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Adolescents in the UAE are not immune to the effects of eating disorders. Research has shown that UAE adolescents as well as university students have been affected by eating disorders. Around one-fourth of the secondary school girls in the UAE have disordered eating attitudes and behaviors (Eapen, Mabroul, & Othman, 2006). A study in Sharjah shows that 37.8% of school girls aged 15-18 had attitudes that indicated or could lead to an eating disorder. Thomas et al. (2010) found that 13.3% of university women had disordered eating attitudes. Abdulrahman, Musaiger, Al-Manni, & Al-Lalla (2014) found that male adolescents living in the UAE had a high proportion of disordered eating attitudes (33.1%-49.1%). A survey done at Al Ain University found that 1.8% of 900 girls aged 13 to 19 were anorexic. Furthermore, the American Center for Psychiatry and Neurology in Abu Dhabi admits an average of two new patients with eating disorders every week.
More often than not, eating disorders are commonly associated with anorexia or bulimia. Even though anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are of the most experienced types of eating disorders, there are others. Nevertheless, for the sake of simplicity, anorexia and bulimia will be the only ones discussed. Both women and men suffer from either disorder. Many people mistaken anorexia to equate starving oneself and bulimia to exist when purging ones food. These definitions are inaccurate but not completely erroneous.
“Anorexia nervosa is a type of eating disorder that involves the restriction of food intake leading to less than 85 percent of body weight in the context of age, sex, developmental trajectory, and physical health. It also involves an intense fear of gaining weight or of becoming fat. There are two types of anorexia nervosa: restricting type and binge-eating/purging type,” said Dr. Thoraiya Kanafani, Clinical Psychologist and Director of Clinical Services at the Human Relations Institute and Clinics (HRIC), Dubai. “With the restricting type of anorexia, an individual primarily achieves weight loss through dieting, fasting, and/or excessive exercise. With the binge-eating/purging type, the individual engages in recurrent episodes of binge eating or purging behavior.”
“Bulimia nervosa, on the hand, is a type of eating disorder that involves the recurrent episodes of binge eating. Binge eating is characterized by eating, in a discrete period of time, an amount of food that is significantly larger than what most people would eat and a feeling of lack of control over eating during that episode,” Dr. Thoraiya continued. “Bulimia also involves recurrent inappropriate compensatory behaviors in order to prevent weight gain. These compensatory behaviors can be self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or other medications, fasting, or excessive exercise.”
The common misconception surrounding eating disorders is that people resort to these extreme measures in order to look skinny.
“In addition to the risk factors of eating disorders, there are social and psychological factors that affect the development of eating disorders. The most common social factor that increases the development of an eating disorder is social pressure. Parents, friends, or partners can cause pressure for a person to watch their weight and obsess about the way they look,” Dr. Thoraiya explained. “These appearance-obsessed individuals make it more difficult for a person to avoid the pressure of losing weight. Furthermore, individuals who are bullied and picked on due to their weight or body shape are also at a higher risk of developing an eating disorder.”
She also highlighted that one of the most important psychological factors surrounding eating disorders is the idea of control. Individuals who are prone to developing an eating disorder have either had the sense of control taken from them or are limited to any amount of control they have on their life. People in overprotective families or those physically or sexually abused tend to resort to regaining control through their eating habits. Individuals in these situations usually feel weak, powerless, victimized, defeated, and resentful. Therefore, they use the control over their eating to feel strong and victorious over the power struggle between body and mind.
“Individuals with eating disorders will show a change in food preference and may avoid eating in social situations. They may develop repetitive or obsessive body checking behaviors such as repeated weighing or looking in the mirror. There may be a change in clothing to wearing baggier clothes to avoid detection of weight loss by others,” Dr. Thoraiya elaborated on the signs and symptoms of an eating disorder. “They may feel faint and fatigued a lot of the time. Individuals with eating disorders will appear preoccupied with calories, exercise, body image, and body weight. These signs and symptoms are relevant for both males and females. Males, additionally, will experience muscle dysmorphia which is the obsession to gain more muscle and look more muscular.”
There are different ways that friends and parents can approach helping an individual who may be suffering from an eating disorder. The most important thing to remember is to avoid discussing the idea of weight and body shape.
“Do not discuss what they look like or try to convince them they are beautiful. Instead, focus on feelings and relationships. Provide concrete examples of times where their eating behaviors were worrisome. Express concern for their health. Avoid placing blame, criticizing, or judging their previous eating behavior,” she advises. “Remember that people suffering from eating disorders like to feel like they are in control and demanding or forcing will only make things worse. Avoid simplifying the problem and accusing them of not being responsible. Address the complexity of the issue and what the concerns are. Help the person increase self-esteem, confidence, and self-worth through praise, encouragement, and support. Educate them about the reality of the unrealistic perceptions of beauty in the media. Furthermore, discuss the myths of “good” and “bad” food and teach them the truth about health and the consequences on a person’s body if they are not healthy.”
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