Like the chicken and the egg scenario, it’s difficult to know what comes first: obesity or depression. But experts know that depression is caused by chronic stress and stress releases a specific hormone that triggers the body to eat high carb, comfort food.

It’s called cortisol, or the “stress hormone,” and it plays a critical role in energy metabolism. Cortisol is secreted within the pathway of communication between the hypothalamus, the peanut-sized part of the brain that governs parts of the nervous system, and the pituitary and adrenal glands, which secrete a variety of hormones. However, abnormal functioning of cortisol due to too much stress leads to cravings for carbohydrates instead of nutritious foods.

What’s more, cortisol leads to cravings for the types of carbohydrates that specifically target the abdomen. Increased abdominal fat is associated with a greater amount of health problems than fat deposited in other areas of the body. Some of the health problems associated with increased stomach fat are heart attacks, strokes, and higher levels of bad cholesterol and lower levels of good cholesterol, which can lead to other health problems.

According to Chenango County’s longtime Mental Health Clinic Coordinator Martha Sichta, foods that are high in carbs – the comfort foods like macaroni and cheese and chili that are touted on most all cooking shows – in turn release the “feel good hormone,” seratonin, instead of the essential vitamins and nutrients the body needs. Fluctuating seratonin levels, as a result, can send people on a moody, roller coaster ride.

The number of mental health clinic clients who suffer from both depression and obesity is not tallied by the county; however Sichta said there is definitely a correlation between the illnesses among all age groups.

“The connection is clear because when people are depressed, they are less active, hopeful and motivated, and less able to do positive things for themselves. This often results in obesity.”

Depression and obesity are particularly stigmatizing and detrimental to the social adjustment of children and adolescents, she added.

To treat obesity, the mental health clinic offers individual counseling, family, relationship and group counseling, and treatments for depression that encourage people to become more active in their lives. The focus is on helping people identify the physical things they can do.

Medications to treat depression, in consult with the clinic’s psychiatric staff, are also prescribed, however antidepressants can be a double-edged sword: Most cause weight gain.

On top of that pesty cortisol, those fatty carbs and mood altering seratonin, obese individuals are confounded by the difficulty of keeping to a fitness schedule. The authors of a study published in the March 2008 issue of Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice say that people who are depressed “have more difficulty taking good care of themselves because of symptoms and consequences of depression, such as difficulty adhering to fitness regiments, overeating, and having negative thoughts.”