Dr. Karin Schwartz on Discovery

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ContributorDr. Karin SchwartzRead Full Bio

Biography

Dr. Karin Schwartz received her Doctorate of Psychology degree from the California School of Professional Psychology, at the Alliant International University in San Francisco, California. For the past 14 years, Dr. Schwartz has focused her clinical work primarily on the assessment and treatment of substance abuse and other addictions, eating disorders, bariatric/weight loss surgery evaluations and treatment, various anxiety disorders (OCD, Social Anxiety and Panic Disorders) and relationship struggles. Dr. Schwartz highlights the mental aspects that are intertwined with obesity and how they need to be managed during the weight loss process. For many of her patients food is a coping mechanism. “They celebrate with food. They mourn with food. They grieve with food. It becomes a friend to them. It becomes a companion.” She also warns that with the significant weight loss comes the possibility of transference addiction so when food is no longer an option, people turn to sex or drinking or shopping and other addictions to deal with those feelings.

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  • The Stories
ContributorDr. Karin SchwartzRead Full Bio

Biography

Dr. Karin Schwartz received her Doctorate of Psychology degree from the California School of Professional Psychology, at the Alliant International University in San Francisco, California. For the past 14 years, Dr. Schwartz has focused her clinical work primarily on the assessment and treatment of substance abuse and other addictions, eating disorders, bariatric/weight loss surgery evaluations and treatment, various anxiety disorders (OCD, Social Anxiety and Panic Disorders) and relationship struggles. Dr. Schwartz highlights the mental aspects that are intertwined with obesity and how they need to be managed during the weight loss process. For many of her patients food is a coping mechanism. “They celebrate with food. They mourn with food. They grieve with food. It becomes a friend to them. It becomes a companion.” She also warns that with the significant weight loss comes the possibility of transference addiction so when food is no longer an option, people turn to sex or drinking or shopping and other addictions to deal with those feelings.

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Dr. Karin Schwartz, Psy.D. notes that “obesity is a disease similar to depression, anxiety, OCD.  It has significant medical effects.  Typically people that are obese or morbidly obese struggle with diabetes, hypertension; they could be at higher risk for stroke; and similarly the way that certain medications can help situations like depression, they can also help issues related to obesity, so that in and of itself would qualify it as a disease.” She talks about how her patients are in a desperate place when they come to see her. They have tried everything possible to lose weight and failed over and over. She stresses that the key to starting a conversation with an obese patient is trying to figure out what their relationship with food is.

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