EAT LAB

  • About
  • People
    • Join the Lab >
      • Now hiring!
    • EAT Lab Spotlights
    • Alumni
    • Collaborators
  • Our Research & Publications
    • ABCT
    • EDRS
    • Posters & Presentations
  • Participate in Research
    • Network EMA Study
    • Online Single Session Resources
    • Predicting Recovery Study (Online)
    • Facing Eating Disorder Fears Study (Online)
    • Online Relapse Prevention Study
    • Personalized Treatment and CBT-E
    • Body Project Summer Camp
    • The Body Project
    • Clinical Screener Study
  • Clinic, Supervision, and Consultation
    • Intensive Outpatient Program
    • Eating Disorder Specialty Clinic
    • Eating Disorder Support Group
    • Resources >
      • Perfectionism Resources
  • Blog & In the Press
    • Press & Media
    • Lab News >
      • Events
    • Lab pictures
  • Archived Studies
    • Virtual Reality Study
    • Reconnecting to Internal Sensations and Experiences (RISE) Study
    • Web-Based Mindfulness Study
    • Personalized Treatment Study
    • Online Imaginal Exposure Study
    • In-Vivo Imaginal Exposure Study
    • Daily Habits 3 Study
    • Daily Mood Study
    • COVID-19 Daily Impact Study
    • Conquering fear foods study
    • Louisville Pregnancy Study
    • Approach and Avoidance in AN (AAA) Study
    • Web-Based Mindfulness for AN & BN Study
    • Barriers to Treatment Access (BTA) Study!
    • Mindful Self-Compassion Study
  • Legacy of Hope Summit Report
  • DONATE-CURE EATING DISORDERS!
  • Directions
  • Statistical Consultation
  • About
  • People
    • Join the Lab >
      • Now hiring!
    • EAT Lab Spotlights
    • Alumni
    • Collaborators
  • Our Research & Publications
    • ABCT
    • EDRS
    • Posters & Presentations
  • Participate in Research
    • Network EMA Study
    • Online Single Session Resources
    • Predicting Recovery Study (Online)
    • Facing Eating Disorder Fears Study (Online)
    • Online Relapse Prevention Study
    • Personalized Treatment and CBT-E
    • Body Project Summer Camp
    • The Body Project
    • Clinical Screener Study
  • Clinic, Supervision, and Consultation
    • Intensive Outpatient Program
    • Eating Disorder Specialty Clinic
    • Eating Disorder Support Group
    • Resources >
      • Perfectionism Resources
  • Blog & In the Press
    • Press & Media
    • Lab News >
      • Events
    • Lab pictures
  • Archived Studies
    • Virtual Reality Study
    • Reconnecting to Internal Sensations and Experiences (RISE) Study
    • Web-Based Mindfulness Study
    • Personalized Treatment Study
    • Online Imaginal Exposure Study
    • In-Vivo Imaginal Exposure Study
    • Daily Habits 3 Study
    • Daily Mood Study
    • COVID-19 Daily Impact Study
    • Conquering fear foods study
    • Louisville Pregnancy Study
    • Approach and Avoidance in AN (AAA) Study
    • Web-Based Mindfulness for AN & BN Study
    • Barriers to Treatment Access (BTA) Study!
    • Mindful Self-Compassion Study
  • Legacy of Hope Summit Report
  • DONATE-CURE EATING DISORDERS!
  • Directions
  • Statistical Consultation

EAT Lab Blog

Anorexia Nervosa in Russia

6/15/2017

5 Comments

 
Anorexia Nervosa in Russia

​By: Irina Vanzhula

I grew up in the city of Saint-Petersburg, Russia and moved to the United States 10 years ago. I have noticed many differences, including how women’s sizes are perceived in each country. A woman wearing dress size 8-10 in the US would be considered by most to be of normal weight, but in Russia, she would be called overweight. Most clothing stores do not even carry sizes higher than 10, and Plus size starts with 12. The “normal” clothing size in Russia is 0-4, and women go to considerable lengths to obtain this size at all costs. The thin-ideal is pervasive in Russian culture with its famous ballerinas and supermodels.

