Stigma and the etiology of depression among the obese: An agent-based exploration

Social stigma and ostracization that occur as a consequence of deviance from body habitus norms may be a plausible mechanism by which weight stigma may influence depression in the obese. Public health interventions targeting individuals rather than obesogenic environments may modify body habitus norms with the unintended consequence of increasing stigma-based social isolation among those who remain obese.