Here are some alarming figures when it comes to eating disorders. It is estimated that 70 million people are living with different eating disorders globally. And what is an eating disorder (ED)? According to the American Psychological Association, eating disorders are characterised by persistent disturbance in eating behaviour.
The seriousness of this issue is that people with EDs normally develop medical conditions like malnutrition, osteoporosis, kidney failure (for anorexia nervosa), throat tears, low potassium levels, and enlarged salivary glands (for bulimia).
It is estimated that the prevalence of ED worldwide is two per cent and more common in women. What is even worse when it comes to southern countries like India is the woeful shortage of data on ED. However, some estimates in media reports say ED in adolescence can be as high as 25 per cent among girls.
Jaisal Kaur Sidhu, an alumna of Apeejay Svran Global School, Faridabad, Section 21-D, and a food technologist (QA) at Mrs Bectors Food Specialties (Cremica) said that ED stems from the rise in mental health issues that we are seeing in teenagers, especially girls.
“We are seeing a lot of emotional eating in teenagers; they are sitting at home and binge eating. This is leading to obesity in them. But this image doesn’t conform to the standards that they have leading to ED. Parents must encourage the teenager to talk about what is troubling them and get them the professional help they require. The mantra that parents need to follow is to give their child healthy and well-balanced meals,” Sidhu said.
“The number of eating disorder cases has been on the rise even in India. Sadly, in our country, psychiatric illnesses are kept under wraps since ED can’t be understood by normal parents. In most cases, it is brushed under the carpet”
–Dr Sanjay Chugh, neuropsychiatrist in Delhi
Dr Sanjay Chugh, a neuropsychiatrist in Delhi says that any disorder, be it in psychiatry or any field of medicine, arises out of interchange in a person’s internal and external environment. “A person’s internal environment and most crucial would be the genetic makeup and the external would be everything that is happening around that person. The same is true for EDs where the primary problem is the body image that the individual has; in most cases, it is ‘herself’,” Dr Chugh opined and said that nine out of 10 cases of ED in theory and his practice would be expected to be seen in females when they are teenagers. “The reason is simple,” he said.
Adolescence is an age when a child starts moving away from family and parents. “The teenager starts to become more dependent on their social circle. Unfortunately, this is the place where the teenager learns that her self-image, self-esteem, and self-concept are governed totally by social recognition and appreciation which in turn is driven by physical appearance,” Dr Chugh explained.
He said that all models and actresses are supposed to look good and ‘hot’. “Size zero is a big thing. The adolescent’s brain, which is still developing, starts to learn unhealthy patterns. The key direction is: ‘If I am not thin, not slim, I am not going to look good; if I am not looking good people will not recognise me, and if I don’t get recognition then I am bad,” Dr Chugh said.
In India, too, he said, the number of EDs has been on a steady rise. “A fact that is corroborated by my colleagues. Sadly, in our country, psychiatric illnesses are kept under wraps since ED can’t be understood by ‘normal parents’. In most cases, it is brushed under the carpet,” Dr Chugh said.
Symptoms to watch for
1. The teenager will become conscious of her appearance – constantly standing in front of the mirror and turning her face to the right and left – to get the best profile.
2. Forever measuring their wrists with the fingers on the other arm. Most teenagers with ED have body dysmorphia or body image disorder and are looking where they conform to the pattern they have set for themselves.
What can parents do?
1. Don’t judge your child. Don’t be punitive.
2. Understand that your teenager has a problem and needs proper help.
3. Never equate a child’s goodness with how they are looking – appearance. Fat shaming can lead to negative body image disorder which inevitably leads to ED.
“Once the teenager gets the right help, any disorder can be treated. But this will need help from the right quarters – a mental health psychiatrist and a psychologist. Once the teenager is back on track, she has to be conscious that it is something that she is vulnerable to and be very careful about attaching significance to how she looks,” Dr Chugh said in conclusion.