Let's talk about obesity: Why it's not just a health risk but a mental health condition

Sometimes therapy room conversations are an eyeopener.

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That's where a woman dealing with obesity told Dr Rituparna Ghosh, senior clinical psychologist, Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai, “I know | need to take care of my health. But | just wish people could see me before they see my body.” It raised a pertinent point of eliminating stigma and creating a safe space for people just about to take the first step in their weight loss journey.“What most people forget is that obesity is not just a health condition — it's also a deeply emotional experience, shaped not only by biology and environment, but by the way society talks about bodies. We must be honest about obesity as a chronic, complex medical issue. However, we must also discuss it with compassion, nuance and respect. Because words — casual or clinical — can either heal or harm,” she says.

How we speak about obesity and other diseasesWhen we refer to someone as “an obese person,” it almost defines him from that one prism. “We don’t say ‘a cancerous person’ or ‘a diabetic person’, do we?