"You Don't Look Anorexic": Atypical anorexia patient experiences of weight stigma in medical care.

ABSTRACT: Eating disorders (ED) and weight stigma pose significant healthcare challenges. Patients at higher weights, like some with atypical anorexia (AAN), may face increased challenges due to weight stigma. This study analyzed patients' lived experiences with weight stigma in healthcare. Thirty-eight adult patients with AAN completed in-depth, semi-structured interviews regarding healthcare experiences. Guided by narrative inquiry approaches, transcripts were thematically coded. Across the illness trajectory (ED development, pre-treatment, treatment, post-treatment), patients reported that weight stigma in healthcare contributed to initiation and persistence of ED behaviors. Themes included "providers pathologizing patient weight," which patients reported triggered ED behaviors and relapse, "prov

SUBMITTER: Harrop EN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10524894 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature