Lack of awareness of eating disorders in Malaysia

Here are 2 very troubling articles I found on The Star Online, posted on the 24th June 2007. Before I put them up, let me say something:

It troubled me very much, because I have had them for more than 10 years - til' about 1-2 years ago, when I can almost safely say that I've recovered from them - and therefore I understand how difficult it can be dealing with 'em on your own, without professional help. For me, in those days, it was hardly spoken of at church - so I didn't know who to confess my ED to. Thankfully, I had amazing church friends who took good care of me.

It troubles me to think that there may be many more girls and women (and an alarming increase in boys and men) than we can imagine, quietly fighting an eating disorder on their own. Some may even die from the complications of the illness - without even knowing the Lord. It makes me very furious to see how Satan uses it to his full advantage to steal, kill and destroy lives precious to God, especially that of our potential leaders of tomorrow. I hate watching EDs wreck families apart, and causing strain in relationships/friendship. It is a malicious illness indeed.

It troubles me to think how lightly our society takes eating disorders, and how many parents merely dismiss what their daughters are going as 'just a phase'. If the prevalence of this illness is 1 in 10 in the age-group of 18-30+ - and I believe, will increase as times go by - shouldn't we be taking it more seriously? Shouldn't Christian parents be praying more diligently for their daughters and bringing them up embrace the authentic womanhood God meant to give them as a beautiful gift?

Since I've gone through that terrible decade of my life fighting EDs (anorexia nervosa --> bulimia) I fear all the time for sisters, the youth in my church, my peers, my relatives, my neighbours, friends of my friends, my daughters, etc. I realized when I was in college/university that at least 1 in 10 girls were at very high-risk of EDs. Some of them already had the 'full-blown' version of it! ~ Christians are NOT spared. While the Lord has placed some of such young Christian women 'under my care' especially in the past 5 years (I definitely wish to be more faithful praying for them!), it is my greatest passion and desire to spread awareness on EDs in my country, so that more ED sufferers would be brave enough to seek medical attention, more ED survivors would be able to support and encourage the aforementioned in their journey to recovery, and most importantly, may the churches of Malaysia reach out to these with love and acceptance as God first reached out to us - that many would come to be saved, discipled, healed and delivered. What an area of missions and ministry! But where are the workers?

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Lack of awareness on eating disorders

MANY victims of eating disorders usually go undetected until their problems are manifested in severe health conditions, like drastic weight loss and disruption or secondary amenorrhea (when menstruation stops).

For instance, patients admitted to the Penang Hospital for eating disorders are reported to have a body mass index (BMI) of below 12 when a healthy BMI for Asians is anything between 18.5 and 24.

Malaysia's head of psychiatry Datuk Dr Suarn Singh says parents are also hesitant to seek professional help because of the fear of stigmatisation – having their child being recorded as a psychiatric case.

“Eating disorders are psychiatric problems and the patients must be referred for treatment by experts including psychiatrists,” he says.

He also laments the lack of awareness on eating disorder among Malaysians, including professionals.

“There are no seminars or conferences that address the issue specifically. I hope the media will do more write-ups on the condition so that the public will understand the problem better,” he says.

Although the incidence of eating disorders in the country has yet to reach an alarming stage, nevertheless Dr Suarn says there must be concerted effort to address the problem – from creating public awareness to getting parents and medical practitioners to be on the look out for signs and symptoms of the problem and referring the patients for proper treatment.

On the profile of patients with eating disorder, he says: “Most of them are in fact quite intelligent and have been performing well in school. Their academic performance would be hardly affected, at least not at the early stage of their problem.

That is why most parents tend to think that their child will grow out of the problem.”

Dr Suarn says many patients seek professional help only when their condition has reached a critical stage.

“For instance, parents are only worried when the menstruation of their children are affected,” he says.

Penang Hospital child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr Lai Fong Hwa says Malaysia is yet to have an eating disorder unit. Nevertheless, the hospital has an adhoc multidisciplinary team of specialists comprising psychiatrists, staff nurses, occupational therapists and physiotherapists to handle such cases.

Dr Lai says the hospital submitted a proposal to the Health Ministry a few months ago requesting a few beds for patients with eating disorders. Such patients admitted to the hospital would be taught how to exercise and relax and this would not only relieve their anxiety over eating but also help tone up their muscles.

