Ep. 23: Weight Bias and Mental Health Concerns for Kids & Teens in a Pandemic with Louise Adams

This week we are sharing a conversation that Anna M. & Elizabeth had with Sydney-based clinical psychologist Louise Adams. Louise is the founder of Treat Yourself Well Sydney, and the creator of UNTRAPPED, an online program to help people find food and body peace, and escape from the endless diet cycle. She is also Vice President of Health At Every Size®️ Australia, has written two books, and hosts a terrific podcast called All Fired Up (a must-listen!).

We discuss:

  • Why treating patients using a weight-inclusive / HAES®️ framework not only produces more positive and sustainable health outcomes, but why it is the most ethical way to treat people.
  • The prevalence of weight bias in the medical community and how that affects the way people receive treatment and why people often think dieting or invasive surgical procedures are their “only” option to improve their health.
  • How weight bias was quick to rear its ugly head right at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in the form of  “concerns” over the correlation between weight/BMI and health risks associated with the virus.
  • The harm in throwing around terms like the “covid 15” in reference to weight gain, particularly for kids and teens who are already super stressed.
  • How the pandemic is affecting the mental health of kids & teens, a significant portion of whom are struggling with depression & anxiety.
  • Some things parents can do to help their kids & teens get through this difficult time.

[CW: We mentioned the “O word” a few times — we are well aware of the stigmatizing nature of this word and try not to use it — but sometimes when referencing research or the rhetoric of weight-biased researchers, it’s unavoidable.]

Links:

Louise Adams is a clinical psychologist and the founder of UNTRAPPED, an online program and community for people looking to liberate from the prison of diet culture. She is the host of the anti-diet podcast, All Fired Up!, and has extensive experience speaking to the media about the injustice of diet culture. Louise runs professional training workshops throughout Australia and New Zealand on the clinical application of the non-diet approach and fighting weight stigma, and has presented at numerous conferences. She is the Vice President of HAES Australia. Louise has 20 years of clinical experience working with people suffering from eating disorders, particularly Binge Eating Disorder and disordered eating patterns caused by dieting or the pursuit of ‘health’. Louise has written two books. The Non-Diet Approach Guidebook for Psychologists and Counsellors (2014, co-authored with Fiona Willer, APD) is a professional manual which guides psychologists and counsellors in the application of the non-diet approach. Her second book, Mindful Moments (2016) teaches people how to apply self-compassion based mindfulness techniques in their everyday lives. Louise is determined to make a difference in changing our society’s perceptions of dieting, weight loss, and body image.