Weight Bias and Diagnostic Delays Plague PMOS Patients

The survey of 1,048 individuals reveals that 21% of patients wait over five years to receive a formal diagnosis. This delay is frequently compounded by a culture of medical dismissal, as 40% of respondents admit they now avoid seeking care altogether to escape weight-based judgment. Even when patients are diagnosed, their psychological well-being remains largely ignored. Despite 37% of respondents screening positive for depression and 48% for anxiety, more than 60% report that their doctors never address the emotional impact of the condition.

Dr. Erin Parks, co-founder of Equip, notes that standard care models often treat weight as the root cause of symptoms rather than a secondary indicator of underlying issues. This clinical blind spot extends to eating disorders, which the study found affect 56% of those diagnosed with the condition. As September marks PMOS Awareness Month, the findings serve as a call for integrating routine mental health and eating disorder screenings into standard care protocols to replace outdated, stigma-driven practices.