Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1495665
13 Unity SUNDAY 26 MARCH 2023 Annabel Cuff Research Support Officer II RESEARCH shows that it is vital for persons with emergent eating disor- ders to be diagnosed and treated as early as possible as this leads to im- proved outcomes. Professionals such as educators, doctors, psychologists, dentists, gastroenterologists, coun- sellors, sports trainers and others are excellently placed to recognise a potential eating disorder and could contribute significantly to earlier di- agnosis. Yet, although persons with developing eating disorders come into contact with various profession- als, and despite the fact that better recognition and diagnosis could save sufferers years of distress and harm- ful habits, diagnosis levels remain low. Patient evasiveness, cultural dif- ferences between practitioner and patient, the similarity of eating disor- der indicators to symptoms asso- ciated with other conditions, and potential- ly inadequate eating disorder knowledge among professionals may make them diffi- cult to diagnose. In 2022, the Faculty for So- cial Wellbeing was commissioned by Dar Kenn għal Saħħtek to carry out research on the experience of profes- sionals who come into contact with potential eating disorder sufferers. This study examined professionals' knowledgeable of eating disorders and whether they feel empowered to take the necessary actions to help potential sufferers. Data was collect- ed via an online questionnaire which received 123 valid replies, and four focus groups held with a total of 15 professionals. Overall professional knowledge of eating disorders was found to be good, although there was some discrepancy within as well as between professions regarding the extent of that knowl- edge. Mental health professionals tended to have better knowledge of eating disorders, possibly due to their knowledge of mental health literacy. Avoidant/Restrictive Feeding Disor- der (ARFID) was the least well-known eating disorders. It emerged that all professionals experience eating disor- ders within their clientele – hence, in- dicating that eating disorders may be more widespread than one imagines. While most practitioners do follow up with the person, typically there are no guidelines as how to do this. Setting up protocols should become wide- spread practice, especially as the ma- jority of professionals stated that they tend to find it difficult to approach potential eating disorder sufferers and do not feel confident in their knowl- edge of the subject. Four overarching themes emerged from this study – namely, profession- als' experiences with eating disorders; failures in systems and training; fam- ily, friends and significant others; and education. Participants across all professions revealed that their formative training contained very little specific in- struction about eating disorders and that what they know about eat- ing disorders was mostly acquired through self-study. Additionally, current systems tend to view eating disorders as conditions that can only be tackled by profession- als from the field, however, it became clear that various professionals are able to recognise that an individual could have an eating disorder. Partic- ipants also expressed disappointment in systematic practices that perpetu- ate unhealthy habits – within the fam- ily as well as culturally, and called for a cultural shift that gives prominence to healthy eating habits, the serving of healthy foods and sensible portions in restaurants, and a sports-mindset that are currently lacking in our country. A supportive system, i.e. family, friends or significant others, is a cru- cial element of recovery from eating disorders. These people encourage sufferers to seek treatment and sup- port them along the way. Conversely, unsupportive family or friends tend to encourage dysfunctional habits and are more likely to be a liability. Along with family, educational establish- ments serve as centres of influence in the transmission of knowledge and values and in the formation of good habits, meaning that teachers and other education professionals should not be overlooked as valuable collab- orators. Finally, this research showed that there is a desire among profes- sionals from various fields to learn more about eating disorders. While certain professions, such as doctors or psychiatrists, are typically seen as being better placed to diag- nose eating disorders, the emergent data from this study confirm that any professional that comes into contact with clients, students or patients is in a position to help potential sufferers. It is hoped that this study will raise awareness of the importance of eating disorder knowledge among profes- sionals in Malta. Enlisting the help of practitioners in identifying and tack- ing eating disorders and improving the outlook for sufferers will cut short the time sufferers spend living with an eating disorder and improve out- comes for sufferers. Experiences of professional practitioners in recognising and diagnosing eating Disorders Research shows us eating disorders are far more widespread and do not distinguish by race or ethnicity, much less gender or socio-economic background by taking us beyond ourselves to understand and empathise with different people, helping us live with complexity and become more tolerant. Harper Lee's Mockingbird or Gaskell's North and South, for instance, have the power to instruct the heart in a way (at least my) lec- tures cannot. Fiction, Shafak suggests, offers one way to "stay sane in an age of division". To- gether with our students, we can learn how to be political be- ings yet refuse to be prisoners of politics. References 1. Mason, L. (2018). Uncivil agreement. How politics be- came our identity. University of Chicago Press. 2. Vallier, K. (2020). Trust in a polarised age. Oxford University Press. 3. Fukuyama, F. (2018). Identity: Contemporary identity politics and the struggle for recognition. Profile Books. 4. Shafak, E. (2020). How to stay sane in an age of division. Well- come Collection. Eating disorders Students, like everyone else, may live in different moral universes with a different logic to our own. We must role-model evaluative pluralism