{"id":7489,"date":"2026-09-10T11:09:23","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T10:09:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schizophrenia.life\/public\/?page_id=7489"},"modified":"2026-09-11T06:44:08","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T05:44:08","slug":"candid-book-3-chapter-3","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/schizophrenia.life\/public\/candid-book-3-chapter-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Candid book 3 – Chapter 3"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Chapter 3<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The role of body image and physical well-being in intimacy and relationships<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This chapter explores how body image and physical well-being can shape confidence, self perception, intimacy, and social connection in people living with schizophrenia. It also considers how physical health and personal priorities can support a stronger sense of self and fuller participation in everyday life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Download the chapter<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Mini-Glossary<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Body image:<\/mark><\/strong> The way a person perceives, thinks about, and emotionally experiences their own physical appearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Metabolic health:<\/mark><\/strong> A broad description of factors such as blood glucose, blood lipids, blood pressure, body weight, and energy regulation that influence physical health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Metabolic syndrome:<\/mark><\/strong> A group of medical conditions, including increased waist circumference, elevated blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, and impaired glucose regulation, that together increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cardiometabolic risk:<\/mark><\/strong> The combined risk of heart and metabolic conditions is influenced by factors such as weight, blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Insulin resistance:<\/mark><\/strong> A condition in which the body\u2019s cells respond less effectively to insulin, which can contribute to higher blood glucose levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Comorbidity:<\/mark><\/strong> The presence of one or more physical health conditions occurring alongside schizophrenia, such as diabetes, hypertension, or cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social cognition:<\/mark><\/strong> The ability to understand and interpret other people\u2019s emotions, intentions, and social cues during interactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emotional reciprocity:<\/mark><\/strong> The natural exchange of emotional signals between people supporting mutual understanding and connection in relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social anhedonia:<\/mark><\/strong> A reduced capacity to experience pleasure from social interaction, which may affect
motivation to engage in relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Welcome to podcast #3<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The role of body image and physical well-being in intimacy and relationships<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

with Elena Maurer<\/strong>, Health Journalist, and
Dr. Lukas Stein<\/strong>, Psychiatrist and Researcher<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elena:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the previous chapters, we discussed relationships and emotional closeness. Today, we explore another dimension that can influence intimacy: how people experience their own bodies and physical well-being.
Many caregivers notice changes such as reduced confidence, withdrawal from social activities, or discomfort with appearance.
Dr. Stein, how important are these factors?<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Dr. Stein:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are very important. Physical well-being and body image are closely connected to how people perceive themselves as partners<\/mark><\/strong>.

Research shows that individuals living with schizophrenia often experience metabolic health challenges and weight changes, which can influence confidence, social participation, and relationship dynamics.

Metabolic syndrome and obesity are consistently reported to be more prevalent among people with schizophrenia than in the general population.

These changes are closely connected to how individuals perceive themselves in social and romantic contexts.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Subchapter 1.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why does body image influence intimacy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Subchapter 2.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why do metabolic health and weight changes matter for intimacy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Subchapter 3.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why should physical health be part of personal and relationship decisions?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Subchapter 4.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is recognizing individual life priorities so important?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Subchapter 5.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why do people with schizophrenia often feel lonely despite wanting connection?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Clinical Stories<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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References<\/h5><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Correll CU, Solmi M, Croatto G, et al. Mortality in people with schizophrenia: a systematic review and meta\u2010analysis of relative risk and aggravating or attenuating factors. World Psychiatry. 2022;21(2):248-271.<\/p>

Vancampfort D, Stubbs B, Mitchell AJ, et al. Risk of metabolic syndrome and its components in people with schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. World Psychiatry. 2015;14(3):339-347.<\/p>

Seda Attepe \u00d6zden, Melike Tekindal, Mustafa Ag\u00e2h Tekindal. Quality of Life of people with Schizophrenia: A meta-analysis. International Journal of Social Psychiatry. 2023;69(6):1444 1452.<\/p>

Lee CY, Ahmed N, Ikhtabi S, et al. The experience of loneliness among people with psychosis: Qualitative meta-synthesis.V. Plos One. 2024;19(12):e0315763.<\/p>

Abplanalp SJ, Green MF, Wynn JK, et al. Using machine learning to understand social isolation and loneliness in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and the community. Schizophrenia. 2024;10(1).<\/p>

Okruszek \u0141, Jarkiewicz M, Piejka A, et al. Loneliness is associated with mentalizing and emotion recognition abilities in schizophrenia, but only in a cluster of patients with social cognitive deficits. Journal of The International Neuropsychological Society. 2024;30(1):27-34<\/p>

Firth J, Siddiqi N, Koyanagi A, et al. The Lancet Psychiatry Commission: a blueprint for protecting physical health in people with mental illness. The Lancet Psychiatry. 2019;6(8):675-712.<\/p>

Firth J, Solmi M, Wootton RE, et al. A meta\u2010review of \u201clifestyle psychiatry\u201d: The role of exercise, smoking, diet and sleep in the prevention and treatment of mental disorders. World Psychiatry. 2020;19(3):360-380.<\/p>

Vancampfort D, Firth J, Schuch FB, et al. Sedentary Behavior and Physical Activity Levels in People with schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder and Major Depressive disorder: a Global Systematic Review and meta-analysis. World Psychiatry. 2017;16(3):308-315.<\/p>

De Hert M, Correll CU, Bobes J, et al. Physical Illness in Patients with Severe mental disorders. I. Prevalence, impact of medications and disparities in health care. World Psychiatry. 2011;10(1):52-77.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chapter 3 The role of body image and physical well-being in intimacy and relationships This chapter explores how body image and physical well-being can shape confidence, self perception, intimacy, and social connection in people living with schizophrenia. It also considers how physical health and personal priorities can support a stronger sense of self and fuller […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-sod.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rea_page_title_signed_in_meta_block_field":"","rea_page_title_signed_out_meta_block_field":"","rea_page_description_signed_in_meta_block_field":"","rea_page_description_signed_out_meta_block_field":"","rea_page_footer_id_meta_block_field":"","rea_page_footer_date_meta_block_field":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7489","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/schizophrenia.life\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/schizophrenia.life\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/schizophrenia.life\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/schizophrenia.life\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/schizophrenia.life\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7489"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/schizophrenia.life\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7489\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8093,"href":"https:\/\/schizophrenia.life\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7489\/revisions\/8093"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/schizophrenia.life\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}