Wellness Education Intervention

Individuals suffering from depression and anxiety have an increased risk of obesity due to multiple factors such as side effects to psychotropic medications, associated appetite dysregulation, disruption of sleep, anergia leading to psychomotor retardation or inactivity, and increased stress hormones through the disruption in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Though not a causal relationship, an intimate bidirectional connection exists between the two conditions, which subsequently impacts the journey of weight loss. The impact mental health can have on weight loss is evident as concurrent depression and anxiety in individuals with obesity predicts poorer outcomes like decreased adherence and less success with weight loss interventions. Here, we will determine if delivery of psychoeducation regarding the primitive brain and model of safety in a group setting to those with obesity seeking weight loss intervention has an impact on not only psychiatric symptoms of depression and anxiety but also weight loss, eating behaviors, sleeping patterns, activity level, and health-related quality of life. This project will improve our understanding of the role of mental health and the stress response in obesity.

This project will recruit subjects seeking weight loss in the Dallas Fort Worth area. A screen consisting of patient's weight and height to calculate a patient's BMI will be completed. Pre-assessment measures of anxiety, depression, eating disorder symptoms, sleep, self-efficacy, quality of life, and weight-wellness related behaviors (sleeping patterns, exercise patterns, eating patterns) will be completed before the intervention using a secure online link to RedCap. Participants will then attend eight weekly sessions of a group psychoeducational intervention. The intervention includes eight modules of various topics including the psychoeducation on the primitive brain model, motivation, goal-setting, affirmations, rewards, promoting autonomy, reducing guilt, and relapse prevention. Participants will complete homework assignments, share their work with the group to elicit feedback, and participate in guided discussions. Post-assessments will be completed 1-4 weeks and 3-5 months after the interventions is completed. These measures will determine (1) if psychological symptoms are responsive to the intervention, and (2) if clinical symptom changes related to weight and quality of life are affected.