Instagram is one source to blame for rise of eating disorders – Nutritionists
Nutritionists have told Sky News they believe certain accounts on social media platforms like Instagram are to blame for the rise in people with eating disorders like orthorexia.
Rhiannon Lambert who is a nutritionist on London’s Harley Street said “Instagram is dangerous when it comes to food, so dangerous.”
“For somebody that’s suffering from any type of mental health illness, especially orthorexia, with the variety of influencers claiming that what they eat can heal something or solve something, that’s not necessarily true and it can cause a condition to get even worse.”
The report says “Orthorexia is a condition which was discovered by a scientist in 1997 – it’s when someone becomes obsessed with eating healthily, restricting their diets so much that they become unhealthy and starved. It can often result in serious illness, both mentally and physically. And while many eating disorders are recognised by doctors in a clinical setting, orthorexia still isn’t.”
“I’ve seen the catastrophic impact on clients every day in my clinic and I’m also contacted frequently across social media from people who are struggling and feel like they’re not being listened to.”
Magnolia Creek, a treatment centre for eating disorders adds that social media is one of the greatest communication tools and has changed the way we engage with one another. The social media platform allows us to connect and communicate with anyone, anywhere – whether we post a picture, send a tweet, or update our status. Our lives can be on full display as little or as much as we choose. It also has the power to wreak havoc for someone suffering from an eating disorder and be even more detrimental to those in recovery. While social media alone is typically not the sole cause of developing an eating disorder, it can play a significant role for those susceptible to eating disordered behaviors, anxiety and depression.
Medical Express says that while traditional media, including TV and magazine ads, tend to portray ideals of physical perfection that can fuel worries about body image and eating disorders. A study from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine found that spending hours on social media is linked to these issues, too.
News via Sky News
Additional Reporting via Magnolia Creek / Medical Express
