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Depression & Weight Gain: Connection & Management

Published: June 29, 2022 Updated: June 29, 2022
Published: 06/29/2022 Updated: 06/29/2022
Headshot of Meagan Turner, MA, APC, NCC
Written by:

Meagan Turner

MA, APC, NCC
Headshot of Naveed Saleh, MD, MS
Reviewed by:

Naveed Saleh

MD, MS
  • Can Depression Cause Weight Gain?Depression & Weight
  • Can Antidepressants Cause Weight Gain?Antidepressants
  • Ways to Manage Depression Weight Gain7 Tips
  • How Therapy Can HelpTherapy
  • Final ThoughtsConclusion
  • Additional ResourcesResources
  • Depression & Weight Gain InfographicsInfographics
Headshot of Meagan Turner, MA, APC, NCC
Written by:

Meagan Turner

MA, APC, NCC
Headshot of Naveed Saleh, MD, MS
Reviewed by:

Naveed Saleh

MD, MS

Depression can trigger weight gain or weight loss. There are several contributing factors to depression and weight gain, such as eating more comfort foods and decreased physical activity and exercise. Most people who experience depression feel more tired than they used to and have less motivation to engage in things they once enjoyed.

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Can Depression Cause Weight Gain?

Both weight gain and weight loss can be symptoms of depression. It’s unclear how common it is for depression to cause weight gain, as some studies indicate that depression is a predictor of obesity, but others show no such association.1

Women who struggle with depression as teens have increased rates of weight gain as adults, although there is no clear cause. Men may gain weight as a result of depression, but they seem to be no more likely to have an increased BMI in the long-term, regardless of whether they have ever experienced depression.

Age, sex, and education all may play a role in whether you gain weight as a symptom of depression, but it does not seem that race or ethnicity are correlated with weight gain. The type of depression you experience may also be connected.

Here are ways depression and weight gain are connected:

  • Loss of motivation: Fatigue and difficulty finding pleasure in activities you used to enjoy contribute significantly to lack of motivation. When you have no motivation, you’re more likely to turn down social plans, stay home, and stay in a state of rest..
  • Elevated levels of cortisol: Depression is associated with elevated cortisol, which promotes fat accumulation2
  • Emotional eating: Eating habits often change in light of emotional eating, which is often impulsive and helps ease in-the-moment feelings of sadness
  • Slowing down: When you’re feeling down, your body might physically slow down. Slower movements or a slower walking pace can mean less physical activity throughout the day, keeping those emotional calories in your body.
  • Inflammation: Chronic stress caused by depression can lead to cellular inflammation, hormonal changes, and accumulation of fat2,3
  • Social changes: Depression often leads to decreased self-esteem and therefore less likelihood of seeing people you love or doing activities together
  • Poor sleep: Poor sleep is one of the leading causes of weight gain, and insomnia is a depression symptom1
  • Lifestyle changes: You may be less apt to wake up early to exercise, have less energy to walk the dog, or give up gardening when the heaviness of depression sinks in. These changes in your daily routine can add up to weight gained as a result of inactivity.
  • Diet cycles: If you find that you do tend to gain weight from depression or antidepressants, then you might find your eating habits in a never-ending cycle of trying to lose weight by dieting. Diets typically fail in the long-term and can be self-defeating.4
  • Increased hunger: Leptin, a hormone that regulates hunger, can increase during periods of depression, resulting in increased food intake and calories that can easily lead to depression-induced weight gain3
  • Craving carbs: Carbohydrates (like pizza, pasta, donuts) can increase your serotonin levels.5 When you feel down, your body looks to increase serotonin, which could mean eating more than your normal portion of carbs and lead to weight gain.

Can Antidepressants Cause Weight Gain?

In the short term of 6 months or less, antidepressants are not likely to cause weight gain.6 Long-term use of antidepressants and weight gain has been poorly studied, but the data suggest a statistically significant increase in weight.7 Different classes of antidepressants are more likely to cause weight gain than others.

If your medication is lifting your depression, some doctors may choose to prescribe an additional medication such as an amphetamine or Wellbutrin to combat the adverse effect of weight gain. It is unclear what the mechanism of weight gain is and whether the medication for depression itself causes weight gain, or if food cravings, lifestyle changes, or increased appetite lead to increased weight.

