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Depression Due to Low Body Mass Index in Adolescent Boys

Dec 20, 2011 | By Michael Gladson
Depression Due to Low Body Mass Index in Adolescent Boys
Photo Credit Darrin Klimek/Digital Vision/Getty Images

The presence at the same time of eating disorders and depressive disorders in teenage girls is well known. But until the 1990s, it was the consensus of the medical community that teenage boys only rarely suffered from true eating disorders. It is now known that these disorders are more common in teenage boys than previously thought. Instead of being characterized by a goal of thinness, among boys eating disorders are more related to a an obsessive drive for gaining muscle mass and the boy's perception of an ideal body image.

Body Mass and Depression

Studies on the relationship between body mass and depression in teens of both sexes have found that in most cases significant depression is more closely correlated with negative perception of body image than with low or high body mass indices. Body mass index, a measure of thinness or obesity, and perceived body image seem to be independent of one another, although both appear to correlate with psychological well-being and self-esteem. Those with high body mass index and a perceived body image of being fat tend to have low self-esteem and poorer psychological well-being. Those with low body mass index and a distorted body image of being either fat or thin also suffer from low self-esteem and poor psychological well-being.

Low Birth-Weight Boys at Adolescence

According to research done in 2010, adolescent boys with low birth weight report more weight concerns during adolescence than boys who had normal weight at birth. This is despite the fact that the low birth weight group had more normal body mass indices than the normal birth weight group. They were of similar weight at the same ages compared to the normal birth weight boys. The boys who were of low birth weight tended to be more concerned about being underweight, even if their weight and body mass index were ideal, and sought strategies to increase muscle mass and weight.

Eating Disorders in Teen Boys

In contrast to teenage girls, who want to achieve thinness, boys of this age group tend to strive toward increasing bulk and muscle mass. This often leads to weight gain. Boys then tend to develop markedly abnormal eating and dieting behaviors that look similar to the eating behaviors manifested by girls with anorexia or bulimia nervosa. Nutritional deficiency in adolescents, which occurs when self-starving or with extreme dieting, is more likely to cause depressive symptoms, including suicidal thoughts. Teen boys with eating disorders show a stronger tendency to have a second psychiatric disorder occurring at the same time and a higher rate of suicide attempts than girls with eating disorders.

Conclusions

Eating disorders are more common in teenage girls, but there are more boys with these problems than previously recognized. In boys the eating disorder tends to begin with abnormal concerns about body image; preoccupation with body weight is often secondary. Boys' symptoms and activity are often biased toward achieving higher muscle mass and the "ideal" body image. Depression is correlated with low body mass index in both sexes, but the severity of depression, as well as the risk of suicidal thoughts and attempts appear to be stronger in teenage boys. The strongest correlation with depression among both boys and girls is with continued dissatisfaction with body image.

References

Article reviewed by Zhanate Ekk Last updated on: Dec 20, 2011

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