In recent studies of obesity in adolescents and young adults, it seems
             that researchers had discovered many effects beyond the purely physical
             that make overweight an unhealthy thing. In fact, the psychosocial effects
             are quite devastating as well, but they are not caused directly by the
             state of being heavy; they are caused more often by the individual's
             perceptions, what he or she believes about the overweight status that
             causes the harm. There is no firm conclusion yet as to whether a single
             factor or multiple factors cause the obesity that in turn contributes to
             the poor self-image. Some researchers believe that the overweight condition
             itself caused by a self-fulfilling prophecy allied to the overweight
             condition. There is only one thing that has become accepted as certain, a
             truism coined by Alfred Adler and quoted by Hoover and Whitehead, 2000:
             Numerous children grow up in the constant dread of being laughed
             at. Ridicule of children is well nigh criminal. It retains its
             effect on the soul of the child, and is transferred into the
             habits and actions of his adulthood. --Alfred Adler on feelings
             of inferiority, p. 71 (1932)
             Current research shows that, in fact, obesity is the number one cause
             of children being ridiculed. Being overweight is one of the five most
             common reasons that boys and girls identified for being bullied, according
             to Hoover and Whitehead. (2000) And, says Munson, for obese adolescents who
             are teased and bullied, obesity is often associated with psychological and
             behavioral symptoms, although she adds that whether pediatric obesity
             should thus be labeled a psychiatric disorder is debatable and insufficient
             work has been done in that area to make a call one way or the other.
             Between Adler's stringent belief that being laughed at causes
             distress to the soul of a human being, and Munson's...