Key points
- Weight is not a matter of willpower. Stress, sleep, mood and each person’s own history influence the way we eat.
- Psychological support helps you understand these links and supports the changes you make, without judgement.
- Before surgery, a specialist consultation is part of the assessment.
What is this support for?
The Swiss recommendations make the behavioural approach one part of treatment, alongside diet, physical activity and sleep. They also call for screening for depression or an eating disorder during the assessment1.
Depending on your situation, support may focus on:
- eating linked to emotions, boredom or tiredness;
- compulsive eating and loss of control;
- body image and how others see you;
- adjusting after a treatment or an operation.
Depending on your situation, a psychiatric opinion may be offered, particularly in cases of depression, binge eating disorder, addiction or an attention disorder1.
The consultant psychiatrist working with the Centre and the psychologists you can consult are presented on the team page.
Before surgery
A specialist consultation is part of the assessment2. It helps prepare for the changes the operation brings, identify your needs and offer the right support. See Preparation and assessment.
After surgery
Weight loss transforms your relationship with your body, with food and sometimes with those close to you. The Swiss recommendations advise long-term psychological support after the operation1: see Life and follow-up after surgery.
Frequently asked questions
How can this support help me?
Time to talk, without judgement, about your relationship with food and what you are going through with your weight. Together you identify what triggers some of your eating and what helps you day to day, so that you can make changes at your own pace. It is one form of support among others, alongside dietary advice and physical activity.
What next?
A first consultation is an opportunity to review your situation and ask your questions. Possible treatments are then discussed with you. Your request is received by the Centre’s appointments team, who will organise the next steps with you.
Medical review of the French version: Dr Pierre Fournier
Scientific sources and references
Sources accessed on 12 October 2026. Reimbursement rules and information on medicines change over time.
- Gerber PA, Collet TH, Favre L, et al. Swiss obesity clinical practice guidance. Swiss Med Wkly. 2026;156:5415. View source
- Swiss Society for the Study of Morbid Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (SMOB). Directives pour le traitement chirurgical de l’obésité, in force from 1 July 2023 (in French). View source
- Author
- Prepared for the Centre from the sources cited
- References
- See “Scientific sources and references” on this page