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Dr Sacrifice Chirisa Mental Health Matters
Eating is a basic human activity and can be associated with extreme emotions, attitudes and behaviours, especially surrounding weight and food issues. Eating disorders are psychological disorders characterised by abnormal or disturbed eating habits. This then breeds serious emotional and physical problems that can have life-threatening consequences for both females and males.

Types of eating disorders include:

• Anorexia nervosa, in which you become too thin, but you don’t eat enough because you think you are fat
• Bulimia nervosa, which involves periods of overeating, followed by purging, sometimes through self-induced vomiting or using laxatives
• Binge-eating, which is out-of-control eating

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterised by:

• Restriction of energy intake relative to requirements, leading to a significantly low body weight in the context of age, sex, developmental trajectory and physical health.
• Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though underweight.
• Severe weight loss
• Difficulties maintaining an appropriate body weight for height, age, and stature.
• Distorted body image. A disturbance in the way in which one’s body weight or shape is experienced, undue influence of body weight or shape on self-evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of the current low body weight.
• Restriction of food intake, the types of food they eat
• Compulsive exercise
• Use laxatives and vomiting
• Anorexia can affect people of all ages, genders, races and ethnicities.
• Although the disorder most frequently begins during adolescence, an increasing number of children and older adults are also being diagnosed with anorexia.
• Also, a person does not need to be emaciated or underweight to have anorexia. Studies have found that larger-bodied individuals can also have anorexia, although they may be less likely to be diagnosed.
• Anorexia nervosa occurs in about 1,2 percent-2,4 percent in women and about 0,24 percent in males. Other shocking statistics related to anorexia include:
• Anorexia is the third most common chronic disease among young people after asthma and type 1 diabetes.
• Young people between the ages of 15 and 24 with anorexia have 10 times the risk of dying compared to their same-aged peers.
• Males represent 25 percent of individuals with anorexia nervosa and they are at a higher risk of dying, in part due to the fact that they are often diagnosed later since many people assume males don’t have eating disorders.
• Sub-clinical eating disordered behaviours including binge eating, purging, laxative abuse and fasting for weight loss are nearly as common among males as they are among females.
• Incidences of anorexia are increasing over the last 50 years only in females aged 15 to 24.
• Eating disorder symptoms are beginning earlier in both males and females

Also, eating disorders can lead to heart and kidney problems and even death. Getting psychiatric help early is important.

Treatment involves the role of psychiatrist psychologists, nutritionist and in severe cases physicians.

Most patients after initial assessment may need to be admitted in psychiatric units. There are usually occurrences of depression, anxiety disorders and substance abuse. I have written all this because of the increasing pressure on social media about dieting and looking good.

In my own opinion, there is need for careful consideration of what people are doing as they can predispose themselves to eating disorders.

Next week I will discuss Bulimia nervosa.