Eating disorders and disordered eating are worryingly common among young people in Saudi Arabia. Recent studies have shown that levels of disordered eating behaviours are invariably high: far higher than in many other places in the world.
Yet, awareness and discourse around eating disorders in Saudi Arabia remain low. Eating disorders used to be considered a Western phenomenon, and their presence in Middle Eastern regions was overlooked. But as eating disorders continue to rise, awareness, support, and access to treatment are vital.
How Common Are Eating Disorders Among Young People in Saudi Arabia?
It’s still not clear exactly how common eating disorders are in Saudi Arabia. Different studies provide various results, depending on the measurements used and the group of people involved. Some experts also question how well Western-based measurement and diagnostic systems can be applied to Middle Eastern contexts.
However, despite the differences between studies, it’s clear that the prevalence of eating disorders among young people is very high.
- A systematic review from 2023 found that the prevalence of eating disorders or disordered eating behaviours among adolescents and young adults in Saudi Arabia ranged from 10.2% to 48.1%
- A study among adolescents found that the prevalence of eating disorders was 23.5%
- A study among adolescent female students found that 53.6% were at a high risk of having an eating disorder
Research also shows that eating disorders in Saudi Arabia are associated with other mental health problems. Young people with eating disorders are more likely to also have depression, and more severe eating disorders are associated with more severe depression.
Older adolescents are more likely to have eating disorders than younger teens.
Understanding Eating Disorders and Interpersonal Relationships Difficulties
Eating disorders are about more than food and body image. They’re caused by a complicated interplay of emotional, cognitive, and social experiences that lead to a preoccupation with body weight and shape and disordered eating behaviours.
This means that recovery from eating disorders shouldn’t be about weight or BMI. Instead, treatment needs to address the underlying emotions and experiences that cause eating disorders.
One important factor that can cause and maintain eating disorders is emotional dysregulation: difficulties understanding, managing, and modulating emotions. Without effective coping mechanisms, young people may be left with intense and long-lasting emotions that feel overwhelming or unbearable. They may turn to disordered eating behaviours as a way to cope.
Interpersonal relationship difficulties are also central to the development and maintenance of eating disorders. Traits like social anxiety and sensitivity to criticism can cause loneliness and social isolation. Without the wider perspective that we gain from relationships with others, thoughts about food and eating can become increasingly dominant.
As eating disorders intensify, the reactions of other people can leave young people even more isolated, leading to a destructive cycle of loneliness and disordered eating behaviours.
In disorders that involve binge eating, interpersonal difficulties can trigger the emotional distress that precipitates binge eating episodes. Without close and trusted friendships, it’s also harder for young people to seek support for emotional challenges, pushing them towards harmful coping mechanisms like disordered eating behaviours.
What Does Treatment for Eating Disorders Look Like?
There isn’t one single model of treatment for eating disorders. The most effective treatment approaches depend on each individual’s story and the type of symptoms they experience. But it’s clear that treatment should address the underlying causes of eating disorders. This usually means offering a combination of different treatment approaches to address the complex interplay of factors that underpin eating disorders.
For young people living with anorexia nervosa, treatment approaches may include:
- The Maudsley model of anorexia nervosa treatment for adolescents and young adults – MANTRa is a relatively new treatment approach that focuses on the cognitive traits and interpersonal difficulties that underpin anorexia.
- Family therapy – Families can play a huge role in a young person’s recovery. Family therapy can teach family members the skills they need to create a supportive home environment that encourages positive change.
- Radically open dialectical behavioural therapy – RO-DBT is a type of transdiagnostic dialectical behavioural therapy that addresses overcontrol. It supports young people to express their emotions more freely and build meaningful connections with others, underpinning long-term recovery.
For young people with binging or binge-purging disorders, treatment might involve:
- Dialectical behavioural therapy – Dialectical behavioural therapy can support young people to find positive ways to manage emotional distress instead of using food and eating
- Family therapy
- Enhanced cognitive behavioural therapy – CBT-e is a transdiagnostic treatment for anorexia, bulimia, and binge-eating disorder that focuses on addressing preoccupation with body shape and weight. The broad version of CBT-e may also include modules about low self-esteem, interpersonal difficulties, emotional dysregulation, and interpersonal difficulties.
Finding Support for Food, Body and Interpersonal Relationship Difficulties in Saudi Arabia
Eating disorders and disordered eating behaviours are serious mental health issues that require professional support. Unfortunately, internal and external barriers to mental healthcare mean that the majority of young people don’t receive the support they require.
These barriers include things like internalised stigma that discourage young people from reaching out for help. The same stigma may also result in family pressure to hide mental health issues.
At the same time, a lack of effective, specialised services for young people with eating disorders can also be a major barrier to treatment.
If a young person shows any signs of an eating disorder, it’s important to seek immediate professional support. This might involve contacting a family doctor or directly connecting with a mental health professional or specialist treatment centre. If you feel like a young person’s experiences are dismissed or overlooked, it’s important to speak with another healthcare professional.
Specialist Eating Disorder Treatment with The Wave International in Dubai
The Eating Disorder Therapists, Dubai, offers specialist outpatient eating disorder treatment from our treatment space in Dubai. As part of The Wave International Group, we offer collaborative programs for young people, parents, and families that address the experiences, relationships, and systems that underpin eating disorders. We provide a trauma-focused approach that integrates trauma therapy from the beginning of treatment.
Our programs offer a combination of evidence-based modalities in an intensive outpatient program that lasts for a school term or longer. We work with young people with any type of eating disorder, including binge eating disorder, anorexia nervosa, ARFID, and eating disorder not otherwise specialised.
Some of our treatment modalities include:
- EMDR
- Trauma-informed therapy
- Interpersonal therapy
- Creative arts therapy
- Experiential therapies
- Extensive family therapy
- MANTRa
- DBT or RO-DBT
- Nutrition support
- Supported eating
Clinical sessions will be accompanied by a morning breakfast club and an afterschool eating club to help parents support young people around mealtimes. We also offer an activity club with optional weekend activities for children and adolescents with higher needs. Our programs are flexible, providing closer oversight and additional care for young people who require the most support.
Through our collaborative treatment programs, we support young people to develop invaluable skills and more tangible tools. These include:
- Social skills, collaborative behaviours, and teamwork
- Establishing safety in the body, relationships, and community
- Cooking and shopping skills
- A recipe book highlighting the challenges that their eating disorder brings
- Identity exploration
- Social media and phone use
We understand that young people should feel included in their education as they receive mental health treatment, and not feel left behind. We work with school pastoral teams, school counsellors, and heads of departments to support with individual education plans. At the same time, we take care of the interplay that may exist between academia, identity, perfectionism, and eating disorders.
Alongside our programs for young people, we offer family and parenting intensives for families experiencing conflict or trauma, or parents who are struggling to know how to support a young person and move back into their parenting role. These intensive courses, lasting from a few days to a few weeks, combine the lessons of months of outpatient therapy into a short but transformative experience.
All our programs are designed and delivered by specialists in child and adolescent psychiatry from different parts of the world.
Contact Us
If you’d like to know more about The Wave’s programs, please reach out to us today. You’ll find our contact details here.
