- The most common eating disorders are anorexia and bulimia.
- While in the past these types of problems started in adolescence, now they start from childhood.
- In addition to causing a decrease in the quality of life, when they are not treated on time they can cause deadly consequences.
It is estimated that in Mexico 25 percent of adolescents suffer, to different degrees, Eating disorder. Most of the cases are associated with some mental problem. While less than 10 percent of those affected are undergoing treatment, according to data from the Ministry of Health (SSa).
In the general population, the incidence ranges from 1.5 to 3 percent, although the figures probably increased due to the pandemic. This was said by the professor of the Nutriology career of the Zaragoza Faculty of Higher Studies of the UNAM, José Eduardo Otáñez Ludick.
These disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia, which are the best known, affect young women more, particularly adolescents. Although in recent years it has been identified that it now occurs from childhood and even in children under 12 years of age.
On the occasion of National Day of the Fight against Eating Disorderswhich is commemorated on June 2, the university student points out that it is a series of mental pathologies where the act of eating is altered.
To the anorexia and bulimia other disorders are added. For example: avoidance of eating, pica (when the person eats things that are not considered food, such as mud or clay, paper, chalk, plaster, etc.); or binge eating, as well as orthorexia (pathological and irrational obsession with eating healthy and with the quality of food).
In the worst case, the consequences of some of these conditions can be death if the organism does not acquire the minimum nutritional requirements necessary to remain functional.
Others have to do with alterations of a psychological nature, together with the affectation of support networks. “Families suffer a lot because they want to help, but they don’t know how.” Sometimes it is necessary to hospitalize the patient so that he recovers and does not present subsequent physiological consequences, such as bone or gastrointestinal problems, he emphasizes.
multifactorial
Eating disorders are multifactorial. Its causes may be of a neurobiological nature, that is, alterations in the satiety process; sociocultural, certain ideals of beauty and “perfect bodies”. They can also be family-type, due to extreme, strict and limiting parenting styles, or lax and with little supervision.
Psychological events, even traumatic, are added, which can generate an aversion to certain foods, or comorbidities such as depression or anxiety, and low self-esteem. The set of variables that reinforce eating disorders was complex. Now the health emergency is added.
“During this period, eating habits changed radically. With teleworking and telestudying it was easier to consume ultra-processed foods, such as cookies, chips or soft drinks; that is to say, ingest the first thing that was at hand regardless of its quality. And in the opposite case, stop eating until finishing classes or work.
Also, it abounds, we were all more exposed to screens and a large amount of information that was present before, but not all the time. In particular, young people had fluid access to social networks (Instagram, TikTok, etc.), where unprepared people spread content on how to lose weight, for example.
red flags
Eating disorders have specific characteristics, while some share psychological symptoms. In anorexia, for example, an alteration in the perception of body self-image is observed; if the patient’s appearance is average, he looks in the mirror and may perceive himself as overweight, even though his body mass index is below the recommended level.
In bulimia, compensatory behaviors occur, such as taking diuretics or “weight loss” pills; in binge eating, intake is higher than what a person should eat in a limited period of time, which generates feelings of guilt and lack of control. In the case of avoidance disorder, the person takes into account the appearance of food, for example, the gelatinous consistency or some similar characteristic and “can’t stand it.”
There are a variety of symptoms that can be detected in each of the disorders; the problem is that they are not shared, which makes it difficult for family members to identify them. On many occasions the intervention of an expert is required.
Otáñez Ludick points out that the patient is rarely aware of his condition, and few take the initiative to ask for help from specialists. You have to go to them when these behaviors cause some type of alteration in other spheres, such as social coexistence, to the point that people begin to isolate themselves, stop going out with friends and lock themselves up to avoid eating or eating excessively.
In anorexia, the loss of muscle mass is common, it looks excessively thin; Or, there may be changes in the teeth or fingers (which are used for compensatory behavior, ie, cause vomiting) in the case of bulimia.
According to the expert, there is no single treatment for eating disorders, nor a medication. The solution must be multi, inter or transdisciplinary, with the participation of doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists, nutritionists and, if necessary, gastroenterologists or nephrologists to help prevent relapses and heal.
To prevent disorders, it is useful to identify what our eating pattern is like and recognize when it is not adequate. But, above all, says José Eduardo Otáñez, knowing that these diseases exist and that it is not just about eating more or less, but that a greater problem can occur.
The fundamental tool for prevention is education. Although there are few government programs that address these issues, there are institutions and clinics that offer workshops, seminars, and talks to raise awareness among the population. The Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz National Institute of Psychiatry has a specific clinic for eating disorders, and there are free telephone support lines.
Also read:
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