7 Ways to Manage Depression Weight Gain

There are several ways to try and mediate depression and weight gain, including changing medications, reducing stress, and managing your routines differently. Some weight gain may just be an adverse effect of your medication for depression; discuss the benefits of being on the drug vs. not with your doctor.

Here are seven ways to manage depression weight gain:

  1. Adjusting medication doses: Sometimes the dosage you’re on just isn’t working quite right for you. Different people require different dosages to get the intended effects. Have that conversation with your doctor.
  2. Switching drugs: Not all antidepressants are associated with weight gain; some are even associated with weight loss. If you think there’s a correlation between your weight gain and the medication you’re on for depression, discuss other options with your doctor.
  3. Eating healthy foods: While it is not a panacea of depression treatment, a healthier diet such as the Mediterranean diet is associated with a lower risk of depression. Given that healthier foods are often lacking in inflammatory ingredients, this could also lessen your body’s tendency to pack on weight when you’re depressed.8
  4. Eating more mindfully: Eating mindfully helps your body slow down and process the food, including helping your mind to consider the quality of the food and experience in order to increase satisfaction without necessarily increasing food intake.4
  5. Increasing exercise: Exercise helps reduce depressive symptoms in adolescents and adults; it can also contribute to weight loss9,10,11
  6. Working with a dietician: A dietician can help you to manage caloric intake and nutrition, supplementing other steps to keep your depression weight in check
  7. Augmenting medications: Antidepressants can be augmented with atypical antidepressant medications (e.g., Wellbutrin) to curb weight gain.12 Supplementing with a binge-eating medication such as Vyvanse may also be an option to discuss with your doctor.13

How Therapy Can Help

Therapy can help you cope with depression symptoms, including weight gain. While there are many different depression treatments available, they may not all be right for you. Many therapists will incorporate several types of treatment vs. just one, which can be a helpful way to figure out what works best for you.

One of the most effective therapies for depression is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). It can help you to create new beliefs about yourself and implement corresponding behaviors to combat depression and weight gain. Behavioral activation, one strategy in CBT, can help you identify ways to get your body moving that increase meaning in your life and may lead to pleasurable feelings.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), another type of depression therapy, can also help you weigh your values to decide which symptoms and adverse effects feel bearable and which ones you’d like to change. All of these therapies can help introduce you to healthy ways to cope with changes your body may make while you’re feeling depressed, including weight gain, increased fatigue, or lower self-esteem.

Explore an online therapist directory in order to get help from a therapist who is licensed in your state and competent to work with you to battle the symptoms of depression. To make sure you’re getting someone who is a good fit for you, take a look at what they are trained to treat, what treatments they use, and how they can help you to set goals in therapy.

Final Thoughts

Weight gain can be an unsettling and annoying symptom of depression. There are ways to lessen depressive symptoms, leading to less weight gain, as well as strategies to help you think about yourself and your changing body in healthy ways.

Additional Resources

Education is just the first step on our path to improved mental health and emotional wellness. To help our readers take the next step in their journey, Choosing Therapy has partnered with leaders in mental health and wellness. Choosing Therapy may be compensated for referrals by the companies mentioned below.

BetterHelp Online Therapy – BetterHelp has over 20,000 licensed therapists who provide convenient and affordable online therapy. BetterHelp starts at $60 per week. Complete a brief questionnaire and get matched with the right therapist for you. Get Started

Talkspace Online Therapy – Online therapy is convenient with Talkspace. Get therapy for as little as $69 per week, or potentially much less if you have insurance from Cigna, Optum, or UHR. Try Talkspace

Choosing Therapy’s Directory – Find an experienced therapist who is committed to your wellbeing. You can search for a therapist by specialty, availability, insurance, and affordability. Therapist profiles and introductory videos provide insight into the therapist’s personality so you find the right fit. Find a therapist today.

