Summary: The media is being used as a convenient scapegoat for the development of eating disorders. This is the view of Professor Kenneth Nunn from Sydney University, Australia who will be speaking at the ninth in a series of debates on topical issues in psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry. He will argue that evidence suggests that the onset of an eating disorder has little to do with the media and everything to do with individual biological and psychological vulnerabilities. Vehemently opposing this view will be Melanie Katzman, Consultant Psychologist from the US and the author of many books on eating disorders. She will explain that meta analysis of studies due out this spring reveals that the media is the medium for spreading the social contagents that cause eating disorders. She will also highlight data from Fiji which demonstrates that after the introduction of television, eating disorders emerged. Eating disorders currently affect around 1.1 million people in the UK. The widely held image of these disorders as slimming diseases belies the seriousness of the conditions: anorexia nervosa has the highest death rate of any psychiatric disorder, with around 1 in 5 sufferers dying within 20 years of the onset of illness. Also speaking at the debate are W. Bose, Spokesperson for Premier Model Agency Management and Nicky Bryant, Chief Executive of the Eating Disorders Association. W. Bose will argue that through the use of imagery and the written word, the media can be held accountable for a persistent focus on weight, shape and dieting; negative stereotypes of women and a focus upon image instead of capabilities. This, he says, has served to undermine the self-esteem of generations of women. Nicky Bryant, however, will argue that we are only fashion victims if we allow the fashion industry to dictate thin as the aspirational body shape and size. Chairing the debate is Janet Treasure, Professor of General Psychiatry, Guys Hospital & Director of the South London and Maudsley NHS Trusts Eating Disorders Unit.
