Obesity is not the only weight issue facing many Britons – anorexia and bulimia are eating disorders which are becoming more prevalent too.
Just this month. an Yves Saint Laurent advertisement featuring an ‘unhealthily underweight’ model has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), according to the BBC. The advert, which appeared in Elle UK magazine, featured a photo of a woman whose rib cage was visible and appeared prominent, the regulator said.
The ASA said YSL ‘indicated that they did not agree with the complainant’s view that the model was unhealthily thin’ but did not provide a detailed response. The model’s pose and the lighting drew particular focus to her chest, where her rib cage was visible and appeared prominent, and to her legs, where her thighs and knees appeared a similar width.
The charity Anorexia and Bulimia Care (ABC) said it hoped the ASA’s ruling sends a ‘clear message’ to other media and fashion companies, which it said have a great responsibility.
“We applaud the ASA for taking the necessary action to ban the YSL advert on the grounds of it being ‘irresponsible’. While eating disorders are most often caused by underlying emotional issues or events, the impact of the media on vulnerable young people can act as a dangerous catalyst – triggering disordered thinking and behaviour.
“Adverts using underweight models are promoting a distorted image of beauty and yet this has become the norm in the UK,” ABC said.
Meanwhile, the number of hospital admissions across the UK for teenagers with eating disorders has nearly doubled in the last three years, according to the NHS.
The BBC reported that the admissions increased from 959 teenagers aged 13-19 in 2010/11 to 1,815 in 2013/14.
Although the numbers are relatively small, experts say the rate of increase (89%) is mirrored by a larger number of cases that don’t go to hospital.
Overcoming an eating disorder can be difficult and the longer the problem exists, the more difficult it will become.
Hypnotherapy has a proven track record for dealing with weight management and weight control and the National Council for Hypnotherapy (NCH) has 1800 fully trained and qualified therapists across the UK on its directory.
When dealing with a problem behaviour like an eating disorder, the therapist will first try to identify the root cause of the disorder.
This can help deal with the emotional aspect of the problem and change any negative habits which are in the sub conscious of the sufferer. The therapist can also help the sufferer (who, while thin, might think they are overweight or ugly) develop a positive self image.
There is, however, no general rule which makes it possible to say how much improvement can be achieved and in how much time when being treated by a hypnotherapist. The simpler problems can sometimes be overcome completely in one session. More deep seated issues might take longer.
As a member of the NCH, a therapist is committed to helping their client as swiftly and effectively as possible. The therapist may well be able to give a fair assessment of how much improvement can be expected and how many sessions may be needed by the end of the first session.
But if the problem is more complex then progress will be jointly reviewed from time to time.