The eating disorder in Canary Islands, is considered a serious disease related to behaviors that negatively affect health, mental stability and emotions. Learn in this article the help protocols in the archipelago.
Eating disorders continue to affect many young people. Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and compulsive eating disorder, are on the list of the most common pathologies. Currently, eating behavior disorder (eating disorder) is the most frequent chronic disease in youth.
Who are the main groups affected?
Every year more cases of eating disorders are detected (in Canary Islands and the world) and every time earlier ages. In addition, for the first time, diagnoses begin to be known at mature ages, starting at 40 or 50 years. Mainly, it is a disease that affects women, which include nine out of ten cases. However, cases of eating disorders in hombres, are increasingly frequent.
Currently, eating behavior disorder (ED) is the 3ª most frequent chronic disease in youth. It usually occurs in people who They are not happy with their physical imagea, they also present a low self-esteem and, also, difficulty in impulse control and social relations.
Canary Mental Health Plan and eating disorder
The latest figures of eating disorder in Canary Islands have been revealed in the Canary Mental Health Plan developed by the Ministry of Health. They indicated a calculation of 80.000 people affected by this disease in the Archipelago. In our Community, the prevalence figures are similar to those found in other Communities, being around a 4% in adolescent population.
Respecto a the anorexia the age range ranges from 19 and the 32 years, while in the case of the bulimia The profile includes a somewhat older age: the same number of cases were between 31 and 45 years.
Eating disorders of long evolution and its serious consequences
A study by the University of Barcelona and the ITA group reveals that the sequelae of eating disorders of long evolution they are not just physical. The study published in Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, states that there are significant rates of cognitive impairment in patients with a history of eating disorders of more than ten years.
After evaluating 82 patients with different tests (half of them with a profile of more than 10 years, and the other half with less than 2 years), it was detected: in the group of patients of long evolution, an important percentage of cognitive impairment in the areas of memory, attention, cognitive flexibility (ability to stop doing one thing to move to another and then return to the first), visoconstructive ability (imagination of forms in space), spatial orientation and problem solving ability.
Despite having an average age of 30 years, almost half of patients with more than ten years of duration in the disorder, presented a deterioration in any of these areas more typical of people who exceed 70 years old.
Eating disorder in Canary Islands: action protocols
In response to the increase in cases in recent years, there is Acting Protocol in cases of eating disorder according to intervention levels. In him, the bases are established in the attention to this pathology: specialized staff in the diagnosis, evaluation and treatment y protocolized programs in the different devices throughout the intervention.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife also has a specific Outpatient Attention Unit, “the Unit of Eating Disorders” (UTCA), located in the HUC.
In this regard, the Minister of Health of Canary IslandsGovernment, Teresa Cruz Oval, recently committed to carry out a “Mental Health Plan” already develop a early care network to care for children who have developmental problems and eating disorders in Canary Islands
A necessary plan for young Canaries ...
Currently, some 9.000 minors have developmental problems in Canary Islands; among other disorders, one of the most pronounced is the TCA. With the creation of the mentioned “Mental Health Plan” a Strategic Line will be created intended specifically to the TCA, With this, it is intended to create a care program that guarantees a smooth coordination between resources; as well as a quality approach adjusted to the changes that have taken place in terms of the profile of each affected person.