The Psychological and Social Complexities of GLP-1 Drugs

The last couple of weeks have been eventful in the realm of the ever popular GLP-1 meds, from positive news of yet another benefit to taking them (like lowering heart-related risks) to the sobering warning of a new, negative side effect on health, plus some substantial insurance coverage changes. Let’s take a look.

As has been established, GLP-1 receptor agonists (like semaglutide and liraglutide) and GLP-1/GIP combinations (like tirzepatide) help with weight loss by mimicking hormones that suppress appetite, slow digestion, and promote satiety. When paired with lifestyle changes, they can reduce body weight by 10%–20% over 9–15 months and improve cardiometabolic health. However, side effects like nausea, constipation, and loss of lean muscle mass are common and can prompt many to stop using the medication.

Psychological benefits and challenges

These medications can quiet obsessive food thoughts (“food noise”), reduce shame around eating, and give users a sense of mastery. However, they may also cause emotional side effects. Some users report a flattening of emotions or loss of pleasure in everyday experiences — possibly due to changes in the brain’s dopamine system. Studies show mixed results on whether GLP-1s increase depression or suicidal thoughts, with some linking them to mood issues and others finding mild improvements in depressive symptoms.

Psychologists are becoming essential in supporting GLP-1 patients by helping them adjust emotionally, manage disordered eating, and handle social stigma. Patients often face conflicting societal pressures — praised for losing weight, yet judged for using medication to do so. Therapy helps them navigate shifting body image, relationship dynamics, and grief over old habits or coping mechanisms (like using food for comfort).

Social and cultural complexities

The widespread use of GLP-1s brings up deeper issues around weight stigma, societal bias, and access. Some experts worry these drugs reinforce the idea that larger bodies are a problem to fix, potentially marginalizing people who are fat-positive or not interested in weight loss. Access is another concern: those with lower income or from marginalized communities may be less likely to afford or continue treatment.

Meanwhile, doctors may prescribe these drugs based on appearance, not medical need, and patients with eating disorders can misuse them. The rise of telehealth and loosely regulated medical spas also makes GLP-1s more accessible, sometimes in unsafe ways.

Role of psychology in GLP-1 use

Psychologists support patients by helping them:

• Develop sustainable, healthy relationships with food
• Prevent muscle loss through proper nutrition and exercise
• Strengthen body image and emotional resilience
• Navigate relationship changes and shifts in identity
• Cope with past trauma that may resurface with physical transformation

Some also use trauma-informed therapies like EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) to help patients who used food to cope with abuse or fear the attention that comes with weight loss.

GLP-1s and addiction treatment

Emerging research suggests GLP-1s may help curb addictive behaviors, such as excessive alcohol use. A 2025 trial showed semaglutide reduced heavy drinking days and cravings in people with alcohol use disorder. The effect appears similar to how GLP-1s suppress appetite — by dulling the brain’s reward signals. More research is needed before these drugs are FDA-approved for addiction, but psychologists are encouraged to stay informed as more patients may use GLP-1s for this purpose.

GLP-1 medications offer significant promise for those struggling with obesity, providing both physical and emotional relief. But they also come with complex psychological and societal implications. Experts agree: The success of these drugs isn’t just medical — it’s behavioral. Psychologists play a vital role in helping patients navigate the inner changes that accompany dramatic outer transformations.

Alleviating migraines, but it’s a pancreatic risk

It’s been reported that in a small study, a GLP-1 drug shrank the number of days people spent with a migraine by almost half in a given month. However, the GLP-1 receptor agonists are under investigation by U.K. health authorities due to reports of serious pancreatic side effects, including nearly 400 cases of acute pancreatitis and up to 10 deaths.

The U.K.’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Genomics England are examining whether genetic factors may predispose certain individuals to these rare but serious complications. Tirzepatide-based drugs like Mounjaro and Zepbound appear to be more frequently linked to these reports.

