The impact on mental health of fatphobia

Abstract

Obesity is a complex multifactorial syndrome influenced by biological, genetic, environmental, cultural and psychological determinants. This paradigm is widely recognized in the medical literature and reinforced by the media, which often associates thinness with a socially valued aesthetic ideal. This dynamic contributes to the stigmatization of individuals with obesity, who are often stereotyped as lacking willpower, lazy or negligent with their own health, reinforcing a narrative that attributes blame to the individual for their clinical condition. Studies show that health professionals often internalize and reproduce negative attitudes towards patients with obesity, which can influence their clinical interactions, diagnostic judgments and therapeutic decisions. These implicit biases have direct implications for the quality of care and can generate adverse experiences in patients, such as stress, distrust towards professionals, low therapeutic adherence and worsening of psychological comorbidities.