Obesity

[Matt In Oklahoma]

Obesity now officially a disease, not just condition

Posted on: 1:22 pm, June 19, 2013, by KFOR-TV and A. Edwards
Is being overweight a condition or a disease?

According to the American Medical Association, obesity is now officially a disease.

The decision was made at the group

[FeloDeSe]

Obesity is a disease like drug addiction is a disease. There is no medicine that can cure Obesity. I am overweight I admit that. The American Medical Association wants people to feel good about themselves. Obesity can only be cured by a lifestyle change. eating right and exercise. you cant cure herpes by exercising a disease is caused by a bacteria or a virus not a fork. This is my own opinion and view of the world and I can understand that there are side effects to medications and medical conditions that can cause Obesity but lazy is not one of them.

[Aardvark]

It should be classified as a mental illness.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

It should be classified as a mental illness.

Please explain because only certain exceptions usually due to medication from illness do I see this

[rockriver]

i suspect this will help get insurance companies to pay for treatment...
--
in the geographical area i work.... it has been very noticeable in certain parts of the population that the women are becoming huge... many have always been big, but this is different...
inquiring minds wanted to know why...
the word is go for 300 pounds and you can get "a check" for disability.

results- increased disability payments by the gov't
increased medicaid medical espense treating the intentional disease.

[Lowdown3]

Wow! Getting a check for being fat..... What the fudge is going on in our country? Someone dig up Ronald Reagan and we'll take some of his DNA and re build him. The six million dollar Ronnie......

I don't agree with the "It's a mental illness" statement.

It can be a mental weakness. BTDT and ADMIT it. It can be mental ignorance or indifference- drinking a 2 liter of Pepsi a day not eating much, jogging all the time and wondering why the weight was the same (2,000 calories in the 2 liter). It can be weakness in that "alright let's go to DQ again." It's weakness when you think "it's too hard" or "I'll always be this way" which is Bravo Sierra!

Dropped 70 lbs. and kept it off nearly 3 years now. As we get older and still remain active in combative sports, running, survival training type activities, it becomes immensely easier if you aren't carrying your "food storage" (gut) around with you.

[rockriver]

hmm.
the more i think about it...
#300
- xx (current weight)
____
= yy ( hey, i could get me a check)

and the docs say it's a disease, so it ain't my fault!
i guess obamacare would pay for my knee operations
and my heart surgery
and i'm a loyal supporter of politics
so i know the review panel would approve and pay for my surgeries!

oops.

do you think they'd ask me if i had a bb gun in the house,
or do you think they'd want to check my loyalty card for donations to the Leader?

uh oh...
they may not pay for my medical needs...
not lol

[Aardvark]

Please explain because only certain exceptions usually due to medication from illness do I see this

If someone has an uncontrollable compulsion to eat and or not excercise then I would think it was a mental illness like OCD and the like. If someone could not deal with stress properly and instead turns to food for comfort, then again I would consider it a mental illness. Also classifying it as a mental illness would motivate some people to take care of it themselves instead of being stigmatized as mentally ill.

[Grand58742]

If someone has an uncontrollable compulsion to eat and or not excercise then I would think it was a mental illness like OCD and the like. If someone could not deal with stress properly and instead turns to food for comfort, then again I would consider it a mental illness. Also classifying it as a mental illness would motivate some people to take care of it themselves instead of being stigmatized as mentally ill.

Not sure I'd consider that a mental illness. Behavioral disorder maybe, but mental illness is kind of a stretch.

But the whole "it might motivate people to change their lifestyle instead of being diagnosed as mentally ill" is what I would consider false motivation. Some people just have a hard time with weight. I'm one of them. Call it genetics if you will since it runs in the family. I wouldn't consider a genetic problem a mental illness. It does mean I have to work harder to keep the weight off, but sadly age is catching up.

I for one won't be "motivated" in fear of being diagnosed with a mental illness. You don't motivate with fear. You motivate with reward. And if that means long happy life as a reward, then so be it. But it is my right to get fat and out of shape if I want.

Obesity is not a mental illness as you described. Its a behavioral disorder that doesn't need medication and a doctor probing more into my life than they already do

[Matt In Oklahoma]

If someone has an uncontrollable compulsion to eat and or not excercise then I would think it was a mental illness like OCD and the like. If someone could not deal with stress properly and instead turns to food for comfort, then again I would consider it a mental illness. Also classifying it as a mental illness would motivate some people to take care of it themselves instead of being stigmatized as mentally ill.

I cant say as I agree but that's ok I suppose. IF they were to pull themselves out of that because of the stigma that would be great but I have given up on that because the stigma of what people already think doesn't motivate at all.
BTW this does not reflect on medical conditions that cause or assist in obesity. That is different and can not be helped by the individual such as strong cases of RA, fibro, thyroid, bone disease etc etc.