Konnie Huq presents ‘Dying to be thin’ on Asian Network
In “Dying to Be Thin’ we ask why eating disorders within British Asians are going unreported? And why the illness is clouded with secrecy?
The BBC Asian Network report investigates some of the triggers that lead to eating disorders and why so many of us are exposed to these …
And in a new twist we learn how campaigners who are trying to reach out to those who need help are now having to battle with social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace where pro-anorexia and pro-bulimia sites are readily available giving people tips on how to starve themselves.
According to National Eating Disorders charity 'Beat' over 1 million people in the UK are affected although experts believe this could be just the tip of the iceberg.
Currently there are no statistics to show how many British Asians fall victim to eating disorders and experts such as Dr Adrinne Key can only guess at the real extent of the problem.
We hear from 16 year old Salma who's currently in the middle of her G.C.S.E's with everything to look forward to.. but she's someone who's become addicted to binge eating and making herself sick.
Salma's not happy with her image and when she looks in the mirror all she see's is a fat person.
Being skinny is all she wants and Salma aspires to look like a skinny Hollywood celebrity.
Despite knowing all the risks how far will Salma go on her quest for skinny?
We hear from 16 year old Salma who's currently in the middle of her G.C.S.E's with everything to look forward to.. but she's someone who's become addicted to binge eating and making herself sick.
Salma's not happy with her image and when she looks in the mirror all she see's is a fat person.
Being skinny is all she wants and Salma aspires to look like a skinny Hollywood celebrity.
Despite knowing all the risks how far will Salma go on her quest for skinny?
As well as media images, Dr Adrinne Key believes that eating disorders can be triggered by low self esteem and sometimes childhood trauma. And it was family trauma that drove Ravinder to the verge of death. Ravinder's unhappy childhood meant she used anorexia and bulimia to block out painful emotions and to control the situation around her. Ravinder thought she was in control but after dropping to 4 stones she was sectioned and placed in a mental institution. This meant it was crunch time for Ravinder – but did she want to recover?
We already know experts believe the real number of eating disorders remain unreported.
One of the main reasons for this is the shame and guilt which surrounds anorexia and bulimia. This is exactly what happened to Sukhminder's girlfriend (not his real name). She kept her bulimia a secret for 7 years. It was only recently that she opened up and told Sukhminder everything, but would it all get to much for him? Would he support his girlfriend or walk away?
We also hear from Heather (not her real name) who developed anorexia at the age of 8. As Heather got older it wasn't just her eating disorder she was battling with. 12 years on when Heather was trying to conceive a child she found the long term effects of anorexia had finally caught up with her… Anorexia has the highest mortality rate and experts strongly believe that without treatment you could die..
We also hear from Heather (not her real name) who developed anorexia at the age of 8. As Heather got older it wasn't just her eating disorder she was battling with. 12 years on when Heather was trying to conceive a child she found the long term effects of anorexia had finally caught up with her… Anorexia has the highest mortality rate and experts strongly believe that without treatment you could die..