Exam stress and unattainable body shape pushed Canadian pupil to anorexia
The stress of school life and insecurity about her body image led to anorexia nervosa for Iman Kalo, who was 15 when the eating condition first affected her.
Now 20, the Canadian felt unable to cope with the exams and slowly the tension escalated into an eating disorder.
“I felt out of control, which led me to control my food intake as a way to gain more control,” Ms Kalo said. “It slowly escalated as the eating disorder voice grew louder and my weight dropped.
“However, I wasn’t diagnosed until I was 17, when my parents took me to Camali Clinic [in Dubai]. I was still in denial that I had a problem at that point and didn’t want to get help because I thought I didn’t need it.
“It wasn’t until I was admitted to the hospital for hypoglycaemia that I realised that I wasn’t actually in control of my body and that I needed help.”
Ms Kalo, who now lives in Ontario, said that comments about looks could have negative effects on those vulnerable to eating disorders.
“Comments about looks in general definitely affected me,” she said. “Even if they weren’t targeted at me, I’d developed an idea of how a body ‘should’ look, which buried me deeper into my eating disorder.
“I believe that societal expectations of what people should look like are always destructive. It’s never helpful to hear negative comments about yourself.”
Images in the media play a big role in shaping how people think about their bodies, Ms Kalo said.
“When the air-brushed images of unhealthy models are casually consumed by society, it is no wonder so many people are unhappy with the way they look. It is like chasing a mirage – you can never get something that does not exist.
“Although I do think we’ve come a long way in terms of body-positivity in the media, we have so much work to do.”
Ms Kalo has beaten her disorder but the fight gave her an interest in mental health. She is now an honours psychology student who plans to work with young people struggling with mental illness.
She has some advice for sufferers: “I completely understand how hard it is to leave your comfort zone and dive straight into what you might think is the unknown. The first step is always the hardest.
“But the good news is that the more steps you take in the right direction, the easier it will get for you to continue.
“If you think you have a family member or a friend who is struggling with an eating disorder, do not address the issue in a confrontational manner. The last thing you want to do is drive them away.
“Let them know that you love them and that you are there for them. This will make them more comfortable with the idea of getting help and they will know that you have their back when they start doing the hard work of confronting the eating disorder.”