Eating disorders (ACDs) constitute a group of mental disorders characterized by altered behavior toward food, weight, and body appearance, along with behaviors, eating habits, and weight management practices that become disordered and generate a number of consequences in various areas of individual functioning, including physiological mismatches that lead to major problems of Bless you.
The most common disorders in childhood and adolescence are Anorexia, Bulimia, Binge Eating Disorder, and ARFID (Eating Restriction/Avoidance Disorder).
Johanna Pacheco, a pediatric nutritionist at the Agrupación de Médicos de Clínica Indisa (AMCI), comments that prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the prevalence was around 5%, with a peak in the ages of 14 and 18 years, occurring more frequently in women.
“In Chile, the risk of having an ATT was between 8-12%. However, the pandemic we are going through has left us with important sequelae, one of the most affected being the area of mental health and with it the ACTs. In the last year the consultations have increased up to 30% in relation to previous years, also seeing greater severity in the presentation of the picture and an increase in men, “he explains.
In this way, the pandemic has provided an environment of risk to detonate these disorders, in the midst of a stage of construction and search for identity and recognition typical of adolescents.
Dr. Pacheco adds that the influencing factors consider: “The disruption of daily activities such as the absence of routines, the greater availability of food at home, the limitation for outdoor physical activity, in addition to the increase in exposure to screens and social networks that enhances the so-called “mirror effect” through videoconferences and exposure to influencers dedicated to issues of body image or lifestyles falsely healthy.”
The early detection and investigation of these disorders is very important to avoid all the medical complications derived, whether at the cardiac, renal or metabolic level; as well as other mental ones such as self-harm, suicidal ideation, among others. Treatment should involve multidisciplinary teams from psychiatry, psychology and nutrition, among others.
Pacheco explains that this scenario is aggravated by other aspects such as social isolation, emotional stress, and increased conversations regarding weight and weight loss measures.
For her part, Daniela Allsop, adult nutritionist of the Association of Doctors of Clínica Indisa (AMCI), points out that in addition to the increase in consultations for ACT, there is also a 50% increase in medical care for overweight and obesity.
“Doctors already saw an increase, but after the first wave of Covid, those also skyrocketed due to obesity. This change is closely related to stress, since within the forms of regulation of emotions, social life, hobbies, sports, routines and meals are included. In this long period, of all of them, only food was freely available to many. This is an unfortunate but expected result, as we lost much of the resources and turned to food.”
Dr. Allsop points out that in general all eating disorders are more prevalent in women: 10 is to 1, in the case of anorexia; and 3 is to 1, in bulimia. In binge eating disorders, the distribution by gender is more similar.
The specialist comments that “there is an eagerness to comment on the weight of people. No one should comment on the bodies of others, especially if we know the reasons behind weight changes. The one who loses weight is congratulated and the one who goes up is criticized, and that message can be very harmful on the part of the social environment in front of children and young people, especially. 50% of girls between 8 and 10 years old already manifest body dissatisfaction and in adolescence can reach 80%. Identity is much more than body image and it is urgent that we make profound changes in our society, starting with the family.”
Finally, Pacheco comments: “the home, school and the media should avoid comments in relation to the body and weight, promoting healthy lifestyle habits without focusing on weight, since these comments can be the trigger for the development of an ACT.”
Warning signs
In relation to food: pay attention if the children begin to make diets restrictive, if they frequently mention their guilt when eating, if they count calories and “punish” themselves by restricting if they have eaten more than they thought, if they prefer to eat alone, if they take a long time to eat or crumble food, if they present excuses for not eating, or if after doing so they go to the bathroom.
In relation to exercise: if they exercise normally after some food intake, if they are required to do several hours of daily exercise and are nervous or restless if they can not do it.
In the psychosocial field: if they isolate themselves from their friends and family, if they present constant dissatisfaction with their image and the conversation usually revolves around food and body image, if they present bad mood and sudden changes in attitude, or if they abandon their hobbies.
