Eating disorders of all kinds are considered one of the psychological problems that people suffer from all over the world. Here, food has become a crisis for them or an outlet to release negative energy and stress, so the matter turns into a situation that requires the help of a specialist to recover.
Many celebrities have been diagnosed with different types of eating disorders, the most famous of whom is Princess Diana, actresses Angelina Jolie, Lindsay Lohan and others, which has shed light at different times on specific types who suffer from food-related disorders. Finally, awareness of such disorders has greatly increased through the presence of various campaigns to talk about them, and the establishment of specialized departments in hospitals and psychological centers concerned with their treatment, as well as the interest of the media and many social media pages specialized in these disorders.
According to the World Health Organization, in 2019 there were 14 million people suffering from eating disorders, including 3 million children and adolescents, and this may lead to serious risks and complications, whether related to physical or mental health.
various types
What do psychological eating disorders mean? What are the most common types and what are the most prominent symptoms that indicate that a person is infected with one of them?
Eating disorders are linked to genetic, biological and psychological factors (Reuters).
Muhammad Hamouda, a consultant psychiatrist, told “Independent Arabia” that “eating disorders have three types. The first is anorexia nervosa, which means that the patient does not eat and abstains from food and drink almost completely, which in many cases results in severe fatigue and fainting that may result in transfer.” The patient is taken to the hospital. This type of disorder is widespread among teenage girls and women and results from a distorted vision of oneself. The second type is bulimia nervosa, known as bulimia, and it depends on eating very much food, and then the person resorts to intentional vomiting as a result of a feeling of remorse. One of the most famous people diagnosed with this type is Princess Diana, and it is more dangerous than before because the reflux of stomach acids causes a person a lot of damage and also causes tooth erosion at a later time.”
He adds, “The third type is compulsive eating, in which the person eats very large amounts of food and is unable to control himself, especially if he is suffering from any crisis or distress, and it is due to a state of obsession. People with this type of disorder suffer from obesity and weight gain, unlike people with the first type who suffer from obesity.” They suffer from extreme thinness.”
Causes of eating disorders
According to many studies, women, children, and adolescent girls are the most affected by eating disorders, and the reasons are many. Perhaps they are the most in search of an ideal body shape and want to obtain it at any cost, and perhaps it is due to the standards of beauty that are established in the minds through many means, most notably cinema, advertising girls, and currently social media. role in that. At the same time, younger people may suffer from bullying, which leads to a state of lack of self-confidence that leads to the desire to have a certain body shape without following healthy rules or a safe diet.
Eating disorders of all kinds are considered one of the psychological problems (AFP)
Regarding the most important causes that lead to eating disorders, Hamouda says, “Eating disorders in general are related to multiple factors, including genetic, biological factors related to brain chemistry, psychological factors that may result from a distorted relationship with parents, for example, and social factors that are linked to multiple things, including bullying, which may result.” Vulnerable groups such as children and adolescent girls are exposed to it, and being influenced by the models presented by social media, all of which are factors directly related to the development of this type of disorder.”
Hamouda adds, “Eating disorders are often difficult to treat and require a great deal of effort, given that the patient in many cases does not have a real desire for treatment, and his family often brings him against his will in an attempt to help him. Treatment is often psychological, medication, and sometimes The patient needs to be detained in the hospital, such as in cases of anorexia nervosa, to receive treatment, and then the role of the psychiatrist begins through psychological sessions aimed at changing the person’s vision of himself, along with a diet plan prepared by the nutritionist.”
Establish a special diet
Although eating disorders are essentially a psychological disorder, their treatment must include the presence of a nutritionist to develop a nutritional program that suits the nature of the condition that the patient suffers from. The treatment has a psychological and nutritional part that must be integrated until the condition improves and you begin to recover from the eating disorder. “Developing a diet requires taking into account many details, including that the patient suffers from a disturbed relationship with food and that he is often subject to psychological treatment.”
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Wafa Fahmy, professor of nutritional medicine and treatment of eating disorders, says, “People who suffer from eating disorders need comprehensive support, both on the psychological level, as it relies on drug treatment and psychological sessions to improve the relationship between the individual and food, and at the same time the treatment team includes a nutritionist.” To develop an appropriate diet, determine individual nutritional needs, and develop the nutritional plan to include food diversification and eating regular, small meals. Long spacing between meals must be avoided and attention should be focused on healthy foods instead of calories. In addition, there is a need to encourage the patient to interact positively with food in terms of Pay attention to its colour, shape, smell and taste, in addition to monitoring the weight regularly.”
Fahmy adds, “Spreading awareness of eating disorders in the Arab world will have a significant impact, represented by increasing early diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders, thus enhancing the chances of healing and recovery. It will help support the psychological and physical health of individuals and reduce the incidence of eating disorders. Spreading awareness will also lead to changing social attitudes towards food disorders.” People with eating disorders, which will help them seek support and help, and for professionals, it will stimulate further research and learning in this field, which will contribute to the development of better methods for diagnosis and treatment.”
A platform to introduce eating disorders
Recently, there has been a relative interest in many topics related to psychiatry, including eating disorders. Based on that, a platform was created that is the first of its kind in the Arab world and the Middle East region, concerned with introducing eating disorders and presenting the experiences of people who have had experience dealing with and overcoming these conditions. And return to their normal lives.
Treating eating disorders requires a lot of effort (AFP)
Writer and psychologist in the field of eating disorders, Mahmoud Zaki, founded the “Self” platform, and says that it is “based on the personal efforts of mental health specialists with people who have recovered from various psychological disorders, the most important of which are eating disorders. It attempts to provide an integrated picture of these cases through… “Displaying the experiences of some people, their stories, and the most important difficulties they faced and how they overcame them. The platform is the first of its kind in the Arab world and the Middle East and provides its content in both Arabic and English. We hope that it will expand in the coming period and have a presence in other psychological disorders.”
Zaki adds, “Eating disorders are primarily psychological disorders, and the psychiatrist works on a system to change behavior and thoughts. He focuses on the brain, way of thinking, and behaviors and tries to change them. The patient uses eating as a means of punishment and self-harm, and this requires solving primarily psychological problems such as trauma and others, as well as overcoming The idea of emotional eating, so that the nutritionist later develops a diet that suits the patient’s condition and nature so that the person can recover and continue his life normally.”
Regarding efforts to raise awareness of this type of psychological disorder, Zaki explains, “Awareness is not sufficient, and this is due to the fact that interest in the field of mental health in general is not what it should be, and eating disorders represent a part of it, but there is no doubt that the current situation is better than before and people have become More interested, and at the same time we are conducting awareness campaigns in schools and universities and talking to people about the importance of such disorders, and at the same time the press and all media outlets have become more interested in publishing and presenting topics related to mental health and various disorders and how to deal with them compared to previous periods.”
2024-03-03 12:11:15
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