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Obesity : The Most Common Epidemic Today Essay

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Introduction
Mental health disorders play a major role in today’s society. The National Alliance on Mental Illness states that one in five adults have a mental illness: major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar depressive disorder, and/or anxiety disorder. 1 Mental disorders are not the only major disorders to worry about today. Obesity is the most common epidemic today. According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, more than two in three United States adults are classified as either overweight or obese, and more than one in three adults are classified as obese. Furthermore, one third of children and adolescents are classified as overweight, and more than one in six children and adolescents are classified as obese. 2 The Body Mass Index is classified as 18.5 to 24.9 as a normal body weight, 25 to 29.9 as overweight, 30-39.9 as obese, and greater than 40 as extreme obesity. 2 The National Obesity Conservatory found that obese people have an increased risk of developing depression, and a depressed person has an increased risk for becoming obese. A recent meta-analysis from the International Journal of Obesity found a new link between obesity and various anxiety disorders. 3 Three fourths of all mental illness will emerge in adolescence or early adulthood. This literature review is going to discuss various articles that link diet choice and obesity with the prevalence of mental illness in adults, children, and adolescents. It will provide

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