How to help someone with anorexia: 8 support tips

Anorexia is an eating disorder whose treatment is complicated. In it, the person sees their body perception altered, looking overweight. This encourages them to carry out unhealthy behaviors in relation to food, with the intention of losing weight to the point where they reach malnutrition.

Anorexia not only involves nutritional problems, but is also accompanied by the inability to deal with anxiety and stress. By exercising control over their food, the person with this disorder can find a brief moment of calm.

Given the complexity of the disorder, it is of fundamental importance that the family and group of friends of the person with anorexia is by her side, convincing her that she should ask for help in addition to being this close environment a key factor in the Recovery.

Then we will see some tips to help a person with anorexiaIn addition to making known what should not be done at all if the recovery process is to be accelerated.

• Related article: "Major eating disorders: anorexia and bulimia"

How to help a person with anorexia? Practical tips

It may be the case that a person close to us suffers from anorexia. In this disorder, because the person has a wrong perception of his own body, Seeing himself with a larger body size than real, tries to lose weight doing very strict diets, in addition to exercising obsessively.

When you reach a very low weight and do not meet the body's demands for calories and nutrients, some of the physical symptoms that the disorder produces are skin discoloration, digestive upset, dehydration, malnutrition, dizziness, fainting, fatigue, bone loss, heart problems and imbalances electrolytic. In the long run, this set of physical problems leads to death.

But not only the person with anorexia suffers from their pathology. Their close environment, both family and friends, suffer when they see a loved one progressively deteriorate.

Being a mental disorder, the people who are in charge of the diagnosis and treatment of anorexia are psychologists, psychiatrists and doctors, which, working together, favor the recovery of people who suffer from the disorder. It is very important to understand that it is the task of health professionals who are responsible for the recovery of people with these disorders.

However, as friends and family, we can help in recovery by avoiding doing things that can lead to physical and emotional discomfort to the person with anorexia in addition to providing support and serving as an example to follow habits healthy.

To do?

These are the main tips when it comes to providing support and assistance to a person with anorexia, although cannot substitute for professional therapy:

1. Learn about anorexia

Before speaking with a person in our environment who we suspect might suffer from anorexia, the best thing to do is to find out about this disorder with reliable sources.

Despite the fact that the fight against beauty canons has managed to sensitize the population on how eating disorders occur, especially in women, there are many myths about they. We must never forget that it is a psychological disorder, and as such it should be addressed.

Trying to better understand what could be happening to an acquaintance is very beneficial for both him and us, given that allows us to understand the suffering that is happening and allows us to see the most appropriate way to deal with the subject.

A deep search for information on anorexia will allow you to see that it is not just about wanting to lose weight or look fatter than you really are. There is a lot of psychological discomfort behind that leads a person to be in this situation.

2. Talk about it at the right time

Once we have documented ourselves, it is time to try to talk to the person we suspect is experiencing this problem.

Given the seriousness of the matter, it is very important to choose the right place and time, to avoid creating a situation of tension. The place where you talk to him / her should not have distracting elements, this way you will make him / her have more attention.

Avoid having this conversation after an argument and try to do it in a private place. Calmly express your concern for her health status, since doing it in an alarmed way will increase the tension. As you speak, describe some behaviors that you have seen in him / her that have made you think that he / she might be going through some kind of problem. Make it clear that you only care about him / her and that you want to make sure that everything is going well.

3. Talk about anorexia without stigmata

Having documented anorexia prevents us from talking about this disorder based on preconceptions and stigmata. The person with anorexia will no longer feel comfortable with suffering from this psychological alteration, so we should not bother her anymore using stereotypical ideas on the subject while the conversation continues.

A good way to start the conversation is by saying that many people suffer from this disorder, and that it is not their fault that they have it. You can even talk about famous people who have gone through this disorder and have managed to overcome it.

4. Make him see the problem

Many people who suffer from a psychological disorder are not aware of having it; however, this does not mean that it does not cause them suffering.

