Why do eating disorders worsen in summer?

With the arrival of warmer weather during spring and summer, we expose our bodies more, and this is when our insecurities surface and can escalate. Furthermore, the bikini craze, often aided by social media and advertising, accentuates the need for a sudden change in our bodies. Consequently, it can intensify the effects of this type of eating disorder (ED).

Rocío Rosés, psychologist and director of the Mental Health Service at Sagrat Cor University Hospital in Barcelona , ​​says that "at this time of year, changes can be observed in the affected person, such as not wanting to go to the beach or the pool when they've always wanted to." In summer, there are risk factors, and the person "may begin to show these types of psychiatric symptoms."

This expert explains how to deal with difficult situations for people with eating disorders during times of increased risk, such as the current spring-summer season, and offers advice for family members who live with someone with an eating disorder.

What are eating disorders?

Specifically, this specialist indicates that eating disorders are "complex mental illnesses" characterized by an unhealthy relationship with food and body image, which profoundly affects people's self-perception. "People with eating disorders often forgo such common and potentially pleasurable activities as going to the beach or the pool."

Its treatment, which must be highly specialized, according to this specialist in the management of these pathologies, requires the intervention of a multidisciplinary team of professionals, and during the treatment, it is important that the family and those closest to them know how to act with the person suffering from an eating disorder.

“The message from advertising and social media at this time of year is that the body is malleable and changeable, and we all have a weight determined by genetic factors. The problem is that these messages have a very negative impact on the affected person, since, of course, we should have a varied and balanced diet based on the Mediterranean diet, but when certain food groups, especially carbohydrates, are restricted, this can negatively affect the individual. The greater the dietary restriction, the greater the distortion of body image (real perception versus ideal perception), warns this psychologist.

In fact, she warns that the factor most closely linked to the onset of an eating disorder, as well as to the continuation of the disease, is dietary restrictions and something as socially accepted as dieting without supervision or medical necessity, solely for cosmetic purposes.

Comparison with the current beauty standard People with eating disorders perceive their bodies in a negative way that is far from reality.

“Eating disorders alter body image. This means that people perceive themselves more negatively in relation to their reality. This difference is partly driven by beauty standards. For example, men generally perceive themselves as narrower in terms of their back measurements, since when they compare themselves to the prevailing male beauty standard (a hypermuscular body), they perceive themselves as narrower than they actually are,” says Rocío Rosés.

However, it indicates that women perceive themselves as wider around the hips and waist; in many cases, this is because the model of female beauty is one with an especially narrow waist and hips, and when compared to this ideal, their self-perception is more negative, seeing themselves as thicker than they actually are.

How family and friends can help

With all this, the psychologist and director of the Mental Health Service at Sagrat Cor University Hospital in Barcelona emphasizes that the family is key to these types of pathologies, indicating first of all that it is recommended to have as many meals as possible as a family, with everyone eating the same food, and in a space where dialogue with all family members can be encouraged.

Miracle diets do not help you achieve the desired body. Teenagers must be helped to work on their self-esteem and self-concept.

Likewise, she advises families not to make negative comments about anyone. "Furthermore, it's essential that they promote critical thinking about the media, since in most cases of promoting types of diets, products, etc., there's always a financial motive behind it," the expert asserts.

This is why, Rocío Rosés argues, adolescents must be helped to become aware that beauty standards, both male and female, are prototypes that are practically nonexistent in the general population and that, to achieve that desired body, they don't need to follow miracle diets, but rather work on self-esteem and self-concept.