that underlies such behavior, it is no wonder that patients who have [bariatric] surgery, but no psychiatric treatment may develop 'new' psychiatric symptoms like gambling, compulsive shopping and alcoholism". Yet, a well-respected group of researchers, reviewing the best available literature, found no more psychopathology in obese girls than in the non-obese. Other scientists point out that the sensory and physiological mechanisms of taste, appetite or satiety which control intake have evolved to protect us against energy depletion, not to protect us against dietary excess. And so it goes.
This is an introductory course that explores the data available for the current national concern with obesity. The first set of materials presents various definitions, prevalence and demographics associated with obesity, as well as the co-morbid physical conditions often associated with it. Some of the social, emotional and psychological issues encountered by the significantly overweight will be presented in the second set of materials. The third set of materials identifies the available set of treatments for obesity, emphasizing those that are evidence-based. Finally, resources, references and updates are provided in the last article.
Educational Objectives:
This course will teach psychotherapists to
Define obesity.
Identify the co-morbid disorders commonly associated with obesity.
List some examples of neurohormonal and epigenetic factors known to promote obesity.
Explain some of the complex socioeconomic data regarding the incidence of obesity.
Critique some of the psychological data regarding obesity.
Specify some of the documented stressors, which the seriously obese must face.
Identify the flaws with using BMI as the sole measure of obesity.
List six interrelated causes of body weight.
Cite the direct medical costs associated with obesity.
Note the indirect medical costs of obesity.
Evaluate the relative efficacy of restrained eating, exercise, medication and surgery in the treatment of severe obesity.
Summarize the eligibility criteria for the surgical treatment of obesity.
Course Syllabus:
Introduction
Definition and Diagnosis of Obesity
Causes of Obesity
Calories count
Environment
Genetics
Diseases and Drugs
Why worry about obesity?
Obesity is a risk factor for many diseases and disorders
Obesity is a risk factor for lower quality of life with occupational, financial and social implications
Economic Implications
Social and Financial consequences
Frameworks for Addressing Obesity in the 21st Century
The Obesity Epidemic as a Complex System
A Systems-Oriented Multilevel Framework
Treatments for Obesity and Associated Evidence
Limiting Calories
Exercise
Combination of Calorie Reduction and Exercise
Surgical Options
Resources, References, and Updates for clinicians and clients
Everybody from the President's wife to the local cab driver is talking about the "obesity epidemic" these days. Depending upon their professional training and tendency to conflate correlation with cause and effect, investigators and policy makers, like the six blind men describing an elephant, have advocated widely diverse "solutions". Some have concluded that the main hope for stemming the problem lies in controlling the "obsogenic" environment. One psychiatrist in a December 2, 2007 New York Times Magazine letter to the editor said she has "no doubt" that "Without treating the compulsion that underlies such behavior, it is no wonder that patients who have [bariatric] surgery, but no psychiatric treatment may develop 'new' psychiatric symptoms like gambling, compulsive shopping and alcoholism". Yet, a well-respected group of researchers, reviewing the best available literature, found no more psychopathology in obese girls than in the non-obese. Other scientists point out that the sensory and physiological mechanisms of taste, appetite or satiety which control intake have evolved to protect us against energy depletion, not to protect us against dietary excess. And so it goes.
This is an introductory course that explores the data available for the current national concern with obesity. The first set of materials presents various definitions, prevalence and demographics associated with obesity, as well as the co-morbid physical conditions often associated with it. Some of the social, emotional and psychological issues encountered by the significantly overweight will be presented in the second set of materials. The third set of materials identifies the available set of treatments for obesity, emphasizing those that are evidence-based. Finally, resources, references and updates are provided in the last article.