My 14-year old brother Vasya is a student at the world famous Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet. He spends about 6 out of his 12-hour day dancing and only eats once a day. He is underweight, but is repeatedly told that if he gains weight he will be kicked out of the Academy. Vasya is not the only one. Although media’s focus on thin bodies is ubiquitous across countries, Russian women experience additional pressures to look “perfect.”  Russia has approximately 85 men for 100 women, and considering very high rates of substance abuse in men, the number of ‘quality bachelors’ is even lower. To be competitive, Russian women pay extreme attention to their looks, including body weight and shape. It is considered necessary to dress up and do hair and make-up just to go to a grocery store, and wearing sweatpants in public is unthinkable. Much of woman’s value is based on looks, and being thin is a sign of having strong willpower and being successful.

Based on these observations, I suspect that prevalence of eating disorders and especially anorexia nervosa (AN) in Russia would be higher than in the US. Thus, I decided to do some research. My search revealed that no epidemiological studies have been done and no official statistic of eating disorders exists in Russia.  Prevalence rates reported range from 0.5% (Bobrov, 2015) to 20% (Anorexia in Russia, n.d.). Since Russians don’t believe in mental illness and most people don’t seek treatment, the rates are likely underreported. A large population with subclinical AN symptoms may account for the large discrepancy in prevalence rates.
​
I continued my search to uncover how AN is portrayed in both internet and the scientific community. Most internet articles accurately described the disorder and emphasized fear of fat, perfectionism, and disturbed body image. Health complications were usually mentioned, but I did not find anything about high levels of suicide, which is likely due to the topic of suicide being a social taboo in Russia. One disturbing discovery was that the webpages that described the dangers of AN were full of advertisements of various diets. For example, next to the article “Anorexia – severe disease statistics” you can find “how to lose weight and keep it off forever” and advertisements of various diets (www.http://www.on-diet.ru).

Most internet articles recommended the help of a professional, but after reviewing treatment options, I lost most of my optimism. I did not find any specialized eating disorder clinics in the entire country, and help with AN was offered at general medical or psychiatric hospitals. One gastrointestinal clinic advertised AN treatment, but the treatment team consisted most of the dietitians and only one psychologist. Even the clinics that offer any kind of treatment for eating disorders are few and spread thin. Most clinics are located in Moscow and Saint-Petersburg. Considering size and population of the country, the majority of Russians don’t have access to any eating disorder treatment or even a therapist. Thousands of small Russian towns are lucky to have one general practitioner, and the closest psychologist is usually hundreds of miles away.

Next, I turned to scientific journals. Most of the information was consistent with that in US journals. I came across one surprising trend strongly linking AN with psychotic disorders. Bobrov (2015) describes AN as having inaccurate cognitive perceptions of reality and empathizes its high comorbidity with schizophrenia. Further, Artemyev & Vasiliev (2012) explain that some researchers see AN as a schizophrenia syndrome, citing an article from 1932, and report that schizophrenia precedes AN in 25% cases. In another study, out of 101 women with AN on inpatient psychiatric unit, 81 were diagnosed with schizophrenia (Artemyeva & Arsenyev, 2010).

Patients with AN often report that their family and friends find their eating disorder related beliefs strange and unusual, and refusing to eat despite life-threatening complications may be perceived as particularly strange. This interpretation may have led to over-diagnosis of schizophrenia in those with AN. However, recent studies report that prevalence of psychotic in those with AN is no higher than in general population (Seeman, 2014). Russian psychologists, however, may still over-diagnose schizophrenia, or these statistics are a result of a biased sample. They mostly studied patients in psychiatric hospitals, where comorbidity of severe mental disorders is high. On the other hand, new research revealed a genetic link between AN and psychosis (Duncan et al., 2017), so there may be some connection there after all.
​
One major implication of connecting AN with schizophrenia in the literature is increased stigma. If seeking treatment for AN means the high probability of being diagnosed with a psychotic disorder and likely prescribed anti-psychotic medication, it is not surprising that people would avoid it at all costs.

