Call for ban on self-harm posts
Unattainable ideals portrayed in the media
EATING disorder experts have called for a clampdown on images and posts “glamorising” eating disorders following Instagram’s announcement that it would ban graphic self-harm images on its platform.
Instagram recently announced that it will ban all graphic self-harm images as part of a series of changes made in response to the death of British teenager Molly Russell.
Russell’s father had said Instagram had “helped kill” his daughter in 2017 when the family found she had been viewing graphic images of self-harm on the site prior to her death.
South African Society of Psychiatrists member Professor Christopher Paul Szabo said yesterday there was a “real vs ideal” disconnect between average body sizes and types in real life versus the often-unattainable ideals portrayed in the media and by social media users.
With the spotlight on the role of social media and calls from eating disorder experts and support organisations to clamp down on images and posts “glamorising” eating disorders, Szabo said anorexia, bulimia and binge-eating disorders were “silent diseases” that impacted on sufferers’ physical health and quality of life, their ability to function in daily life and their relationships with family and friends.
Anorexia had the highest death rate of all mental health conditions, he said.
“This potentially creates incorrect perceptions that being underweight, meaning below healthy norms, is desirable and contributes to the unhealthy attitudes and behaviours around weight, food, dieting and body image that are central to eating disorders.
“The root causes of eating disorders are complex, but often linked to the pressures of contemporary life and culture, with the body as the vehicle for expression of conflicts of identity, (and) the causes are best understood as an interaction between the individual and their environment.”
Eating disorders were real illnesses that didn’t discriminate in terms of race or class, had little to do with vanity and could have lifelong after-effects, Szabo added.
The SA Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) had said that because anorexia could be life-threatening, it was important to get a diagnosis as soon as possible.
They said generally a diagnosis of anorexia could be made if a person was less than 85% of what was considered a normal weight.
“People with anorexia may also be struggling with depression, anxiety or substance abuse, and may think about suicide. If you’re having suicidal thoughts, or you’re worried about a loved one, don’t wait. Call the national suicide hotline on 800 273 8255.
“Warning signs include talking about death or suicide, withdrawing from friends or loved ones, or engaging in risky behaviour,” Sadag said.