Prevalence of diagnosed psychiatric disorders among adults who have experienced and internalized weight stigma.

Objective: Experiences and internalization of weight stigma are associated with greater self-reported psychological distress and symptoms of psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety. However, little is known about the extent to which individuals who have experienced and internalized weight stigma are diagnosed with or provided treatment for psychiatric conditions. The current study aimed to characterize the prevalence of diagnosed psychiatric disorders among adults with obesity who had experienced and internalized weight stigma.

Methods: Weight-loss treatment-seeking adults with a history of experiencing weight stigma and high levels of internalized weight stigma were recruited for two clinical trials.

Results: In Study 1 ( = 84, 83.3% women, 67.9% Black), 25% of participants reported a lifetime history of a mood disorder. Few participants (<10%) reported current psychiatric diagnoses or use of psychiatric medications. In Study 2 ( = 129, 88.4% women, 65.1% white), one-third of participants reported a mood disorder history, and 21.7% reported an anxiety disorder history, with approximately 16%-18% reporting current diagnoses. In both studies, few participants reported a history of a diagnosed eating disorder despite high rates of current full- or subthreshold symptoms. Based on Beck Depression Inventory-II scores, approximately 54%-64% of participants reported mild or greater symptoms of depression.

Conclusions: Overall, lifetime history of diagnosed psychiatric disorders and current symptoms of depression and eating disorders were relatively high across two samples. More research is needed to determine the impact of weight stigma on the diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders and other psychiatric concerns.