Online Psychiatry & Medication – Answer a few questions and Talkspace will match you with an online prescriber and get schedule a video psychiatry session. Your online psychiatry prescriber will personalize your treatment, which may include psychiatric medication and follow-ups. Get started for $249 or see if your insurance is one of many Talkspace accepts. Learn More

Mindfulness & Meditation App – Headspace is an easy way to incorporate mindfulness and meditation into your routine. See for yourself how a few minutes each day can impact your stress levels, mood, and sleep. A monthly subscription for Headspace is only $12.99 per month and comes with a 7-day free trial. Try Headspace

Choosing Therapy partners with leading mental health companies and is compensated for referrals by BetterHelp, Talkspace, and Headspace

For Further Reading

  • 21 Books on Depression: Helpful Resources for When You Feel Depressed
  • National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA)
  • Crisis Text Line
  • Anxiety & Depression Association of American (ADAA)

Depression & Weight Gain Infographics

Can Depression Cause Weight Gain? Can Antidepressants Cause Weight Gain? Ways to Manage Depression Weight Gain

13 sources

Choosing Therapy strives to provide our readers with mental health content that is accurate and actionable. We have high standards for what can be cited within our articles. Acceptable sources include government agencies, universities and colleges, scholarly journals, industry and professional associations, and other high-integrity sources of mental health journalism. Learn more by reviewing our full editorial policy.

  • Faith, M. S., Butryn, M., Wadden, T. A., Fabricatore, A., Nguyen, A. M., & Heymsfield, S. B. (2011). Evidence for prospective associations among depression and obesity in population-based studies. Obesity Reviews: An Official Journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, 12(5), e438–e453. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-789X.2010.00843.x

  • Vogelzangs, N., Kritchevsky, S. B., Beekman, A. T., Newman, A. B., Satterfield, S., Simonsick, E. M., Yaffe, K., Harris, T. B., & Penninx, B. W. (2008). Depressive symptoms and change in abdominal obesity in older persons. Archives of General Psychiatry, 65(12), 1386–1393. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.65.12.1386

  • Blasco, B. V., García-Jiménez, J., Bodoano, I., & Gutiérrez-Rojas, L. (2020). Obesity and depression: Its prevalence and influence as a prognostic factor: A systematic review. Psychiatry Investigation, 17(8), 715–724. https://doi.org/10.30773/pi.2020.0099

  • Farkas, H. (2019). 8 Keys to End Emotional Eating. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393712322

  • Tamara Ventura, T., Santander, J., Torres, R., & Contreras, A.M. (2014). Neurobiologic basis of craving for carbohydrates. Nutrition, 30(2), 252-256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2013.06.010.

  • Fava M. (2000). Weight gain and antidepressants. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 61 Suppl 11, 37–41.

  • Gafoor, R., Booth, H.P., Gulliford, M.C. (2018). Antidepressant utilisation and incidence of weight gain during 10 year’ follow-up. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 361(8154), k1951-2. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k1951

  • Molendijk, M., Molero, P., Sánchez-Pedreño, F.O., Van der Does, W., Martínez-González, M.A. (2018). Diet quality and depression risk: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies. Journal of Affective Disorders, 226, 346-354. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2017.09.022.

  • Wang, X., Cai, Z. D., Jiang, W. T., Fang, Y. Y., Sun, W. X., & Wang, X. (2022). Systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of exercise on depression in adolescents. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 16(1), 16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-022-00453-2

  • Cooney, G., Dwan, K., Mead, G. (2014). Exercise for depression. JAMA, 311(23). 2432–2433. doi:10.1001/jama.2014.4930 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24938566/

  • Cox C. E. (2017). Role of physical activity for weight loss and weight maintenance. Diabetes Spectrum: A Publication of the American Diabetes Association, 30(3), 157–160. https://doi.org/10.2337/ds17-0013

  • Alonso-Pedrero, L., Bes-Rastrollo, M., & Marti, A. (2019). Effects of antidepressant and antipsychotic use on weight gain: A systematic review. Obesity Reviews: An Official Journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, 20(12), 1680–1690. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12934

  • McElroy SL, Hudson J, Ferreira-Cornwell MC, et al. (2016). Lisdexamfetamine dimesylate for adults with moderate to severe binge eating disorder: Results of two pivotal phase 3 randomized controlled trials. Neuropsychopharmacology, 41(5), 1251-1260.

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Headshot of Meagan Turner, MA, APC, NCC
Written by:

Meagan Turner

MA, APC, NCC
Headshot of Naveed Saleh, MD, MS
Reviewed by:

Naveed Saleh

MD, MS
  • Can Depression Cause Weight Gain?Depression & Weight
  • Can Antidepressants Cause Weight Gain?Antidepressants
  • Ways to Manage Depression Weight Gain7 Tips
  • How Therapy Can HelpTherapy
  • Final ThoughtsConclusion
  • Additional ResourcesResources
  • Depression & Weight Gain InfographicsInfographics
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