Unlike other eating disorders which pursue weight loss, orthorexia is masked by the guise of pursuing health and well-being. Why is it on the rise?
The term orthorexia , was first coined in the 90s by New York doctor Steve Bratman, who spotted a growing “fanatical health-food devotion” among patients. Although now recognised widely by the medical and scientific community, it is still not considered a formal eating disorder.
You do not need to look far to see how dangerous it can be. The Internet is awash with sites dedicated to wellness and hashtags such as #WhatIEatInADay and #CleanEating. One Instagram influencer, Zhanna Samsonova, who lived in Malaysia, was hailed an inspiration for her. She died in July aged 39, with friends claiming she was emaciated and had collapsed from malnutrition. Meanwhile, Australian YouTuber Leanne Ratcliffe, 43, who has 3.5m views on her channel, promotes a fruit diet.
Dr Bamford says individuals often do not perceive their eating habits as problematic, making it challenging for friends and family to identify the issue. The problem is exacerbated by a lack of knowledge among GPs, who may be confused by a person presenting with a healthy weight. Francesca relates to this: “Because I was a healthy weight, it was easy to mask. Then my diet became more restrictive, less focused on broader health and more about calories and weight loss – essentially anorexia.
Psychologist Deanne Jade, founder of the National Centre for Eating Disorders and member of British Psychological Society, says the phenomenon is linked to our modern culture in which extreme diets have become normalised. “This is a diffuse problem and millions are affected, either mildly or in the extreme. It’s a crossover between eating and anxiety disorder, but is very easy to disguise as healthy eating”.
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