Boys and especially girls suffer from it. Often very young. A phenomenon that, thanks to the lockdown, is spreading. It was discussed last March 12 in a conference in Grottaferrata, where the lilac bench was inaugurated, symbol of a sneaky pathology. The signals to be grasped and the role of families in getting out of a tunnel that is sometimes too dark.
Sneaky disturbances, often hidden, not always interceptable. Disorders that erode people, especially young people, and undermine the serenity of families. In Italy, over 5% of the population suffers from anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder or binge eating disorder. “It is estimated – explains Veronica Torricelli, psychologist and psychotherapist expert in eating disorders – that, in our country, there are more than 3 million people who suffer from these disorders. Almost always very young, who very rarely ask for help immediately”.
During the meeting in Grottaferrata, the lilac bench was inaugurated, a symbol of eating disorders, which will be part of the municipal project “The garden of solidarity” which is taking shape in the green space of the socio-cultural center of the Lazio town: «The ‘event – continues Torricelli – represented an emotional journey between psychology and photography with the aim of raising awareness and informing about a disease that, in recent years, is increasingly on the increase”.
Thanks to the lockdown, the phenomenon is therefore in constant progression, with an increase of over 48% in hospitalizations and a lowering of the age of onset: «The age of onset of these disorders – explains Torricelli – has progressively lowered, from adolescence now they start to show up already around 8/9 years old. A complex disease which, once discovered, puts the entire family in crisis, often clearly unable to manage the disorder. Also because even today, despite the sharply rising numbers, the response of the National Health System is uncertain and, very often, lacking. We need to do more and do it quickly.”
A multidisciplinary approach is the most suitable: «There are various – Torricelli continues – the applicable therapies. My experience and training suggest that I adopt, faced with a specific problem, the approach that I consider most suitable for the single case, or, alternatively, only some aspects of one or more approaches. By combining them harmoniously, it is easier to obtain the desired results. In this way, together with my team, I have built a basic path that is adapted and integrated from time to time with the most suitable techniques for the individual case. Each patient is unique and special, as such, there cannot be a single approach that fits all”.