TW: Eating Disorder, Suicide
Author’s Note: Eating disorders or EDs can look different for different people. And the reasons are not as straightforward as it might seem for some people. Please be sensitive when you discuss about someone’s ED with them. It can be a quite triggering topic to talk about.
Can you guess what the most fatal mental disorder globally is? I am pretty sure that you did not guess anorexia. Anorexia indeed is the most fatal mental disorder globally, having four times the death risk as major depression.
You might be wondering what horrific impact this disorder has on mental health which makes it even more fatal than major depression. Well, to put it simply, anorexia is an eating disorder, one of many eating disorders that we Bangladeshis, in general, are oblivious about.
What is an Eating Disorder?
There are mainly two types of anorexia. If you have the restricting type of anorexia, you will try to lose weight by eating very little or avoiding eating any foods you see as fattening believing that you are fat when you’re a perfectly healthy weight or underweight. Now you might think that I do eat less and exercise to be fit and healthy. But anorexic people’s goal is not to be fit or healthy, rather the
obsession with body image and food leads to being extremely underweight. And even after having excessively low BMI (body mass index), people with anorexia will try to lose weight through dieting, fasting, excessive exercise, or even starvation.
If you have the binge eating and purging type of anorexia, you will binge eat a large amount of food or eat very little. But after eating you will try to vomit the food out, take laxatives, or exercise excessively to not gain any extra weight.
There are long term impacts of anorexia which might even prove to be life threatening. Such effects of anorexia are weakening of bones, infertility, brittle hair and nails, and formation of fine hair covering all over the body. In the most serious cases, anorexia can even lead to heart, brain, or multi-organ failure and death.
Many young women and men with anorexia die from hunger and metabolic collapse and in extreme cases, some commit suicide. The suicide rate is significantly more common in women with anorexia than in most other mental illnesses.
The Dangers of Binge-Eating Disorder
If you suffer from binge-eating disorder, you will frequently consume unusually large amounts of food being unable to resist the urge of eating. Unlike anorexia, this disorder will not make you want to restrict calorie intake by vomiting, taking laxatives, or exercising.
This inability to stop eating causes distress, shame, guilt, or mental disorders like depression and anxiety in people.
People who suffer from binge eating disorders are often overweight or obese. This could put them at a higher risk of medical issues associated with obesity, such as heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
What Causes Eating Disorders (EDs)?
We need to understand that individuals do not choose to have an eating disorder. It is also not always about food or wanting to be “thin”.
To cope with unpleasant and overwhelming emotions and stressful events, some people turn to food and harmful habits such as extreme dieting, starvation, bingeing, and purging. While it may relax them in the short term, the long-term complications are extremely harmful.
Here are some of the factors that might cause eating disorders:
Genetics
Researchers have found that eating disorders tend to run in families. If your parents or siblings have (or have had) an eating disorder, you are far more likely to develop one as well.
Brain Biology
Having high levels of stress hormone cortisol continuously can trigger eating disorders in individuals. If you have an abnormal level of certain chemicals that regulate processes such as appetite, mood, sleep, and stress, the possibility of developing an ED increases.
Psychology
Low self-esteem, feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy, perfectionism, and impulsivity are common psychological and behavioral qualities that you will face if you have an eating disorder.
Apart from these, other mental health issues like depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and specific personality disorders can increase the risk of developing eating disorders.
External Environment
“Nobody is going to marry you if you keep eating like that.”
Policing a woman’s eating habits is just another product of patriarchy. In some families, parents who are overly concerned about marrying their daughter away tend to push them to maintain a certain appearance or saying things like that. Yes, nobody wants their loved ones to starve or to have obesity but at times, these comments are thrown at women irrespective of their looks or weight. In Bangladesh, it is quite common for female relatives to give unsolicited comments on the body weight and appearance of young females which can be extremely detrimental.
Apart from these, history of physical or sexual abuse, turbulent childhood, relationship issues, and peer pressure can affect one’s eating habits in a major way.
The Overemphasis on Appearance: An Important Factor Behind the Rise of Eds
Exposure to media instills an idea within children from early on that to be popular is to be thin, fashionable, and ‘perfect’. Body dissatisfaction in teens and young girls can be directly connected to the portrayal of unrealistic body standards. Especially with the increasing popularity of Instagram and TikTok, it has become chronic. The top models and influencers are seen promoting sketchy weight loss tea and other products while simultaneously showing off their perfect bodies. Unfortunately, impressionable young girls around us fall victim to the toxic cycle without realizing there are many ways one can achieve the ideal body. Most of the time, these models and influencers have the resources to hire the best personal trainers and nutritionists, get cosmetic surgery, or retouch their photos professionally.
Continuous engagement with such content on social media has been triggering eating disorders in young impressionable women. It is funny how the same influencers will tell you to love yourself for you.
In the last few years, K-pop has become massively popular among Bangladeshi teenagers and young adults. In my opinion, it is more deteriorating than western beauty standards. Mainly because most of its audience are impressionable teenagers and young women. Since Korea is the mecca of plastic surgery, it undoubtedly emphasizes unattainable beauty standards.
Why Are We Completely Unaware of EDs?
Firstly, in Bangladesh, mental health itself is a taboo topic. Secondly, when people hear the word “eating disorder”, they seem to think it is connected to physical health, not psychological. Thirdly, most of us still have the preconception that eating disorders are a “thing” in western and European countries.
More Discussions on EDs? Definitely!
A 2021 cross-sectional study conducted by experts in a public university showed that about one in four students is at a risk of an eating disorder. The same study also found that students being overweight and obese were more likely to have an eating disorder risk.
A higher prevalence of eating disorder risk among private university students (37.6%) was found in a 2015 study. Young adults are the most vulnerable group of disordered eating attitudes and behaviors.
Given this situation, the absence of discussion around eating disorders in Bangladesh is worrisome.
How Can We Treat Eating Disorders?
If any of you think that you are suffering from an eating disorder, it is important to take an active step to control it. To return to a healthy weight and maintain good mental and physical health, it is essential to have a strong support team that includes a registered dietician, mental health professional, and compassionate family members. There are different types of treatment plans available such as cognitive behavioral therapy, family therapy, nutrition education, and medications.
There are a few things you can do if someone you know is suffering from an eating disorder:
- Educate yourself with the signs and symptoms of an eating disorder so you can talk to them about it.
- Make anyone you suspect is suffering feel as supported as possible so that you can assist them in their recovery.
- Avoid focusing the conversation on food or weight.
The Way Forward
Prevention is always better than cure. Firstly, please teach children from an early age to not put so much emphasis on appearance at the expense of more meaningful attributes. Children should also learn to actively refrain from associating slimness with positive qualities like beauty, health, success, etc. Secondly, treat any unresolved mental health issue like depression, GAD, etc. with utmost importance. Mental health should be emphasized in our everyday life as much as physical health. Finally, it is crucial to have more conversations around eating disorders in Bangladesh so that we can control their consequences.