As many of you may know, eating disorders are tied to unhealthy eating patterns. However, did you know that eating disorders do not affect any specific body type? (AWARE, n.d.). A person affected may be very thin and have a healthy or above a healthy weight. A common misconception is that eating disorder is a “rich girl’s” problem, but that is untrue. Eating disorders can affect anyone from any economic status or upbringing.
Statistics of People with Eating Disorders in Singapore
Unfortunately, statistics of people who have an eating disorder is increasing (Tan, 2016). In 2016, it was reported that the number of patients who had an eating disorder has increased by 10 per cent since 2008, and children as young as nine or ten years old were also diagnosed with eating disorders.
Dr Lee Ee Lian, a psychiatrist who specialises in treating eating disorders, also found that teenagers were most susceptible to eating disorders, with teenage girls more prone to the disorders (Tan, 2016). According to Dr Lee, the usage of social media exposes the girls to the perceived “ideal body shape”, causing girls to feel insecure about their appearance and subsequently, contribute to the development of eating disorder(s).
Symptoms
There are different types of eating disorders, and type has different symptoms:
Anorexia Nervosa
An anorexic individual will avoid consuming food partially or completely due to his intense fear of gaining weight (AWARE, n.d.). While the individual may appear extremely thin, the individual will always perceive himself as “fat”. Common symptoms include reducing food consumption and more than the average hours of exercise (AWARE, n.d.). In extreme cases, anorexics may force themselves to purge what they have eaten through self-induced vomiting and abusing laxatives.
Bulimia Nervosa
Characterised by consumption of a larger proportion compared to what an individual usually consumes in a short period, and then purge what he had eaten afterwards (AWARE n.d.) through self-induced vomiting and abusing laxatives afterwards. Bulimics are likely to over-exercise and undergo extreme fasting to decrease the guilt they experienced from overeating.
Binge-Eating Disorder
Unlike bulimia, individuals with binge-eating disorder do not purge but only overeat (AWARE, n.d.). These individuals are stuck in a continuous loop of self-hating and guilt due to their eating habits, but make no effort to stop or reduce their consumption. Often, bingeing is usually triggered by an emotional event that causes individuals to turn to food as a source of comfort.
Treatment
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT is a treatment that requires clients to modify their actions rather than their feelings and thoughts (National Eating Disorders, n.d.). Through this therapy, clients will acknowledge that anxiety about one’s body image is part of life, and the goal is not to always feel good about their image but to live their best life.
Family-Based Treatment (FBT)
In FBT, family members are involved in the recovery of clients (National Eating Disorders, n.d.). With the help and support from family members, clients should recover from their distorted views about their weight and body image, and promote healthy eating habits.
How can I prevent myself from succumbing to eating disorders?
To protect yourself from eating disorders, here are some tips (AWARE, n.d.):
Learn about healthy eating and lifestyle from the right source. NEVER skip meals or perform self-induced vomiting in hopes of losing weight quickly. The Health Promotion Board (http://www.hpb.gov.sg/healthyliving/default.aspx) offers an accurate source of information.
Stay active! Even if you are busy, make time to exercise at least twice per week. Not only will it improve your mental health, but it also helps you to keep fit and physically healthy.
Avoid negative influences. Do not surround yourselves with peers that feel negatively about their body and make you feel insecure. Instead, find friends who are confident of their own body image!
Summary
Lastly, here’s a video about a girl who shares about her experience with an eating disorder and how she conquered it. With the right amount of help and support, anyone can recover with time!
Hopefully, you have a better idea of eating disorders! Remember, it is important to take care of yourself physically and mentally. Do not attempt to lose weight through unhealthy ways. Lastly, if you have anything to share with us, please do! We would love to hear from you.
For a list of helplines, click here.
In the next post, which comes out next Wednesday, another serious mental disorder, Schizophrenia, will be discussed.
References
Association for Women for Action and Research (n.d.). Eating Disorders [Information on a page]. Retrieved from https://www.aware.org.sg/information/eating-disorders/
Channel News Asia (2018, July 20). Overcoming an eating disorder - to love food [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Khgaxkv7pns
National Eating Disorders (n.d.). Types of Treatment [Information on a page]. Retrieved from https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/types-treatment
Tan T. (2016, August 28). Eating disorders rising among the young. The Straits Times. Retrieved from https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/whats-eating-the-young-ones
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