Eating disorders are common in Western Asia, including the Gulf region and, specifically, Bahrain. Disordered eating may be slightly more common in Western Asia than the global average. But there is still a big lack of access to eating disorder treatment in the region, and in most of the world.
Eating disorders are not just about food or body image. Instead, they develop because of interpersonal difficulties, personality traits, ways of thinking, and other individual and environmental characteristics. Recovery from eating disorders requires addressing these underlying causes, supporting young people to find psychological and social, as well as physical, well-being.
What Causes Eating Disorders in Bahrain?
There still aren’t many studies that specifically explore the causes of eating disorders in Bahrain. The vast majority of eating disorder research has taken place in Western countries, including research on the causes and risk factors of eating disorders. While this research can be useful, we know that eating disorders manifest differently in different cultures, including Arab countries, so it cannot offer us the full picture about EDs in Bahrain.
The most recent research on eating disorders worldwide tells us that many different factors contribute to the development of eating disorders, beyond body shape concerns. This includes interpersonal difficulties, ways of thinking such as rigid thinking, and traits like perfectionism. Like most mental health disorders, eating disorders are also strongly associated with trauma, especially childhood trauma.
A review of eating disorder research in the Arab world presents several factors that different studies have associated with eating disorders in the region. However, a lot of eating disorder research in the region focuses on the role of westernisation in the rise of eating disorders, rather than considering the full range of factors.
Some of the risk factors identified include:
- Media use
- Western influences
- Female gender
- Increased affluence
- Internalised stigma about body weight
- Teasing about body weight
- Stress
A small number of studies have explored the causes of eating disorders in Bahrain itself. We’ve listed some of them below.
Eating Disorders Among Medical Students in Bahrain
A 2025 study found that 32.1% of students at a Bahrain university were at a higher risk of developing eating disorders. These students were more likely to live alone or with their families, rather than in shared housing. This could indicate the role that relationships and social support play in shaping eating habits. Feeling lonely or isolated, or dealing with criticism from family members, might make someone more likely to develop an eating disorder.
The study also highlights the low levels of help-seeking among students. Only 18.6% of the students who said they were struggling with mental health issues claimed to have sought help. Other research from the region has found that there are many barriers that limit seeking mental health care, including stigma surrounding mental health. Sadly, this prevents many young people from accessing the help they need.
Social Media Use and Body Dysmorphic Disorder in Bahrain
Body dysmorphic disorder is a mental health disorder characterised by an overwhelming focus on perceived flaws in one’s body. Young people with body dysmorphic disorder experience intense distress about these perceived flaws and often engage in harmful behaviours to try and cope. Sometimes, this includes disordered eating behaviours.
A 2024 study among people in Bahrain found that social media use was associated with body dysmorphic disorder, including comparing one’s body to others on social media. They also found that students were more likely than others to experience BDD.
Media, Dieting, and Body Weight Concerns in Bahrain
Young people’s values and ideas about themselves and others are shaped by the world around them. The information they receive from the media can have a big influence on their perception of themselves. Media, especially Western media, often promotes specific beauty ideals of a ‘perfect’ body that can cause young people to become dissatisfied with their own.
A study in five Arabic countries, including Bahrain, found that in general, women who were more exposed to mass media were more likely to have dieted to lose weight, and more likely to have changed their ideas about ideal body shapes. In Bahrain, reading magazines was also associated with dieting.
Binge Eating Among Emerging and Young Adults in Bahrain
Binge eating disorder is a type of eating disorder where people eat a lot of food in a short time. They experience a sense of loss of control while they’re eating. Binge eating disorder is one of the more common types of eating disorders.
A study among almost a thousand 15–30 year-olds in Bahrain found that 21.2% had binge eating symptoms. Binge eating symptoms were linked to depression, anxiety, and a restricted diet.
Binge eating disorder and other eating disorders are often a response to different kinds of emotional distress, including trauma, depression, or anxiety. They also make developing co-occurring disorders more likely.
Eating Disorder Treatment At The Wave Clinic
At The Wave, we know that eating disorders are about more than what’s on the plate. Eating disorders are not about numbers or someone’s body shape or weight. Instead, they’re rooted in experiences, thoughts, and feelings that underpin disordered eating behaviours.
Traditional eating disorder care can be stigmatising, distressing, and counter-productive. Young people may be told that they are not ‘unwell enough’ to receive treatment, or that they are ‘well’ as soon as they reach a certain number. Both of these practices make recovery more difficult and relapse more likely.
At The Wave, we adopt a trauma-focused approach that addresses the relationships, traumas, ways of thinking, and feelings that maintain eating disorders. We understand recovery as whole-person well-being, encompassing emotional, physical, and social aspects. Our programs are open to any young person with an eating problem, regardless of its presentation.
Our treatment philosophy is based on:
- Understanding that eating disorders are not about the body a young person lives in
- Integrating trauma therapy from the very start of our treatment programs, alongside eating disorder symptoms
- Recognising that recovery is a psychological and physical healing process, expressed in different parts of young people’s lives
We express these principles through a broad selection of evidence-based treatment modalities. These include:
- Interpersonal therapy
- Trauma therapy, such as cognitive-processing therapy
- Enhanced cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT-e)
- Radically open dialectical behavioural therapy (RO-DBT)
- The Maudsley model of anorexia nervosa treatment for adolescents and young adults (MANTRa)
- Family therapy
- Nutritional support
Contact Us
The Wave Clinic offers specialist residential and outpatient treatment spaces for eating disorders and other mental health concerns. If you’re interested in our programs, speak with us today.
