Navigating Health

Eating disorders are most common in western cultures, which place great emphasis on being slim. Such problems are especially prevalent among the middle or upper social classes and are a particular occupational hazard for models, dancers, actors and certain athletes, who are required to maintain slim body. There are two main types of eating disorder: anorexia nervous and bulimia. About 1 per cent of teenage girls develop anorexia. Once considered a largely female problem, eating disorders are now some increasingly in teenage boys and young men. Anorexia usually affects teenage girls or young women.

It is potentially life threatening and 5 per cent of suffers die from complications linked to severe weight loss. Women with anorexia even stop menstruating, as the condition affects their hormone balance. There may be muscle wasting and loss of bone density. Depression is common. The affected person has a false body image, which makes them feel overweight and desperate to lose weight even when they are, in fact, very thin. Anorexics often hide their condition by wearing baggy clothes. They may show interest in food and cooking, while at the same time not eating.

Treating people with eating disorders can be difficult, especially when they refuse to acknowledge that they have a problem. Such treatment is highly specialized and is usually managed by a team of people with specific experience in dealing with eating disorders. About 20 per cent of people with anorexia recover completely. But in two thirds of patients, the condition persists or recurs. Symptoms often become especially apparent during times of stress and conflict. Bulimia can often be controlled in four out of five cases the frequency of bingeing is reduced by therapy.

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