Mental health & obesity: What clinicians need to know with Dr. Sanjeev Sockalingam

🎙️This episode is supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Eli Lilly Canada. When conversations about obesity focus only on food, movement, or medications, something essential gets missed. Mental health is not an add-on in obesity care. It’s foundational. In this episode of Scale Up Your Practice, we’re joined by Dr. Sanjeev Sockalingam, psychiatrist, researcher, Scientific Director of Obesity Canada, and co-author of the mental health chapter of the Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines. We discuss how mental health intersects with obesity across the lifespan, and why addressing depression, anxiety, trauma, disordered eating, sleep, and weight bias is essential to providing compassionate, evidence-based care. Dr. Sockalingam shares practical insights clinicians can apply in everyday practice to strengthen patient relationships, reduce stigma, and support long-term health. ***************************** In this episode: Why mental health matters in obesity care: How psychological health is both a driver and complication of obesity, and why it must be integrated into assessment and treatment. Recognizing and reducing weight bias in care: Where stigma shows up in clinical conversations and systems, and how language and validation can reshape patient experience. Practical strategies for real-world practice: Simple, time-efficient ways to screen for mental health concerns, address disordered eating, and support patients beyond lifestyle-only advice. What treatment can and can’t do on its own: How medications may influence appetite and eating behaviours, and when additional psychological support is essential. ***************************** Additional Resources Research: The Cost of Inaction in Treating Obesity: https://utm.guru/ujsc2 Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines: https://utm.guru/ujsc4 Learn more about the intersection of sleep & obesity in episode 13 with Dr. Michael Mak: https://utm.guru/ujsc5 Free courses: Intro to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for Behavioural Change in Obesity Care: https://utm.guru/ujsc6 Intro to Behavioural Change Counselling for Obesity: https://utm.guru/ujsc7 Exploring the Role of Mental Health & Psychological Interventions in Obesity Management: https://utm.guru/ujsc9 ***************************** 📣 Register for the Canadian Obesity Summit 2026 Obesity Canada’s flagship scientific congress returns March 25–29, 2026 in Montréal. Join researchers, healthcare professionals, policy leaders, and people with lived experience for five days of learning, collaboration, and community—centered on this year’s theme: obesity across the lifespan, connecting research to real-world care. Registration is open now and tickets are already selling fast. Register today: https://utm.guru/ujsc1 ***************************** 🎧 Season one finale This episode marks the final episode of season one of Scale Up Your Practice. Thank you for listening and being part of this first season of the podcast. We’ll be back after a short break with season two in 2026, bringing more conversations to support compassionate, evidence-based obesity care. Enjoying the podcast? Support Scale Up Your Practice by: Sharing this episode with a colleague or team member Subscribing on your favourite podcast platform Leaving a review to help more listeners find the show 📩 Have a question or a topic you’d like us to cover? Email us at [email protected]