Never before have numbers had such an impact on our lives. Yet everyone experiences the corona crisis differently. One person is very worried and quickly gets stressed, the other sits quietly at home and enjoys the peace and quiet and waits until everything has blown over a bit. One no longer visits his parents and the other still pays a weekly visit.
Daily routine is dropped
Suddenly a new situation has arisen that is uncertain for many people. And what about people who have an eating disorder? How bad is the corona crisis for them? It is important that we do not underestimate the impact that the virus and measures against it have on our health. The loss of a daily routine for someone without an eating disorder can have a huge impact on daily life. Let alone someone with an eating disorder.
Pediatrician Annemarie van Bellegem of Amsterdam UMC, specialized in eating disorders, says that in this corona crisis there is a lot of pressure on a child's life. "You have to have a certain predisposition to develop an eating disorder, but external factors also act as a trigger." It makes sense that when there is fear in the environment, young people try to control things they can say about, such as eating and exercising.
Social media is becoming a tormentor
Young people are constantly at home, they feel "locked up", are no longer distracted from school, and can no longer meet up with friends. Young people feel socially isolated, extremely lonely and powerless. The isolation and the increase in the use of social media can have a reinforcing effect and can lead to copied behavior. Annelie Temmink, an experienced expert in the field of eating disorders, says that it is very logical that young people are so "concerned". “When I was in my eating disorder myself, when I was bored, I would pick up my phone and spend hours scrolling all kinds of sites and pages depicting people with 'the ideal body'. This caused a lot of insecurity about my own body. ” Thoughts like, "Why don't I have such a beautiful skin or such an interesting life?" And "Why am I not as thin as all those models? Is there anything good or beautiful about me at all? " are common in adolescents with an eating disorder. These kinds of thoughts are really harmful to young people who are still developing.
Strong increase in 'eat and drink refusers'
Healthcare providers are seeing a sharp increase in the number of patients with eating disorders who stop eating and drinking altogether. In the past quarter, the Amsterdam UMC had at least fifteen young patients aged eight years and older who did not want to eat or drink anything anymore. Last year there was only one. Without direct evidence, there is a suspicion that there is a relationship with the corona crisis. Previous research has shown that the lack of structure and limited range of motion aggravate symptoms. (GGZ News, 2020)
Long waiting times
Although young people's situations are often acute, there is a long waiting time for admissions to hospital or a clinic. Alarm bells are ringing everywhere about the increasing number of young people with an eating disorder who need help since the onset of the corona crisis. “The care for these young patients is very intensive and at the same time the care system is already under enormous pressure due to the corona crisis” (GGZ Nieuws, 2020). If the influx continues like this, young people will have to be admitted more to clinics to keep an eye on them. For young people waiting two to four months for an intake interview, and then waiting for therapy, is really a very long time. During that time, someone can go downhill enormously. Prompt treatment of these young people is essential because the younger the age, the greater the havoc the eating disorder can wreak. In many cases, there is a dramatic case of weight loss that really gets the body into trouble. In that case, admission is necessary to prevent young people from becoming more ill or even dying (and this is not even an exception).
K-EET helps bridge waiting times
Fortunately, Isabelle Plasmeyer (founder of ISA Power) has developed a program in collaboration with K-EET Chain Approach to Eating Disorders. On the website www.stopmetwachten.nl you will find a free online series for people who struggle with an eating disorder.
In this series, Isabelle talks about the function of the eating disorder and the fear and resistance to recovery. She also talks about the biggest limiting beliefs that stand in the way of your recovery, the function of the brain and how you can really change. There are also many videos in which coaches by experience have the floor or talk about their recovery.
