Mind and body  Sudden weight gain may be a symptom of depression
Lavinia Rodriguez  Lavinia Rodriguez  In a single year,
Jessica's weight spiraled out of control. It felt as if
virtually overnight she had gone from an active, happy young
woman to a restless and frustrated dieter struggling between
food binges and starvation. No one could possibly understand
her, she thought. She felt totally alone despite being
surrounded by a loving family.  If you asked those who knew her,
they would tell you Jessica is a kind, loving, hardworking
person, a devoted mother and wife. Everyone thought the world of
Jessica. She seemed to always have a smile on her face.  In
truth, she was suffering from depression. It was at the root of
her extreme negative feelings as well as her weight gain and
out-of-control eating. She focused on her weight as the problem,
rather than a symptom of the real problem. Instead of getting
help, she criticized herself for gaining weight.  This incessant
self-punishment only made her more depress