Optimising Weight Management Advice for Adults Prescribed Antidepressants: A Qualitative Interview Study of Experiences.
Angela Rodrigues, Nikita Kohli, Charlotte Watson and 1 others
PMID 40437708WHAT IT FOUND
Adults taking antidepressants said healthcare professionals should bring up weight gain during reviews, not leave it to a leaflet.
Shame and fear of judgement made many avoid talking about weight, especially when mental health felt more urgent.
Key findings
01Participants wanted medication reviews to include direct discussion and monitoring of weight-related side effects, not only whether the antidepressant was working.
02Several participants avoided talking about weight because of shame, embarrassment or fear of judgement, and some felt they had not been properly informed about weight gain.
03Many participants accepted antidepressants because mental health felt more urgent than weight concerns, and healthy eating and exercise became low priority while they were unwell.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This was a convenience sample of 13 adults recruited through social media and posters in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, so it may not represent all adults prescribed antidepressants. Weight changes and medication use were self-reported, and diagnostic data were not collected, so the findings may be biased and cannot be tied to specific depression subtypes. The analysis is interpretive, and the paper did not measure actual weight outcomes or test weight-management advice. Participants lacked ethnic diversity, limiting transferability to more diverse populations. Some interested people did not complete interviews, and male participants had a higher no-show rate, which may affect representation.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that asking about weight during antidepressant reviews has been shown to reduce weight gain. This paper reports interviews with 13 adults about their experiences and preferences; it did not test whether this advice changes weight or mental health.