The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : The other eating disorder

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Wednesday, Jul 25, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

The other eating disorder

Sahana Charan

Anorexia may be less of a problem than obesity but it is no less dangerous

Many adolescents in the city are falling prey to anorexia
It is an eating disorder where people starve

Bangalore: “It is shocking how young people give away their lives by starving themselves. I have seen the death of a 25-year-old who just refused to eat,” says a senior doctor in the city.

Even though anorexia is not very common among youngsters in this part of the world, paediatricians and psychological counsellors say that an increasing number of in the city seem to be falling prey to this disorder.

Anorexia is an eating disorder where people starve themselves. It usually begins around the onset of puberty. Individuals suffering from anorexia have extreme weight loss, which is usually 15 per cent below the person’s normal body weight.

“It is more common among girls and in many of them it occurs because of an obsession to have thin figures. They tune their body not to be hungry and it can be dangerous as it can lead to permanent disability and death,” says Nandini Mundkur, Director of Centre for Child Development and Disabilities.

People suffering from anorexia are very skinny but are convinced that they are overweight. Weight loss is obtained by many ways. Some of the common techniques used are excessive exercise, taking laxatives and starving.

Intense fear

“Anorexics have an intense fear of becoming fat. Their dieting habits develop from this fear. They continue to think they are overweight even after they become extremely thin and are very ill or near death. I have seen a girl who would eat just one-fourth of a chapati for the whole day and refuse to eat in front of other people,” Dr. Mundkur says.

Difficult to deal

According to Sunita Menon, consultant psychiatrist in St. John’s Medical College Hospital, who runs a lifestyle clinic there, it is more difficult to deal with patients with anorexia than an obese patient because unlike the latter, they usually do not want to be helped.

“They are brought to our clinic by their (worried) parents and we generally focus on (treating) the psychological problems that led to them becoming anorexic rather than their need to gain weight,” she said.

Handle with care

One has to be careful while dealing with obese adolescents as it is found that those who lose weight in those stages may go on to become anorexics, she adds.

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