While no direct causal link has been established, the investigation seeks to better understand who might be at greater risk. U.K. residents over 18 who experience severe reactions are encouraged to report them through the Yellow Card system and may be invited to submit further details and a saliva sample for research.

Experts stress that GLP-1 drugs remain approved and generally safe when prescribed and monitored by a doctor, but warn against obtaining them through unofficial channels.

CVS Caremark drops Zepbound from coverage, citing cost

Starting this week, CVS Caremark, one of the largest U.S. pharmacy benefit managers, will stop covering Eli Lilly’s Zepbound, a GLP-1 drug approved for chronic weight management, on its most common formulary, affecting 25–30 million Americans. Wegovy, a competing drug from Novo Nordisk, will remain covered, alongside a few less effective alternatives.

CVS says this move is designed to drive down costs by forcing drugmakers to compete, citing the high prices of GLP-1s as a major barrier to access. However, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) like CVS have been criticized for their role in rising drug prices.

Doctors and patient advocates argue that GLP-1s aren’t interchangeable, and abrupt coverage changes can disrupt patient care. Side effects, tolerability, and individual response vary, and switching medications mid-treatment can stall progress or worsen health outcomes.

Critics also say this move reflects a broader misunderstanding of obesity as a chronic disease, noting that insurance policies don’t treat obesity care with the same consistency or respect as other chronic conditions.

Providers report being overwhelmed with patient concerns and spending excessive time navigating insurance rules instead of delivering care. Another upcoming policy change: BCBS Massachusetts will stop covering GLP-1s for obesity in 2026, unless prescribed for diabetes.

In response, Eli Lilly is expanding access via its LillyDirect program, offering Zepbound for $499/month out-of-pocket. Still, many worry such policies will create greater inequality and care disruption for people managing obesity.

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Source: “A new era of weight loss: Mental health effects of GLP-1 drugs,” APA, 7/1/25
Source: “Pill form of popular weight-loss drug lowers heart risks,” Harvard Health Publishing, 7/1/25
Source: “Popular weight-loss drugs show promising new power against debilitating migraines,” Fox News, 7/2/25
Source: “New Weight-Loss Drugs Under Scrutiny Amid Pancreas Concerns,” Science Alert, 7/3/25
Source: “Major insurance changes are coming to GLP-1 drugs for weight loss. Here’s how that could affect patients,” CNN, 7/1/25
Image by Leeloo The First/Pexels

Jamie Oliver Continues His Quest to Improve School Lunch, Now in the U.S.

Renowned chef and children’s health champion Jamie Oliver has brought his Ministry of Food’s 10 Skills Food Education program to the U.S. for the first time on May 1, 2025. He is now making promo rounds, including news and talk shows like Good Morning America and Live With Kelly & Mark.

After seeing major success in the U.K., this free and forward-thinking initiative aims to teach middle and high school students the core cooking skills they need to make healthier choices that last a lifetime. With an ambitious target of reaching one million students worldwide by 2030, the program provides teachers and community groups with hands-on lessons, videos, recipes, and tools designed to help young people build confidence in the kitchen.

Again, it’s free, but schools need to sign up. And in case you were wondering, The “Ministry of Food” part comes from Oliver’s 2008 book, “Jamie’s Ministry of Food: Anyone Can Learn to Cook in 24 Hours” (you can find some of the recipes here).

A long, tough uphill battle dating way back

Recently, Jamie Oliver opened up about the toughest battle of his career — transforming school lunches in the U.K. From public backlash to political breakthroughs, one chef’s mission to feed kids better sparked a national movement and lasting change. Thanks to our head writer Pat Hartman, this blog also followed Oliver’s difficult yet determined journey through the years, like this 2016 post on the Oliver vs. sugar debate and the 2012 post about his crusade against childhood obesity in the U.S.

