In the March issue of Marie Claire, a feature story on page 236 asks the sad question “Skinny & Crazy or Fat & Happy?” Yes, it talks about how the most common antidepressants and mood stabilizing drugs come along with a pudgy side effect: weight gain. Which is more important: your weight or your mental health?
It’s a huge question that no one’s really talking about. But most of us may have some experience with friends and loved ones who’ve done a stint or two on one of these weight gaining drugs in order to get the quality of their life back where they wanted it.
With one in four women taking a mood disorder drug at some point in their lives, mental health stigma may be lessening, but what about weight stigma? Experts estimate 25 percent of people gain weight on these drugs though there is no hard data.
Psychiatrists quoted in the story say they see patients who complain about weight gain on a weekly basis. Some women find it unacceptable and want to switch meds in an effort to find something that works without the associated bloating. Others are so glad they have found a solution to their serious mood problems that weight never enters into it.
Experts speculate women may just be eating more once they’re not depressed, but most would argue against that simplicity stating that even though they watch their weight and work out regularly, the weight still piles when taking some of these drugs.
At least Marie Claire asked the question: Do you care more about your mental status or your physical appearance? In other words, if you had to take a drug that has a weight gaining side effect would you, and is happiness and mental well-being more important than skinniness?
While some may think it just an experiment in vanity, the article participants noted they’d gained from 20 to more than 70 pounds, certainly not chump change for their self-esteem or their physical health.
What do you think ladies, fat and happy or miserable, depressed and skinny? I’m left wondering why we’d ever have to make such a choice.
Airbrushed Nation 
I think its a sad commentary on our society that women feel SUCH pressure to remain thin that they may be willing to sacrifice their mental health. Mental illness — and depression and anxiety and all that stuff are mental illlnesses — can KILL. People commit suicide due to depression, schizophrenia, etc. And even if your mental illness is not that extreme, it can steal your happiness and joy, negatively affect your relationships, etc. Do not give up help just because that help may add some extra pounds. Embrace life instead.
so well said, Jenny! I couldnt agree more!
If “some pounds” means two or three pounds of water weight then sure. The reality is that patients often keep gaining and gaining until they are obese and then continue to gain. And yet doctors (and idiots who write blog posts like this ^^) will continue to push the “fat and happy” lie rather than try some of the other hundreds of meds on the market to find something that will help you without destroying your body. Society didn’t decide being fat is bad, biology did. Weight is not an issue of vanity and is directly tied to your health. If you gain 10 or 15 pounds and can’t lose it no matter what that’s not something that should be ignored. You don’t “just gain 10 pounds” and that’s the end of it, if exercising more or eating better can’t fix that then something is screwed up with your body and needs to be addressed or you’re just going to keep gaining. Your physical health is just as important as your mental health, never let anyone convince you that you need to choose between the two. Honestly there’s a lot of people out there who refuse to seek help because of therapists who push that mentality (not just with the fat issue, meds can destroy you in a lot of ways). All it does is instill feelings of hopelessness, because if that’s true then your life is ruined regardless of if you seek treatment or not.
I don’t care if this article is old it needs to be said and said again