Social media 'perception of beauty': Driving youth into depression

Anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder, is especially common in adolescence. Experts are warning families and the media to protect young people from the perception of beauty created by social media. Cumhuriyet spoke with Prof. Dr. Aslıhan Dönmez from the Turkish Psychiatry Association on the subject.

Dönmez stated that anorexia nervosa is a serious psychiatric disorder that can result in death, and said, “Since nutrition is limited, the nutrients, vitamins, minerals and electrolytes necessary for the proper functioning of the organs are not in sufficient quantities. This can lead to muscle and bone loss, tooth decay and loss, impaired kidney function and eventually kidney failure, damage to nerve cells and brain shrinkage. Since there is not enough fat tissue, reproductive hormones cannot function and a decrease in fertility and a process leading to infertility may occur.”

Dönmez, who drew attention to the fact that disorders such as ulcers and gastritis can be seen due to hunger and in some patients, due to vomiting in order to lose weight, said, “Being able to empathize with anorexia patients is very important in treatment. It is possible to say that there are two important factors in the emergence of anorexia thinking and behavior. The first is the psychological effect of hunger. The second is that they see this as a great success and are proud of what they do.”

'WHAT WE DO IS IMPORTANT'

Drawing attention to the importance of social learning in childhood and adolescence, primarily through the family and the influence of the environment, Dönmez said, “Our children learn more from what we do than from our advice.” Stating that anorexia can trigger depression, Dönmez said, “A person walking in the lonely corridors of anorexia may lose interest in life after a certain point, other than losing weight. Their self-confidence and self-worth become indexed only to being thin and maintaining it.”

Dönmez, who emphasized that both visual and social media play a very important role in the spread of the disease, said, “According to social pressure; a thin woman is a woman who is admired, envied, successful and strong-willed. In fact, this myth, which is accepted as an absolute truth by many women, is nothing more than a perception operation developed by some sectors in order to make money since the 1980s. This wrong perspective makes women feel oppressed from a very early age. During adolescence, this social pressure, combined with social pressure, creates a serious risk in terms of developing an eating disorder.”