Abstract

To the Editor:

We appreciate the opportunity to discuss a relevant question raised by Hasnain et al¹ on the risk for overweight and the prevalence of overweight in children with mental illness. They found a high-risk group (HRG) of 54.5% for the 6- to 11-year age group, and 51.1% in the 12- to 18-year age group. Hasnain et al state that the younger group was more likely to be in the anxiety, maladjustment, and impulsive behavior groups, whereas the older group was more likely to be in the depression, bipolar, and psychotic features groups. We notice that in spite of the more severe psychiatric conditions of the older age group compared to the younger group, the proportion in the high-risk group did not change significantly among age groups (90/165 versus 322/630, P >0.43). This result is intriguing, provided that the more severe the psychiatric condition, the more risk factors for weight gain are involved—such as psychotropic medications, cognitive impairment, unusual dietary patterns, and decreased physical activity.²