Fat and Lost . . .
A recent e-mail from Hope:
Maybe somebody has mentioned this on the bulletin boards or to you before, but just in case...
Depression and "lost souldom" can be really hard on fat people! Susan, you are familiar with no desire to eat... fat people (okay I am generalizing, maybe I should just say "I") want to eat MORE when depressed. Usually people don't recognize how hard it is, how depressed you are, and how unhealthy it is. A FAT lost soul brings cookies to work and everybody sees baking as productive, happy, fun... Nobody pictures him or her at a table with the OTHER half of the batch and the half gallon of milk.
Part of it may be the stereotype of the jolly fat person too....When you are thin and depressed people may be more concerned, "Oh my are you okay? You are wasting away to nothing!" Being slender may fit the "starving artist" scenario, and others feel like they can see where you are coming from, because it fits the picture of the "lost soul." A fat lost soul may be just as depressed, just as desperate for help, and closer to dying of heart disease to boot! Even worse, many antidepressant medications can cause weight gain! Sigh...
I just read the book again and started thinking about the different ways people suffer with depression, and realized that I hoped in the second (if it's not too late) volume it would be nice to see another perspective on the food issues.
Thanks,
Hope