"Imprisoned in every fat man, a thin one is wildly signaling to be let out." So wrote English Literary Critic Cyril Connolly, and many psychiatrists have been inclined to agree. What happens when a diet sets the thin man free? Does he enjoy his liberty? Not necessarily, reports Northwestern University Psychiatrist Howard D. Kurland.
At an American Medical Association meeting, Dr. Kurland offered as a prime example the case of a U.S. Navy hospital corpsman, aged 20, who wanted to re-enlist after two years of duty. To meet the Navy's physical requirements, he had to drop 50 lbs., and while...