A study shows eating disorders in young people went up

Red flags of eating disorders in girls in hospital-based adolescent medicine programs from 2018 to 2021, according to the Hartman-Munick study

Researchers tracked data from 14 “geographically diverse” hospital-based adolescent medicine programs and one non-hospital eating disorder treatment program from 2018 through 2021, according to the study. The research showed that the number of people seeking treatment went up, but it cannot say that the pandemic caused the increase or if the severity of cases was worse during the pandemic, Hartman-Munick said.

According to Hartman-Munick, they have not reached their pre-pandemic baseline levels, so we are likely to feel the impact of this increased volume for quite some time.

He said the best way to support an eating disorder would be to include many people, such as providers for mental health, medical care and nutrition.

It’s important to know what to look for. The disorders can affect people of all races, genders and ages.

While the numbers were higher in teenage girls and people with a higher BMI, eating disorders impact all people of all genders, races, ethnicities, sexual orientations and sizes, Nagata emphasized.

Rollin said to seek professional help if you are worried about your own behavior. She recommended reaching out to therapists who specialize in eating disorders, so they can make evaluations and recommend what other professionals to bring in.

“Other red flags include if an individual engages in fasting, significant caloric restriction, vomiting or using laxatives or diet pills to lose weight,” he said.

What Are Eating Disorders and How Do They Happen? The Evidence from Meta-Analysis of a Children’s Hospital in Spain

The study highlights a serious public health issue that often goes underreported and underrecognized, according to the meta-analysis published Monday in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

Likewise, the study may have been limited in its ability to portray the full scope because it relied on data in which kids and adolescents self-reported their behavior, said study author Dr. José Francisco López-Gil, a postdoctoral researcher at the Health and Social Research Center at the University of Castilla-La Mancha in Spain.

Lpez-Gil said researchers need to find out what is causing the eating behaviors. But in the meantime, experts hope that institutions and families will focus on identifying and helping kids who are showing signs of disordered eating.

Those kinds of behaviors are dangerous and can lead to severe medical complications to organs including the heart, brain, liver and kidneys, Nagata said.

The findings can help health professionals, educators, and parents understand the magnitude of the problem.

There are some warning signs of this disorder, including overestimation with shape and weight, strict rules around food, ingredient checking, and an avoidance of social situations linked with food and body.

Boring: Eating disorders are now classified as metabo-psychiatric illnesses — metabolism referring to the way the body processes energy, and then the psychiatric portion related to brain and behavior.

Eating disorders affect nearly 1 in 10 people worldwide, according to the nonprofit ANAD, which provides support services for people with these conditions.

And yet in a culture in which fat shaming and restrictive eating are prevalent, it can be easy for eating disorder behaviors to become normalized, said Jennifer Rollin, founder of The Eating Disorder Center in Rockville, Maryland.

But these conditions threaten both a joyful and healthy life, she added. Experts share insights into what eating disorders are and how to detect them during Eating Disorders Awareness Week.

The vice president for nutrition and culinary services for Accanto Health said that eating disorders are more than just a disease of the body.

Inherited traits as well as psychological factors such as temperament and personality and social factors such as bullying, stigma and trauma come together to contribute to someone developing an eating disorder, she added.

Some may suggest that persons with eating disorders simply change their eating habits and then they will be fixed, but the problem goes much deeper, Smolar said.

Murray said they were not part of a trend or attempt to lose a few pounds for a wedding. Attempts to modify shape or weight linked with eating disorders are pervasive and repetitive and have a significant impact on a person’s life, he said.

The National Eating Disorders Association states that Anorexia nervosa is often characterized by a fear of gaining weight and heavy restriction around the number of calories eaten.

People with bulimic tendencies may use the restroom right after a meal if they have a big meal, and they will go harder at the gym if they have a big meal. They may also use certain drugs.

Binging is one of the most common forms of eating disorders. Someone eats large amounts of food quickly and often to the point of discomfort, the National Eating Disorders Association said.

