Educational reference
About this symptom
Appetite change can move in either direction, and both directions are recognised.
Some people lose interest in food, forget to eat, or find that eating requires effort, with weight falling as a consequence. Others eat more than usual, often seeking particular foods, sometimes describing eating as a way of managing mood rather than hunger. Weight may rise, fall, or stay stable while eating patterns change considerably.
What matters clinically is change from a person's own baseline, not weight itself. A modest change sustained over weeks is more informative than a larger fluctuation over days.
Appetite is affected by many things besides mood: physical illness, medication, pain, dental problems, life circumstances, and food availability among them. Marked or rapid weight change should be discussed with a health professional, since it can have physical causes and physical consequences regardless of what prompted it.