Obesity & Bariatric Psychiatry
Obesity psychiatry addresses the relationship between metabolic health, weight and mental illness — a relationship that runs in both directions and is routinely ignored in psychiatric care.
Why is weight a psychiatric issue?
Because psychiatric medication is one of the most common causes of significant weight gain, and because the resulting metabolic changes should not be left unmanaged by the prescriber who caused them.
Several widely used classes — particularly second-generation antipsychotics, some mood stabilizers and some antidepressants — are associated with weight gain, insulin resistance and lipid changes. For some patients these medications are genuinely necessary. That does not mean the metabolic consequences should go unaddressed.
The relationship also runs the other way. Depression makes activity and cooking harder. Binge eating disorder is a psychiatric condition. Sleep apnea, common with obesity, causes fatigue and concentration problems easily mistaken for depression or ADHD.
What does treatment involve?
- Medication review — whether a weight-neutral alternative exists that would treat your condition as effectively
- Metabolic monitoring — weight, blood pressure, lipids, HbA1c, so changes are caught early rather than years later
- Nutritional assessment by a provider who is also a registered dietitian — see nutritional psychiatry
- Screening for binge eating disorder, which is treatable and frequently missed
- Medically supervised weight management, including GLP-1 receptor agonist medication, where clinically appropriate
Do you prescribe weight loss medication?
We offer medically supervised weight management including GLP-1 receptor agonist medication where it is clinically appropriate, with ongoing monitoring.
We treat this as psychiatric-adjacent medical care, not as a cosmetic service. That means a real evaluation, attention to how it interacts with your psychiatric medication, screening for eating disorder history, and monitoring over time. It is not a prescription issued after a form.
If you have a history of an eating disorder, tell us. It does not automatically rule out treatment, but it substantially changes how we approach it and what we monitor.
Who is this for?
- People who have gained significant weight on psychiatric medication
- People who need psychiatric treatment but are afraid of weight gain — a common and legitimate reason people refuse or stop medication
- People with metabolic syndrome alongside a psychiatric condition
- People considering or recovering from bariatric surgery who need psychiatric care from someone familiar with the nutritional and psychological demands of it
- People with binge eating disorder
Can this be done by telehealth?
Largely yes. Lab work can be ordered locally anywhere in Arizona, and weight monitoring can be done at home. Our annual in-person visit requirement still applies. See telehealth in Arizona.
Related: nutritional psychiatry and hormones and mental health, since hormonal transitions and metabolic change frequently occur together.
Treatment in Glendale and across Arizona
We see patients in person at our office in Glendale, in the Arrowhead area, and by telehealth anywhere in Arizona — Tucson, Flagstaff, Prescott, Yuma, Sierra Vista and everywhere between. Virtual visits are the same appointment with the same provider at the same fee.
Getting started
New patient evaluations are $375 and run 60 to 90 minutes. Follow-up visits are $125. We are out-of-network with all insurance and provide a superbill you can submit for reimbursement. Full detail on our fees page.
Pinnacle Psychiatry · 17505 N 79th Ave, Suite 309, Glendale, AZ 85308
Phone 623.321.2221 · Text 877.749.7502
Monday–Wednesday 8:00am–5:00pm · Thursday 7:00am–5:00pm