“It still amazes me that a mental illness is so unnatural that it causes a person to starve.”

If we try to think about eating disorders (TCA) from a rational point of view we will never understand them. Our survival instinct is at odds with such decisions.

Dr. Mar KarsellerHead of the TCA department at Sant Pau Hospital in Barcelona: “It still amazes me that mental illness is so unnatural that You can die from hunger or vomiting. that your heart stops because you are afraid of gaining weight. How can the brain do this?»

And no matter how much it surprises us, this is a reality in our lives, and more and more often. When in the nineties, models became starsat the level of Hollywood actresses, has already begun to create a whole generation, especially girls, who are dissatisfied with their bodies. Social media has made the situation worse.

“In the nineties there were one or two cases for the entire school, now All ESO or high school classes have one or two people with eating disorders

“explains the doctor José Soriano, psychiatrist from Sant Pau.

Mental disorder with the highest mortality rate

There are aspects of this type of mental disorder that we often misunderstand. “This is a mental pathology in which the person does not decide not to eat or vomits because she wants to be thin, but vice versa. The person does not have the voluntariness to do this“, explains Dr. Carseller.

This is a very serious mental illness. This is a deadly disease. “This mental disorder with higher mortalityuntil 7%“, notes the expert.

It is based on a very strong fear of food or weight gain. Weight and shape control, which ultimately affects all aspects of life. You feel very isolated and with many complications.

Rates rehabilitation is from 40% to 50% at two years. And the rate of chronicity of the disease is around 20%“therefore we are faced with very serious disorders that still have low recovery rate– says the doctor.

What are the causes of TCAs?

From the point of view of psychiatry and neurology, we are still at the beginning of the journey. We must think that mental health it has hardly been treated or studied scientifically a hundred years agowhen diseases of other parts of the body require centuries of research.

There is progress, of course. But there is still much to learn. Regarding Specific Causes of Eating DisordersThe causes are considered multiple and complex:

• Biological factors: May be genetic predispositionwhich increases the risk. If you notice a higher prevalence among daughters of mothers who have suffered from this disease.
• Psychological factors: Personality can influence, for example, people who are highly influenced by other people’s opinions. OR perfectionistswith maximum demands on yourself.
• Social factors: In connection with the above, environmental pressure to achieve certain beauty idealswhich may be distorted by social networks or other media.

How do you behave with a patient?

With all this, approach to illness It must be biopsychosocial. This is practiced, for example, by specialists at the Sant Pau Hospital. “Biopsychosocial This means that the person is medically stable; it’s on a psychological level be happy, well adjustedand that on a social level this can move in the life we ​​have now“, explains Dr. Carseller.

That is why an attempt is made to get closer more outpatient. The goal is for the person not to be in the hospital 24 hours a day, but to live on the street. “let it be simpler adaptation stageOnce the changed behavior has subsided, return to your daily life– he explains.

You can behave well in the hospital.”but if you can’t extrapolate this to your daily life, you really won’t heal.“, he adds.

There are more and more cases

These specialized centers There are more of them and they are more needed than ever in medical centers. In recent decades, there has been an increase in the incidence of two disorders, in particular: anorexia

(stop eating) and bulimia (eat and then vomit everything).

Also overeating (emotional eating), which can also be part of bulimia and can lead to vomiting.

Usually appears in adolescencebut there are also many cases of adults,”in fact there are more and more of them“adds Dr. Carseller. According to your hospital’s information, which is a reference, 40% patients have more than 35 years.

bulimia usually appears later from 20 to 30 yearsand disorder overeating later, between 30 and 40 years. The fact that one in five cases becomes chronic is well reflected in a 74-year-old patient who was diagnosed and treated for 58 years.