Eating disorders have become a common problem regardless of race or gender
A lot of health advice says what you shouldn’t eat. But in 2023, it’s clear to CNN’s Madeleine Holcomb that everyone should celebrate eating.
As a health writer for CNN, Holcomb learned from her reporting that being ashamed and ignoring her body desires did not make her healthier.
But it took her a while to say that to the nagging voice in her head.
Eating disorders are not racism
If you were asked to imagine a person suffering from… Eating disorder, you’re more likely to imagine a wealthy white girl in her late teens. She probably suffers from anorexia or bulimia nervosa, and is very thin.
But this picture prevents a large number of people from obtaining the necessary care and treatment, according to what experts explained.
“Eating disorder does not have a specific form,” author Emily Boring told CNN in March.
She continued: “All people can be affected, regardless of gender, race, age, or social and economic status. The disorder is not linked to eater With skinny bodies.”
One study, conducted this year, revealed a high rate of children being hospitalized for an eating disorder.
There has also been a particularly sharp increase for people who are often overlooked, such as males, young adolescents, and those with diagnoses other than anorexia or bulimia nervosa.
Hospitalizations for young patients from 2002 to 2020 increased by 416%, in patients between the ages of 12 and 14 by 196%, and those with eating disorders other than anorexia or bulimia nervosa, by 255%, according to the research. Published in December.
Worldwide, 1 in 10 people are affected by eating disorders, according to the nonprofit ANAD, which provides support services for people with these conditions.
Normalizing eating disorder
A study conducted in February showed that more than 1 in 5 children and adolescents around the world showed signs of an eating disorder.
“Eating disorders are serious and deserve professional treatment and help,” Jennifer Rollin, founder of the Eating Disorders Center in Rockville, Maryland, said via email in February.
Why is eating disorder such a widespread problem?
Behaviors associated with an eating disorder are often normalized, Rollin explains. The reason is that society reinforces the idea of thinness in our minds and gives it priority.
Therefore, it is difficult to realize the harm that may result from counting calories, or punishing yourself with exercise.
2023-12-31 18:15:36
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