In a candid interview featured in a new episode of Netflix’s “Chef’s Table: Legends,” Oliver revisits the stormy days of his school food campaign, calling it the “most miserable” period of his life. His mission was simple: get healthier, more nutritious meals into British schools. But what seemed like common sense to him — feeding kids better — quickly turned into a national controversy. Oliver’s efforts famously signaled the end of unhealthy cafeteria staples like the Turkey Twizzler, sparking fierce pushback from some parents who went as far as delivering junk food through school gates.

Oliver recalls:

I just wanted to fix it all… I was like the enemy… The bins at the end of lunch were full of my food…

Despite the discouragement, Oliver remained determined. He later realized the resistance wasn’t about the food itself but familiarity. “Those kids were probably the fourth generation that hadn’t learned to cook at home or at school,” he explained. It wasn’t just a change in menu but a cultural shift.

Oliver says:

I was told a child needs to try something 14 times before accepting it. They need love and encouragement, just like your own child.

Getting policymakers on board proved equally frustrating. Oliver recalled the challenge of getting government officials to move past budget concerns. But the tide finally turned with the release of his Channel 4 documentary “Jamie’s School Dinners.” The series captured public attention and coalesced political will. Within weeks, Oliver had a meeting with then-Prime Minister Tony Blair, who agreed to fund sweeping reforms in school food standards.

Blair himself appears in the “Chef’s Table” episode, praising Oliver’s enduring influence:

Jamie’s much more than a chef. He made cooking cool and linked food to health and nutrition long before it was mainstream.

A few words about “Chef’s Table: Legends”

If you are not familiar with “Chef’s Table,” it’s an acclaimed docuseries in its second decade that spotlights some of the world’s most visionary and captivating chefs. The latest installment, currently playing on Netflix, features legendary chefs Jamie Oliver, José Andrés, Thomas Keller, and Alice Waters. Not only are they culinary icons but they’re also compassionate advocates for a better world, feeding those in crisis, and creating healthier lifestyles for us all.

A glimpse at Oliver’s worldview

In a recent roundtable interview, Oliver spoke about how he got into cooking (“And when I say cooking saved me, I don’t think I’m exaggerating”), and the one ingredient that he absolutely could not live without:

Olive oil. We grew up using butter and lard and ghee. But olive oil is the connector. It’s the thing that allows you to transmit flavor and spice and herbs. And of course, it’s the healthiest oil on the planet, full of polyphenols.

We will leave you with one more quote, which was Oliver’s response to the question about the one thing he wished people understood about food:

I think, now more than ever, cooking is freedom. Cooking is the amazing ability to nourish yourself and your family and the people that you love with deliciousness and truth. And it’s a real superpower.

If I had one wish in the world, it would be that every 16-year-old kid would leave high school knowing 10 recipes to save their life, the basics of nutrition, where food comes from, and how it affects their body.

It is not a luxury; it’s a necessity. It’s a life skill. Every time you’re trying to fix a problem, you’re looking at the most vulnerable within the problem.

And in the U.K., we have free-school-lunch kids, and the parents of those kids have to be earning a very small amount of money to get that free school lunch. Filling that child’s tummy and that child’s mind is really exciting.

For me, that just gives you a template for true hope. And to truly be fair, to truly be a democracy, you have to have hope — that no matter where you come from, as long as you apply yourself, as long as you turn up, as long as you’re kind, the sky’s the limit.

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Source: “Culinary Legends Gather Around the Chef’s Table For Its 10th Anniversary,” Netflix, 4/25/25
Source: “Jamie Oliver shares cooking lessons,” Good Morning America, 4/29/25
Source: “Episode Guide,” Live With Kelly & Mark, 5/1/25
Source: “Jamie Oliver admits controversial school dinners campaign was ‘most miserable’ time of his life,” Tyla.com, 4/28/25
Image: Screenshot of Jamie Oliver’s Ministry of Food’s Ten Skills Food Education Program homepage, used under Fair Use: Commentary