Editorial: The mental health impact of weight stigma

across the lifespan and community contexts, rather than focusing on weight stigma alone or certain communities in isolation.Often described as a hostile environment for larger-bodied people, the health system is not immune to weight stigma [9]. A scoping review found that mental health professionals frequently observed weight bias in colleagues, even if they did not report it in themselves [8]. Higher-weight clients were perceived more negatively and received less intensive care for similar symptoms than lower-weight clients [8]. Paradoxically, professionals rated restrictive eating disorder symptoms in higher-weight clients as less severe and recommended less intensive treatment [8]. Qualitative studies in the review revealed clients' experiences of weight bias, unsolicited weight loss advice, and differential treatment, which all undermined therapeutic progress and eroded trust in practitioners and the mental health system [8].Turning towards healing, reducing weight stigma requires disrupting traditional paradigms and adopting new strategies, both as individuals and systems. At the individual level, an online survey of racially and ethnically diverse U.S. adults found that those who engaged in adaptive coping, such as cognitive reframing or seeking social support, showed weaker associations between weight stigma and poor mental health outcomes [5], suggesting that more inclusive paradigms and community support could buffer against harms. A case study in a U.S. hospital described the collaborative process of developing a size-inclusive, trauma-informed ecourse with separate tracks tailored to clinicians, staff, and patients [9], documenting how such paradigmatic shifts and interdisciplinary collaborations happen in the real world.Online and digital platforms provide effective tools for driving societal change. An online experimental study with women and gender diverse participants in the U.S. found that exposure to brief body positive and body neutral TikTok videos was associated with improved functional appreciation and mood and reduced self-objectification and body dissatisfaction [6]. Finally, a qualitative study with US college students with elevated eating disorder psychopathology identified support for a digital adaptation of the Body Advocacy Movement, a program targeting anti-fat bias, as a potential way to buffer against eating disorder development [7].In conclusion, articles in this Research Topic paint a clear picture of weight stigma as a widespread, harmful, intersectional, and complex issue. Weight stigma manifests in families and romantic relationships, influences social interactions across settings, and pervades health services. Its negative effects on mental health are significant, experienced across age, race, sexuality, and other demographic characteristics, and often mediated by stress. Reducing weight stigma requires a multi-pronged approach, from educating parents and health service providers to promoting adaptive coping strategies and social supports, while also pursuing movements and paradigms that challenge anti-fat bias, promote body acceptance and neutrality, and create sizeand weight-inclusive environments.