Images of people who are suffering from anorexia and who appear similar to the person we are concerned about may be presented. It is also a good idea to use informative videos from professionals detailing the symptoms of disorder or in which the testimonies of people who have gone through this and who offer their experience.

Let them know there are associations, support groups and other resources where you can understand what you're going through. If you're not really suffering from anorexia, you don't lose anything by checking it out.

5. Prepare for a negative reaction

It is likely that, at the moment in which the word anorexia appears in the conversation or that you express concern For the health of your loved one, he reacts badly, saying that he does not want to talk about it or downplays the affair.

This type of reaction is normal, for this reason you must remain calm, prevent what they say to you from being considered a personal attack And stand your ground saying you want the best for her. Tell her that you, too, would be upset if someone told her that she thinks she might be having a problem, but make her reflect by saying that it's okay for someone to worry about you.

6. Help him help himself

Once you are aware of the problem, we must help the person to seek and find effective treatment for her problem.

Sometimes it is difficult to ask for professional help, and there are many people who need this type of interventions but that are procrastinating the appointment and what were going to be a few days become years. Although there may be no immediate risk to the person's life, urgent psychological, psychiatric and medical intervention is necessary. Malnutrition can pose serious problems for your health, and the psychological suffering you already suffer may be destroying you from the inside.

To ensure that the person receives adequate help we can accompany you on the first day of your appointment to a health professional. If it is the case that you cannot afford it, we can offer to find you cheaper professional alternatives or even pay you for a session. We must understand that money is the least of it if we want to preserve the life of a loved one.

• You may be interested: "Psychology and Nutrition: the importance of emotional eating"

7. Be an example and stay by his side

If you eat together, promote a healthy lifestyle by eating nutritious dishes and in the appropriate amounts.

Food should not be seen as a source of concern, it should be treated as something that gives us pleasure and that helps us maintain our vital functions. Do not restrict your food, or say out loud phrases such as "I've had my fill today" or "I shouldn't have eaten that.".

In later stages of recovery, when the person already has fewer worries about food, if they If one day you eat something that was "forbidden" before, such as a piece of pizza or a cake, offer reinforcement positive. Tell him that you are glad that he eats that food, that he deserves to indulge himself once in a while.

8. Praise her for being the way she is

The physical is not everything in this world. People have other characteristics that define us and that make up our identity.

Intelligence, kindness, courage and other aspects are characteristics that we can praise in the person we love. This way we will make her feel loved, that we care, and that her body does not define her completely.

What not to do?

Let's look at several behaviors and strategies to avoid:

1. Control your behavior

The road to recovery is long and involves a deep reflection and self-awareness phase.

Although with the best of intentions, what the person does should not be controlled all the time, since it will make them feel that autonomy and freedom are being taken away.

In case you are a teenager, the family should not prohibit you from doing things as simple as going to the bathroom alone or going out, especially if you have not eaten all the food on the plate. The guidelines that the professional who is treating you has given us must be followed.

2. Negative feedback

Do not make negative comments about their body or that of other people, since this will reinforce the idea that people should only be valued based on their appearance.

There are many ways in which society bombards people, especially women, with canons of beauty that come to belittle overweight people. Don't be a part of this. Nor should you make comments like "I'm so fat ..." or "I've become a cow." They just don't help.

3. Hide the disease

It is possible that the person affected by anorexia has told you about his problem because he is very confident with you. Also, they may have asked you not to tell anyone else, and that they will be disappointed if you tell their family.

Since we are facing a health problem in which, in the most serious cases, the person can die, hiding this means making the situation worse passively.

We must tell people around them and, if necessary, tell authorities in case we see that a death may occur shortly.

4. Make rash decisions

Given the complexity of anorexia, this is not going to be fixed in a couple of days. We must trust that the treatment will favor the recovery of the person, but we must also maintain an understanding posture towards them and be patient in the process.

Bibliographic references:

• American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Fifth edition. DSM-V. Masson, Barcelona.
• Rosen, D.S. (2003). Identifying and treating eating disorders. Pediatrics; 111:204–11.
• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2004). Eating disorders: care interventions in the treatment and management of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and related eating disorders. London: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.