Eating disorders are not just psychological problems.

Eating disorders in school-age children

Recently, the Institute of Mental Health, Bach Mai Hospital has continuously received cases of eating disorders in school-age children.

Patient NTH (17 years old), who was a cheerful and sociable schoolgirl, suddenly became an emergency patient. Before that, because her friends teased her that she was fat, H. began to obsess about her weight. She arbitrarily applied an extreme diet such as reducing her food intake to 2/3 and exercising 2-3 hours a day. Although she had lost nearly 10kg and her body was skinny, H. still firmly believed that she was fat and absolutely refused to eat.

After 6 months, H. fainted and was taken to the hospital in critical condition, with a pulse of only 48 beats/minute, low blood pressure, no menstruation for 3 months, and a BMI of only 16.4. The patient had to be hospitalized urgently for nutritional and psychological recovery.

On the contrary, when eating excessively and out of control, young people also fall into an unstable psychological state. Patient LTL (18 years old) is another example of physical and mental torment. L. continuously has uncontrolled eating episodes, eating a huge amount of food (equivalent to 4 bowls of instant noodles, 1.5 kg of french fries) in just 1-2 hours, with a frequency of 2-3 times/week.

After eating, L. would induce vomiting or use laxatives to expel the food. This behavior stemmed from shame, guilt, and fear of gaining weight. This eating behavior resulted in her being hospitalized.

After a period of intensive treatment with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and medication, the binge eating episodes stopped completely, and the vomiting behavior also disappeared.

Master, Ngo Tuan Khiem, Institute of Mental Health, Bach Mai Hospital emphasized that these clinical cases are the clearest warning about the dangers of ED.

Master, Doctor Pham Thi Nguyet Nga warns that adolescence (10-19 years old) is the "danger zone" for the onset of the disease, because this is the stage when children are under a lot of pressure about their body image from friends and social networks. Eating disorders are serious disturbances in eating behavior and excessive obsession with weight and body shape.

Recognizing eating disorders

Master, Doctor Pham Thi Nguyet Nga said, there are 2 most common types of eating disorders.

One is that people with anorexia nervosa (AN) have an unreasonable fear of gaining weight, causing them to starve themselves, even though they are thin and exhausted.

Second, there are people with bulimia nervosa (BN). Uncontrolled "binge" eating episodes, followed by dangerous compensatory behaviors such as self-induced vomiting or drug abuse.

Master, Doctor Pham Thi Nguyet Nga emphasized that eating disorders are not only psychological problems but also the cause of many serious medical complications such as arrhythmia, hypotension, acute kidney failure, osteoporosis and permanent loss of menstruation in women.

Eating disorders are treatable if detected early. Some signs that parents should pay attention to are: Obsession with weight: Constantly looking in the mirror, frequently weighing and touching the body. Children limit their eating by completely eliminating starch and fat, leading to anxiety, depression, withdrawal, and irritability.

Or children may avoid family meals, make excuses that they are busy, lie that they have already eaten; or go to the toilet right after eating (possibly to induce vomiting)...

Dr. Nga emphasized that eating disorders are a disease, not a choice. Families need to support and accompany, avoiding criticism or coercion. Treatment requires coordination between psychiatrists, psychologists and nutritionists to restore both physical and mental health.

MANH TRAN

Source: https://nhandan.vn/roi-loan-an-uong-khong-chi-la-van-de-tam-ly-post915423.html