Breaking the Stigma Surrounding Eating Disorders in Mexico
In Mexico, 1.6% of adolescents face hidden eating disorders, often emerging as young as 12. Martha Georgina Ochoa Madrigal warns of their severity, emphasizing the need for timely, multidisciplinary interventions to save lives.
On the surface, statistics may paint a picture of health, but beneath the veil of normalcy lies a silent struggle that transcends age, gender, and societal norms. According to the National Health and Nutrition Survey (Ensanut) Continua 2022, in Mexico, 1.6 percent of adolescents teeter on the precipice of an eating disorder, a condition more prevalent than statistical reports suggest, often shrouded in secrecy and hidden behind closed doors.
Martha Georgina Ochoa Madrigal, an academic at the Graduate Studies Division of the UNAM School of Medicine, sheds light on this pressing issue as the world commemorates the International Day for the Fight against Eating Disorders on November 30. She emphasizes that while globally, eating disorders are more frequently diagnosed in women, the severity is equally alarming when manifested in men.
