The Generalitat will invest 8.4 million euros in a crash plan against eating disorders (TCA), which affect 85,000 people over 15 years of age in Catalonia, young women in 92% of cases, and have increased significantly as a result of the pandemic and lockdowns.
The Minister of Health, Manel Balcells, has expressed his department’s concern about the situation, which he has attributed to “the aesthetic pressure closely linked to social networks”.
“EDs can be mild, moderate, severe, and some can even be deadly. It is a problem that worries society and worries us. This leads us to propose a crash plan that has been demanded for a long time by the Association against Anorexia and Bulimia”, explained Balcells.
The plan, which has a duration of two years (2023 and 2024) proposes an increase in financial resources, the number of professionals dedicated to eating disorders and hospital beds for patients. The key, however, is that it represents a change in the model of care.
According to Sara Bujalance, director of the Association Against Anorexia and Bulimia, up to now the model has worked adequately in the last stretch, in specialized units for dealing with serious cases. “Outside of there, the attention has been practically non-existent, or very variable depending on each territory”, she has criticized.
Now care for EDs will be extended and reinforced throughout the Catalan public health system, from primary care to adult and youth mental health centers and hospitals. “The paradigm shift is based on the fact that care is extended and a response can be given to each specific case based on its characteristics and treatment needs,” according to Bujalance.