Chartered psychologist Dr Hera Lukman from the International Medical University says Malaysia is in dire need of an eating disorder unit.

“We definitely need one here. There are people with eating disorders who come and talk to me but I can only refer them to the closest centre, which is in Singapore,” she says.

However, she adds, the cost and distance of going to the centre deter them from seeking help.

“When help is delayed, the condition can become severe and death can happen.”'

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Expert: One in 10 young girls are prone to eating disorders

By NG CHENG YEE

'KUALA LUMPUR: Walk into any urban campus and there will be hordes of young girls who are slim and dressed in clothes that reveal their figure. Being thin is in and many are dying to be thin. They want to emulate weight-conscious celebrities like Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan.

And this is one of the reasons for a rising problem among young females - eating disorder. About 70% of them are not satisfied with the shape - and size - of their bodies.

In a study conducted by chartered psychologist Dr Hera Lukman, it was revealed that about one in 10 young urban female college students is prone to eating disorders in their quest for a perfect body shape.

Dr Lukman, a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine at the International Medical University’s (IMU) Community Medicine and Behavioural Sciences Section, conducted the recent survey among 578 female college students aged between 18 and 25 in the Klang Valley.

Although there are signs that this problem is on the rise, there has been no study to determine the number, as those suffering from the problem rarely seek help voluntarily.

Nevertheless, Dr Lukman said studies have shown that the prevalence of eating disorders in Asian countries was comparable to that in the West, where between 1% and 4% of girls aged between 14 and 18 have an eating disorder.

In Singapore, a National University of Singapore’s (NUS) study of 4,400 female students in 2005 also showed that 7% of them were found to be at high risk of disorders like anorexia and bulimia.

Penang Hospital’s child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr Lai Fong Hwa said there was a six-fold increase in the incidence of eating disorders in Singapore in the last 10 years.

On her survey, Dr Lukman said those affected were usually terrified of gaining weight though they were underweight or emaciated.

“The students in my survey had, among others, displayed behaviour, attitude and thoughts which were associated with eating disorders. Only 28% of them were satisfied with the shape of their bodies,” she said in an interview.

The two most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa (when one engages in self-induced food restrictions and excessive exercise although underweight) and bulimia nervosa (uncontrollable overeating or bingeing, followed by self-induced vomiting and purging via the use of laxatives). The medical fraternity usually terms them as a “complex psychological problem” with “possible indirect links” with the environment.

Dr Lukman said interviews with some of the respondents revealed that they would induce vomiting after eating. Some of them would feel guilty about eating and subsequently resort to eating in isolation or “secretive eating”.

Dr Lukman added that eating disorders were chronic conditions with devastating physical, psychological and social consequences when not given immediate attention and multi-disciplinary approach treatment by experts like physicians, psychiatrists, dieticians and family therapists.

The dangers of eating disorders usually make headlines when a celebrity or prominent figure dies from it. In November last year, Brazilian model Ana Carolina Reston, 21, was reported to have died of anorexia nervosa. She was 1.74m tall and weighed only 40kg when she died. Many Tinseltown celebrities like Nicole Richie and Mary-Kate Olsen are constantly under the media glare for losing weight and looking unhealthily thin.

On treatment for eating disorders, Dr Lukman said Malaysia has yet to have a centre for such patients and she had to refer her patients for treatment overseas, with the nearest centre in Singapore. There was dire need for such a centre to provide proper and affordable treatment for eating disorders and conduct more in-depth research on the problem.

She said patients could not seek treatment overseas due to the high costs incurred.

Dr Lai said it costs about RM1,000 a day for an eating disorder patient to get treatment in Singapore. The high cost of treatment was because of the number of professionals involved in the care.

“If Malaysia were to set up an eating disorder centre, treatment would still cost a few hundred ringgit a day, although patients who seek help at government hospitals at the moment are treated free,” he said.

“The problem in Malaysia may not be as serious (compared to Singapore), but I am seeing and hearing of more such cases these days,” he said.

She said it was also difficult to identify a person with eating disorders, especially Asians, because the females tend to be thinner and have a smaller frame.

Countries where eating disorders are common include Japan, South Korea, Thailand, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Pakistan, Egypt and Israel, she added.

Dr Lukman said eating disorders are more common among females than males. For every 10 to 20 females with eating disorders, there would be one male with similar problem.'

God, teach me how to pray about this. Or show me what I can do about this.