A doctor walks into the examining room, and there sits a seriously obese patient. But they doubt the patient will comply with their advice. Even though medical students carry these biases, they seem to rise above them and treat patients appropriately. While some patients were clearly describing a true disorder such as inflammatory bowel disease, others were obviously talking about something that didn't exist.
People come in with disturbances in their bowel function and cramps.
Sometimes it comes from neurotic thinking. Sometimes it is a true dysfunction in the nerves, inflammation, or a bacteria. Many even ordered additional tests appropriate for obesity, like tests for diabetes, says Wigton. They didn't think the person would follow through with any of their recommendations. Medical schools need to make students more aware, include it in the curriculum, discuss it.