Yasmina Kattou, edited by Solène Leroux
modified to
08:45, June 02, 2022
It’s World Eating Disorder Day. In France, nearly a million people, 900,000 exactly, suffer from anorexia, bulimia, i.e. the fact of eating excessively then emptying themselves, or hyperphagia, the same thing as bulimia, without trying to vomit behind. There are no recent figures on the issue, but all specialists agree that the restrictions during the Covid-19 health crisis have worsened the situation for those who were fragile or on the go, like Michael.
“I weighed less than 50 kilos”
During the first confinement, the 30-something realizes that he suffers from serious eating disorders. “It really degenerated as soon as the confinement appeared. The control that we felt like we were losing with the confinement, the only way I found to restore it was to sink myself without giving in. account in a spiral of anorexia”, he says at the microphone of Europe 1.
He goes through bouts of bulimia then periods of anorexia: “I weighed less than 50 kilos, so I lost more than fifteen kilos during this period. A year later, I had a suicidal crisis. Since the end of the restrictions, it’s better.”
The social link to limit the impact
Michael is not the only one to have had aggravated disorders since the start of the pandemic. At the center for eating disorders in Clermont-Ferrand, consultations and hospitalizations jumped by 30% after the first deconfinement. The situation is likely to deteriorate in the coming months, warns Valentin Flaudias, ex-coordinator of the center and psychologist. “We have other crises coming, we have European conflicts,” she explains.
The news can lead to “constant worry”, and in this case, “all the stressors, where you have to manage your emotions a little better, are risk factors for eating disorders”, assures the specialist. On the other hand, according to the psychologist, the social bond, being surrounded by caring family and friends, makes it possible to limit the impact of these stressful situations.