At the Masterclass Psychiatry 2025, experts reinforced that effective doctor-patient communication is essential in managing obesity and its psychiatric comorbidities.
Weight stigma has been associated with lower quality of care. Phelan et al. (2015) showed that healthcare professionals’ implicit bias undermines adherence and reduces treatment effectiveness. This stigma often results in self-stigmatization, creating further barriers to care.
Clear and empathetic communication helps overcome these barriers. The international consensus published in Nature Medicine (Rubino et al., 2020) emphasized that tackling stigma is a cornerstone of good clinical practice. Furthermore, emerging concepts such as “food noise” underline the need for continuous professional education to deliver sensitive, patient-centered care.
Building trust and strengthening communication across specialties are essential steps toward sustainable clinical outcomes.
#ObesityCare #DoctorPatientCommunication #FoodNoise #MentalHealth #WeightStigma
Editorial note: This content is part of the institutional coverage of the Masterclass Psychiatry 2025 and was developed with the support of artificial intelligence technologies to optimize writing and information structuring. All material was carefully reviewed, validated, and complemented by human experts before publication, ensuring scientific accuracy and adherence to good editorial practices.