There was a time when people suffering from an eating disorder, or a bout of insomnia, would shy away from mentioning the issue to anyone. But these days, these sorts of disorders aren't considered taboo anymore. As awareness over cases of binge eating, not eating at all, suffering from sleeplessness or chronic depressing increase, the stigma attached to these problems has evaporated. In fact, there's a strange sort of elitism attached to these. Several professionals and students have joined the bandwagon of self-proclaimed 'troubled youngsters' and accordingly, suffering from some sort of disorder has almost become fashionable.
![More youngsters are 'suffering' from eating disorders these days.]( "More youngsters are 'suffering' from eating disorders these days.")
Anjali, a student of psychology, admits that cases of people who claim to suffer from some sort of disorder have become more common. However, she doesn't feel that these are always legitimate. In fact, she feels that since many students read about these cases on the internet, a few have developed a sort of obsession with identifying similar symptoms in their own lives. "Awareness about eating, sleeping and mental disorders has increased a lot over the last few years. In fact, they have become integral parts of the plots of popular movies and novels as well. As youngsters come into contact with this sort of information, it's not surprising that many of them start to relate to it," she explains.
Personally, she feels that many have started to treat these disorders very lightly, which is why they don't balk at the thought of suffering from them. "No ones thinks being an insomniac is a serious issue anymore. So, it doesn't seem shameful in the least to talk about it. But I feel that most of the people who claim to suffer from these disorders actually don't - one night of sleeplessness doesn't automatically turn a person into an insomniac," she reasons.
Dr Sujendra Prakash, a consultant psychologist, confirms that this is the case. He likens this obsession with disorders to a fad - something which youngsters take to without understanding it very well. "When a majority of youngsters claim to face similar problems, they begin to assume that it is normal and not something to be worried about. Issues which were earlier classified as disorders are now considered to be the norm - everyone starts doing it, so it becomes automatic," he observes. This, he adds, is particularly true in the case of eating disorders like anorexia, bulimia and binge eating. "These are major problems, but aren't always treated as such. It's like a fad of a sort - the strange part is that if someone doesn't suffer from these problems, he or she starts to feel isolated. Which is why they're forced to think in a particular way," he states.
Paradoxically, he explains that this has actually resulted in a drop in the number of young patients he receives. Although one would assume that the common nature of such disorders would encourage psychological treatment, he notes that the reality is often the opposite. "Earlier, parents would see that their children were suffering from something and bring them to us to treat, But now, youngsters tend to shy away from psychological treatment - even if their parents are keen to bring them in, they tend to refuse it. As mentioned, most of them feel that such disorders are normal - so, they see no reason to visit a doctor," he says.
Most colleges in the City, though, take these issues very seriously. In fact, Magdalene Richard, a professor at St Anne's PU College, Miller's Road, explains that as cases of such proclaimed disorders have risen, faculty members at the college have been taking steps to counter them. "To some extent, we do see a few issues that some students face - for instance, mental fatigue and lack of sleep," she says, adding, "when we come across a student like this, we generally call in the college counsellor. He comes in twice a week to talk to the girls - and generally, we have seen positive results."
Anjali, a student of psychology, admits that cases of people who claim to suffer from some sort of disorder have become more common. However, she doesn't feel that these are always legitimate. In fact, she feels that since many students read about these cases on the internet, a few have developed a sort of obsession with identifying similar symptoms in their own lives. "Awareness about eating, sleeping and mental disorders has increased a lot over the last few years. In fact, they have become integral parts of the plots of popular movies and novels as well. As youngsters come into contact with this sort of information, it's not surprising that many of them start to relate to it," she explains.Personally, she feels that many have started to treat these disorders very lightly, which is why they don't balk at the thought of suffering from them. "No ones thinks being an insomniac is a serious issue anymore. So, it doesn't seem shameful in the least to talk about it. But I feel that most of the people who claim to suffer from these disorders actually don't - one night of sleeplessness doesn't automatically turn a person into an insomniac," she reasons.
Dr Sujendra Prakash, a consultant psychologist, confirms that this is the case. He likens this obsession with disorders to a fad - something which youngsters take to without understanding it very well. "When a majority of youngsters claim to face similar problems, they begin to assume that it is normal and not something to be worried about. Issues which were earlier classified as disorders are now considered to be the norm - everyone starts doing it, so it becomes automatic," he observes. This, he adds, is particularly true in the case of eating disorders like anorexia, bulimia and binge eating. "These are major problems, but aren't always treated as such. It's like a fad of a sort - the strange part is that if someone doesn't suffer from these problems, he or she starts to feel isolated. Which is why they're forced to think in a particular way," he states.
Paradoxically, he explains that this has actually resulted in a drop in the number of young patients he receives. Although one would assume that the common nature of such disorders would encourage psychological treatment, he notes that the reality is often the opposite. "Earlier, parents would see that their children were suffering from something and bring them to us to treat, But now, youngsters tend to shy away from psychological treatment - even if their parents are keen to bring them in, they tend to refuse it. As mentioned, most of them feel that such disorders are normal - so, they see no reason to visit a doctor," he says.
Most colleges in the City, though, take these issues very seriously. In fact, Magdalene Richard, a professor at St Anne's PU College, Miller's Road, explains that as cases of such proclaimed disorders have risen, faculty members at the college have been taking steps to counter them. "To some extent, we do see a few issues that some students face - for instance, mental fatigue and lack of sleep," she says, adding, "when we come across a student like this, we generally call in the college counsellor. He comes in twice a week to talk to the girls - and generally, we have seen positive results."