It sounds like a lot of us do the same thing around holidays and special occasions. But this disorder is characterized by a loss of control when it comes to eating, he added. It is surrounded by shame.

This disorder is characterized by avoiding groups of foods, Murray said. He said that it may be perceived aspicky eating, but it is a bigger issue.

Rollin said that it can cause issues with energy or nutrition and can lead to problems with growth, weight loss, and social functioning.

When someone is experiencing a significant eating disorder, and they are experiencing eating disorders that are specified by OSFED, the behavior may not align with the criteria of the conditions mentioned above.

Orthorexia, for example, is a term used to describe a fixation on eating in a way the person determines to be healthy but is overly rigid and can cause stress in situations when they have to stray from their plans, Rollin said.

A Conversation with Emily Graves about the Eating Disorders Awareness Week (and a Mentorship Program for Teens, ages 13 and Above)

If you see these concerning behaviors in someone you love, have a compassionate, nonjudgmental conversation explaining what behaviors you are noticing, Graves said.

You can also try the National Eating Disorders Association’s screening tool designed to help people ages 13 and older determine if it’s time to seek help.

She went to her mental health office at her university to discuss her anxiety, and she learned that her behavior with food was classified as an eating disorder.

Now 27 and a graduate student at the Yale Divinity School in New Haven, Connecticut, her journey of recovery and relapse has taught her a lot about how to care for herself and others, she said.

During Eating Disorders Awareness Week in late February, Boring spoke to CNN about the misunderstanding, shame and stigma around eating disorders so they can be better understood.

Emily said she wished people knew it was everywhere. The vast majority of people will experience some kind of disordered relationship to food in their bodies, simply because of the culture we live in.

I do speak from my experience, but I also mentor quite a few teens during this process. I’ve learned the hard way what isn’t helpful to say to them, and I’ve also been the recipient (of unhelpful comments).

Avoiding negative comments and actions that lie about diet culture: Ask questions about well-being, illness, and the good, the bad, the ugly and the ugly

To the extent that you can, avoid comments and actions that we associate with diet culture. In a country like this, the way in which we view fitness is bad for recovery. Diet culture oftentimes hides beneath the banner of healthism — that’s basically the belief that there is a standard of fitness and able-bodiedness that everyone can attain if we just work hard.

Scientific studies show that health and weight are not all related. So higher weight doesn’t necessarily equal poor health outcome.

Boring: That it is not a failure, and that doesn’t have to lead you back to the worst of illness that you’ve ever experienced. You can catch it early, and you can turn things around.

Regardless of whether that statement is true or not, it just plays into the belief of the eating disorder. It is easy to tell a loved one that they have an eating disorder, but that does not work for the long run.

It is boring to encourage people to ask themselves questions like, “Is what I am about to say implying that some bodies are better than other bodies?” Something with numbers like calories, weight or number of hours exercising per week, should be avoided.

Don’t assume that someone’s inner state is related to how they do or how they look outside. As much as people can, step back and ask questions, instead of making an assumption.

I can see that you are improving, like we set the goal of last week. How’s that feeling to you? How was your mind reacting?” So that process of gentle inquiry rather than statements and assumptions is really key.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/28/health/eating-disorders-questions-wellness/index.html

How do you feel? What it’s like to feel when you’re in relapse and what you can do to get out of it

I guess it is a way of saying that relapse is a crisis and you need to do everything you can to get out of it. It’s not a sign that you will struggle with this forever, it is a sign that it’s not a failure.

In reality, what it’s like to be recovered is completely about presence. It is an ability to be present to relationships around you to the things that you’re interested in. It’s also just a physical presence of awareness of your own body, ability to perceive sensations, ability to eventually listen to your body’s cues of hunger and fullness.

It feels like I am dragging myself through the day, as the eating disorder is completely gray. … When I’m recovered, the world comes back into color again.