Alberto PizzoliAFP/Getty Images filesWhile coverage of eating disorders has increasing in mass media, putting the spotlight on unhealthy images of women, especially, getting care for an eating disorder in Canada can still be difficult, and in some provinces, impossible.
We’ve all talked a lot about mental health in the last week or so, but when it comes down to the hard health risks, which disorder currently has the highest mortality rate?
The answer might surprise you: According to a number of experts, as well a study published in theAmerican Journal of Psychiatry, eating disorders might be the most deadly of all mental illnesses, with an estimated 10% to 20% of individuals diagnosed with anorexia nervosa dying prematurely as a direct result of the disorder or its complications.
Eating disorders are disturbingly common, affecting an estimated 300,000 Canadians, including a significant number of males. The number of individuals who will experience a serious eating disorder, which can include anorexia or bulimia nervosa, or binge eating disorder, is estimated to be approximately double the number with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, combined.
Despite the prevalence and risk of eating disorders, Canada’s governments do not have a coherent strategy for prevention and treatment — or even for keeping statistics on how many of us are afflicted. There are no national databases for treatment providers, research funds are scarce, and there number of specialists who can be called upon as experts is limited.
Perhaps what should concern us most are the wait lists for beds at in-patient eating disorder units, which can be years long. While waiting for treatment, many sufferers worsen, and in some cases, they die. Some provinces have recently increased the number of available treatment beds — Ontario, for example, has recently added a 12-bed unit in Whitby, but the numbers still barely scratch the surface — or, as is the case in Ontario, new beds are reserved for children and adolescents, not adults.
But if eating disorders are so dangerous and potentially fatal, why has there been so little action to date. “It’s discrimination, not poor planning,” says Dr. Blake Woodside, medical director for the Program for Eating Disorders at Toronto General Hospital. “It’s based on an a priori belief that these girls and guys are misbehaving, that it’s a lifestyle choice. It goes back to the old adage of, ‘Why don’t you just eat?’ These individuals experience discrimination at almost every step of their illness, and yet it’s one of our most lethal psychiatric illnesses.”The growing concern over Canada’s lack support for eating disorder patients recently culminated in a Parliamentary committee report on the subject. The report, which was released in November and is now in the hands of the federal government, included testimony from some 27 witnesses, including physicians such as Dr. Woodside, as well as dietitians, parents of affected children, and leaders of advocacy groups, such as Merryl Bear of the National Eating Disorder Information Centre, (NEDIC) and Wendy Preskow, the founder of National Initiative for Eating Disorders (NIED). The final report, which is available online, recommends improved data collection, national best practices guidelines — and shorter wait times for care.
Despite the enthusiasm generated by the release of the report, many of those who testified are concerned the committee’s recommendations are too weak and could be swept aside.
“We need a national strategy that is fully and appropriately funded, and that covers the full spectrum of issues related to eating disorders, including research, treatment, and prevention,” Bear said.
No comments:
Post a Comment