​Val's Take/Conjecture  I think when we see someone who we think needs to lose weight --- we think --- if that person would just lose the weight --- their problems would be solved.​ Further, we're often focused on different types of diets and exercise programs ---- which can be helpful.  This is an issue for a dietitian or a personal trainer. BUT what if a person has a DEVELOPMENTAL DYSREGULATION of their MICROGLIA, MITOCHONDRIA --- and they are not as good as the average person at producing ATP. I don't think it is any accident that the most deadly psychiatric disorders are Eating Disorders. While there are definitely bi-directional relationships, often the MICROGLIA DYSREGULATION came first IN UTERO. My Dad was 200 pounds when he was 12 and he was not a tall guy. ​He lost that weight. He ultimately died of Parkinson's and Lewy Body Dementia --- NO ATP. ​A younger male relative of mine was overweight as a child.​ He developed eating disorders --- seemingly starving himself. He seemed to have gotten past that --- was trim --- looked great and healthy --- and committed suicide in March of this year. Historian Daniel Boorstin made a distinction between Celebrities and Heroes. ​ We don't need another Celebrity Diet Doctor or The Biggest Loser --- we need Medical Professionals/Heroes who can deal with the complexity of this problem. Of course now we have Weight Loss Drugs ---- but why do so many people need them? ​Some of these drugs are thought to: contribute to more efficient ATP production within cells, and improve Mitochondrial Energy efficiency there seem to be both Mental Health concerns and hopeful aspects with regard to Wegovy and Ozempic.

​Stressed Mitochondria: How the Powerhouse May Be Involved in Mental Health (2023) ​ ​By Tara Lago ​"Patients with mitochondrial disorders arising from deletions in the mtDNA have comorbidities with mood disorders and experience symptoms like phobias and panic attacks (Filiou & Sandi, 2019). "A study done on children with oxidative phosphorylation disorders, a type of mitochondrial disease, found that they displayed significantly more depressive behavior compared to healthy controls (Morava et al., 2010). ​"Another study confirmed that 70% of the participants diagnosed with mitochondrial dysfunction met the criteria for mental illness (Fattal et al., 2006)." ​Eating disorders and neurodivergence ​"Once thought of primarily as social diseases, eating disorders are now much better understood, with researchers increasingly discovering biological drivers of these conditions. "And studies have shown that, in many cases, eating disorders commonly occur in people considered neurodivergent. " ​If Medieval people filled in the blanks of human bad or problematic behavior with DEMONS --- we do it with Psychology's PRO SOCIAL COMPETENCY RELIGION or LIFESTYLE CHOICES. The fact that these equations are incredibly complicated is incredibly inconvenient. HINT:  Neurodivergence is DEVELOPMENTAL ---- It's not a lifestyle choice.