How Our Clinicians Help Patients Heal Despite Modern Day Pressures
National Eating Disorders Awareness Week is observed this week February 25th thru March 3rd. At innovaTel Telepsychiatry, our behavioral health clinicians specialize in a variety of subjects including eating disorders and understand just how difficult and nuanced the treatment can be. This month we reflected on what contributes to eating disorders in 2019 beyond biological factors and social dynamics.
What are Eating Disorders?
Causes of Eating Disorders & A New Contributing Factor
According to Psychology Today, biology, social pressure, and family history and dynamics are some of the factors associated with eating disorders. Culturally constructed body standards and personality traits like perfectionism and obsessiveness also have a substantial role in the creation of eating disorders, which are then often accompanied by depression and/or anxiety. This combination of factors only makes eating disorders more complex and layered when seeking treatment.
However, in the last decade and a half, body image has become an even more difficult issue to face with the presence of social media. This leaves us with the question, How do we treat those with eating disorders when social media bombards us with unrealistic ideals?
Perfectionism Fueled by Modern Day Pressures
According to a study called “Perfectionism Is Increasing Over Time”, young people are more burdened than ever; citing differences in societal pressure between the years 1989 and 2016.This focus of perfectionism has increased dramatically among young people, leading to negative side effects such as eating disorders, depression, high blood pressure and in some cases, thoughts of suicide.
This is caused by a mix of excessively high personal standards and intense self-criticism. social media has a contribution in all of this by becoming a space where unrealistic “perfection” is often displayed with misleading representations of beauty and success.
First Step in Healing
So how do we treat eating disorders? The is no “one size fits all” solution. However, we do believe that psychotherapy is an essential part of any treatment plan for eating disorders. Journey to self-acceptance is not the same for everyone and some may take longer than others, but it is important to know that there is help out there. As with all behavioral health concerns, timely access to care is the critical first step.
If you would like to learn more about the specialized psychiatric care available through an innovaTel partnership, contact one of our telepsychiatry experts today.
