Don’t play the blame game: ‘Think of obesity like breast cancer’
Clinicians also need to avoid “shaming and blaming patients with obesity,” said Dr. Sharma.
He noted that many patients have internalized weight bias and blame their excess weight on their lack of willpower. They may not want to talk about weight-loss medications or bariatric surgery because they feel that’s “cheating.”
By thinking of obesity in a similar way to cancer, doctors can help themselves respond to patients in a kinder way. “What would we do with somebody who has breast cancer? We would have compassion. We would talk about surgery to get the lump out and medication to keep the cancer from coming back, and we would engage them in psychological treatment or counseling for some of the challenges they have to face,” Dr. Wharton said.
“The right answer is to treat [obesity] like a disease – with surgery, medication, and psychological intervention,” depending on the individual patient, he added.
The complete guideline is available on the Obesity Canada website.
The study was funded by Obesity Canada, the Canadian Association of Bariatric Physicians and Surgeons, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Dr. Wharton has received honoraria and travel expenses and has participated in academic advisory boards for Novo Nordisk, Bausch Health, Eli Lilly, and Janssen. He is the medical director of a medical clinic specializing in weight management and diabetes. Dr. Sharma has received speaker’s bureau and consulting fees from Novo Nordisk, Bausch Pharmaceuticals, and AstraZeneca.
A version of this article originally appeared on Medscape.com.