Implications of Dietary Intake and Eating Behaviors for People with Serious Mental Illness: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

The impact of poor diet quality and nutritional inadequacies on mental health and mental illness has recently gained considerable attention in science. As the opinions and experiences of people living with serious mental illness on dietary issues are unknown, we aimed to understand the role of nutrition in a biopsychosocial approach. In total, 28 semi-structured interviews were conducted with people living with serious mental illness (SMI) in Australia, Germany and Austria, and a generic thematic analysis approach was applied. Four positive (positive effects on the body and mind, therapeutic effects in treating somatic illnesses, pleasure and opportunity for self-efficacy) and three negative (impairment related to mental illness and its treatment, perceived stigma and negative effects on the body and mind) implications of diet were identified. A key issue for most of the participants was the mental burden arising from their body weight. This might indicate that negative implications, such as guilt and stigma, were of primary importance for people with SMI when talking about their dietary behavior. In conclusion, diet-related support is urgently needed for people with SMI. However, especially participants from Germany and Austria reported that this is not yet widely available in mental health settings, leading to hopelessness and resignation.

Eating disorders symptoms and depressive symptoms in Chinese Tibetan University students: a network analysis

“…The guilt brought by eating may lead to an increase in individual shame and further cause the depressive symptom of Anhedonia, which is a negative effect of diet on the body and mind or a mental burden [ 64 , 65 ]. Mueller-Stierlin's study suggested that negative effects such as guilt were most important for patients [ 66 ]. Guilty is a sign of low self-esteem and low self-confidence about one's own behaviour, which is consistent with Smith's study, which suggested that self-esteem, lack of energy, and feeling overwhelmed linked ED with depression and anxiety symptoms, with self-esteem being the basis for comorbidity [ 24 ].…”

Alvorlig psykisk syke mottar ikke fullgod helsehjelp i Norge

“…Det er velkjent blant psykiatrisk helsepersonell at atypiske antipsykotiske legemidler som olanzapin og klozapin fører til kraftig vektoppgang (4). I tillegg har pasienter med en alvorlig psykisk lidelse ofte usunne kostvaner (13). At dette passerer som et akseptabelt faktum, er problematisk når man tar den økte dødeligheten fra kardiovaskulaer sykdom i betraktning.…”

„Aber ohne therapeutische Begleitung, schaffe ich es nicht“ – Exploration von Erfahrungen von Menschen mit psychischen Erkrankungen hinsichtlich der Unterstützung bei ernährungsbezogenen Problemen

“…Es wurde eine exploratorische, qualitative Studie mittels leitfadengestützten Interviews mit Personen mit psychischen Erkrankungen aus Deutschland, Österreich und Australien durchgeführt. Im Rahmen dieser Studie wurden bereits die subjektiven Determinanten des Ernährungsverhaltens [28] und dessen Implikationen [29] bei Menschen mit psychischen Erkrankungen untersucht. Aufgrund des räumlichen Bezuges der Fragestellung wurden die Interviews aus Australien aus der vorliegenden Analyse ausgeschlossen.…”

“…fehlende Unterstützung bei den Betroffenen zu Hoffnungslosigkeit und Resignation führt. Die Betroffenen berichteten in diesem Zusammenhang auch davon, dass das Thema Ernährung bei ihnen negative Emotionen hervorrufe, wobei Schuldgefühle und Stigmatisierung eine große Rolle spielen [29]. Ernährungsbezogene Interventionen sind somit nicht nur wichtig zur Aufrechterhaltung bzw.…”