In conclusion, the amount of social pressure on all Russian women to be thin is incredible, and the standards are impossible to achieve. People who have symptoms of AN are admired and praised for their strong wills and dedication. The scientific community is lagging behind in proper diagnosis and further contributes to already high stigma of mental illness. Although rates of AN may be high in Russia, treatment options are almost non-existent. Epidemiological studies that bring attention to prevalence of AN in Russia and lack of treatment options are needed. While the research field is catching up, all of us can help increase awareness by making translated US articles available on the Russian web.

5 Comments
Marissa Pendlebury link
3/18/2018 06:06:33 pm

Hi That's awful to hear there is not a lot of treatment centers in your country. in the UK 1.6 million ladies are affected with an eating disorder and in the US 20 million persons are affected with ED. Please pass on my website to the ladies of your lovely country. Lots of free advice, videos and blogs can be accessed 24/7. Warm Wishes Marissa

Reply
Virginia Brooks Britton link
4/1/2019 02:48:53 am

So right, and one time at the Kirov Academy I saw one of my old rail thin students in severe depression.
The only fat on her body were her slightly chubby cheeks.
If her parents knew how those cheeks bothered the ballet teachers maybe they would have gotten plastic surgery.
As it was she quit a few years later and went to law school.
Those cheeks ruined a potential artist from having a chance.

Reply
Joe
10/12/2019 03:55:15 pm

Hello Irina, thank you for this article. I know it was published a couple years ago, so I don’t know if this reply will reach you. I just had a question to ask. My sister in law is Russian and is suffering from adult onset anorexia, and has had it for several years. She sometimes recognizes this and other times is in denial. We finally got her to see a doctor about it. But the doctor didn’t recognize the disorder! We live in Coney Island, Brooklyn, where there is a very large Russian population, so it’s possible to only see Russian doctors, which she has been doing. Since AN is so unrecognized in Russia, is it possible these Russian doctors, practicing in the US, are following Russian standards and refusing to identify AN? This has been very upsetting and disappointing for my family because we were hoping the doctor would help her get passed her denial, instead they reinforced it. Thanks for any insight you may have.

Reply
Nadia
2/6/2020 01:01:57 am

Hi Joe,

My sister also has AN. We grew up here in the states and my she went to an American doctor, who told her that she is perfectly healthy and made her feel like an idiot for coming in. This delayed her for a while trying to get medical help again. It is really important to do your research on the type of doctor you go to. Since diagnosis is so heavy on numbers such as BMI, there is a lot of people that are undiagnosed or who can't get covered by their insurance because their BMI is not low enough. However, people have different body types, and after working in eating disorders I learned that you can definitely be anorexic and have a high BMI. I have worked with numerous clients who were dying, their organs literally failing, but had trouble with getting covered by insurance due to their BMI and weight not being low enough. Most medical professionals are trained in eating disorders and you need to seek out a doctor who at least has some experience with eating disorders. I hope this helps and that your sister in law get the medical help that she deserves, before it's too late. I would also recommend seeking a help from a therapist. My sister finally did it after a year of making and cancelling appointments; it is an important part of treatment. Lastly, please check out the link below. It is body positive blogger from your area and perhaps you can find some help through her website. https://theshirarose.com/

Reply
Hanna
11/5/2019 07:48:42 am

What would you recommend someone to do if they are suffering from anorexia nervosa ( and are in a life threatening situation) , and are russian? I have met someone overseas and dont know what services to recommend to them, or what hospitals/treatments they can access due to their russian passport.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Picture

© COPYRIGHT 2015. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.