Overcoming an eating disorder can often take years of struggle. Having lived through it herself and with the help of two apps, Ekaterina Karabasheva hopes to help people suffering from or at risk of developing the condition. It started when Ekaterina was 16, the Bulgarian native found herself anorexic. Now 27, she has regained control of her life and committed herself to projects she hopes will enable her to help other sufferers.
Hundreds of thousands of people live with an eating disorder. Many isolate themselves from friends and family to avoid the embarrassment of eating around others. Sufferers can waste years of their life in this way.
Sufferers are documenting their battles on Instagram under #edrecovery (ED = eating disorder). Millions of such posts on Instagram are a popular and fundamental element of a behavioural approach to treatment: keeping a food diary. For months, Ekaterina documented each meal she ate. This was important because it enabled Ekaterina to root out the connections she had developed between eating and negative emotions over the years and ultimately dispel them.
When it came to her food diary, Ekaterina was faced with a problem: would she feel comfortable pulling out an A4 pad and noting down her feelings in full view of others? Ekaterina has developed an ideal solution, combining the best of Instagram and an A4 pad: the Jourvie app. Using their mobile phones, Recovery Warriors can easily document their meals, including situation and emotional state, save them and discuss them with their therapists if necessary. Photos can also be added. The app is free – Ekaterina has no commercial motive.
Last year, in collaboration with AOK Nordost, Ekaterina was able to develop and launch a second app: Elamie. This app is designed to help parents and paediatricians recognize the signs that a person is at risk of developing an eating disorder. Certain personality traits can point to a potential lack of self-esteem or an eating disorder.
While every eating disorder is complex and highly personal in its own way, there are factors in our society which encourage them. That’s why it’s our job as a society to help fight eating disorders. No one with an eating disorder is a lost cause. Everyone can win their battle with an eating disorder – just like Ekaterina.
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Source: Egypt Independent, 7 March 2018