Achieving Healthy Weight for People Living with Serious Mental Illness-View Presentation

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Video Summary

In the webinar "Achieving Healthy Weight Loss for People Living with Serious Mental Illness," Dr. Gail L. Domet of Johns Hopkins University addressed the high prevalence of overweight and obesity among individuals with serious mental illness (SMI). The session provided strategies for weight management through lifestyle changes, focusing on simple, repeatable messages and high-impact behavioral goals. Dr. Domet emphasized avoiding sugary drinks and junk food, adopting portion control, and increasing vegetable intake. The physical activity recommendations focused on safe, moderate-intensity exercises like walking and reducing sedentary time.<br /><br />Dr. Domet's work, based on the ACHIEVE trial, demonstrated that people with SMI could achieve weight loss comparable to the general population, even while on antipsychotic medications. Her approach includes personalized, incremental changes and working within the context of a patient's environment, acknowledging potential barriers like food insecurity and lack of control over dietary choices.<br /><br />The session also highlighted diversity in weight perceptions and the importance of culturally tailored interventions. Accountability was stressed, with strategies including regular weight monitoring and behavioral goal tracking.<br /><br />The discussion touched on the need for collaboration across healthcare providers and adapting weight management programs for broader application, including non-specialist providers. The webinar concluded with addressing audience questions about medication impacts on weight, the role of metformin and other drugs, and exploring the future direction of Dr. Domet's work aimed at scalable interventions for SMI populations.

Keywords

healthy weight loss

serious mental illness

weight management

lifestyle changes

behavioral goals

ACHIEVE trial

culturally tailored interventions

accountability

healthcare collaboration

scalable interventions