The effect of hypnotherapy on depression and anxiety levels in obesity patients

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of hypnotherapy on depression and anxiety levels of obese patients who were admitted to hypnotherapy sessions for healthy and balanced diet. Method: The study sample consisted of 60 individuals who presented to the Psychiatry Polyclinic of Numune Hospital, who volunteered to participate in the study, whose Body Mass Index was 30 and above and who completed 10-week hypnotherapy session. Firstly, the participants' body mass indexes were determined after their "personal information forms" were filled in. Before the hypnotherapy sessions were started, the Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory were administered to each participant. After that, hypnotherapy sessions were performed for 10 weeks, one session per week. At the end of a 10-week hypnotherapy session, the participants' Body Mass Indexes were determined again, and the Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory were re-administered. Then the effectiveness of hypnotherapy was evaluated by comparing the pre- and post-therapy Body Mass Indexes, and the scores obtained from the Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory. Results: The comparison of the pre- and post-therapy Body Mass Indexes, and the scores obtained from the Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory demonstrated significant differences (p<0.001). There was a significant positive correlation between the scores obtained from the Beck Depression Inventory and those obtained from Beck Anxiety Inventory (p <0.001). Discussion: The present study demonstrated that the use of hypnotherapy in the treatment of obesity was effective in reducing depression and anxiety levels of obese patients. It is recommended that future studies should be performed to investigate the long-term effects of the hypnotherapy and consist of larger samples including a control group.