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Gemma Oaten is campaigning for a change in the badessment of eating disorders (Image: Mike Marsland / WireImage)
At present, the former star of Emmerdale, who had been denied to a clinic while she was still in school, was now 10 years old, and supports a campaign to ban the treatment decisions based solely on weight. The Sunday Express highlighted the fact that hospitals and clinics are denying crucial badistance to thousands of people with eating disorders who only provide care to people whose body mbad index is less than 15. "It must stop now I lost 13 years Gemma, who supports the Dump the Scales campaign, which has won political support and has a petition of 67,000 people calling for change.
Gemma, now 34, nearly died four times as her health deteriorated and was about to commit suicide as she struggled against anorexia.
"My anorexia started at age 10," she recalls. "There was no warning, it was not a choice One day, my mind began to think differently.I had always been so carefree and happy, but I Had the impression that everything had changed from one day to the next.
My parents were petrified by the fate of their once happy and healthy daughter, so they took me to the doctor. I remember that day as if it was yesterday and it was 24 years ago.
"I sat on the scale, my weight was reached and my parents were told that they could not do anything to help and not worry, my BMI being not enough low to raise real concerns.
Gemma is supported by her mother Marge (Image: Ken McKay / ITV / REX / Shutterstock)
"A year later, I was admitted to a children's psychiatric ward and told me that if I did not drink water, let alone eat, I would be dead in 24 years. hours.
"Thirteen years of my life were lost because my weight was not enough, so think about it …
"I have almost died four times and I have also considered suicide.My family went to hell and to go back because we had not received the help we needed when we l & # 39; My eyes fill with tears when I think and speak about it.
"The guilt that I feel for putting my family in this situation, the grief that I feel for the years that I've lost and, ultimately, the anger I feel, that's what has happened and is still happening.
"It's time to change."
Born in Hull, Gemma, whose parents, Dennis and Marg, formed the charity Seed, a charitable organization dedicated to supporting eating disorders, launched a moving appeal for better treatment and awareness at the beginning of the year. Week of eating disorders.
In the UK, about 1.25 million people are afflicted with anorexia, bulimia and binge eating, and treatment plans are supposed to take into account a range of physical and psychological factors.
However, author and activist Hope Virgo revealed that many people are still denied medical help and advice after being weighed only.
She said, "It's great to have models like Gemma talking and using their platform to raise these issues. It helps others to know that you can get a positive place in your recovery, but also that you can live a happy and fulfilling life.
"Anorexia has the potential to ruin lives, but Gemma has demonstrated the power to go around in circles.
"If we do not stop this practice, then more people with disorders will live without any life, they will be left in trouble with nothing and nobody to support."
Anorexia has the highest death rate of any eating disorder (20% of the victims die prematurely) and has devastating effects on the rest of the family.
"Early treatment can save lives and is also a cost-effective approach, aside from the ethical aspect."
Hope, 28, who has battled anorexia for a decade and wrote the book titled Stand Tall Little Girl about her experiences, adds, "The longer you stay with a diet disorder, the longer it will be. will be difficult to recover and these weight-related rejections will only reinforce the stigma to be as thin as a stick for having a "eating disorder".
The Ministry of Health and Social Services stresses that treatment decisions must be evidence-based and include patient feedback, while the government has promised additional funding for mental health services in its long-term plan for the NHS.
But Gemma, who appeared in Holby City, in several British films and as Rachel Breckle of Emmerdale from 2011 to 2015, calls for more energetic actions and greater awareness of the causes of eating disorders.
"The government needs to review the clinical guidelines to help people with disorders," she says. "A disorder does not always have to be a person with a low weight.There are many types of eating disorders, with their own health risks."
Gemma says that bulimia alone can cause heart attacks and that often you would not know that someone is suffering from their appearance.
"A eating disorder is not about weight, but thoughts and feelings, it's a mental illness.
"More and more people are being fired from their GP because they're not small enough to have a problem – it's terrifying!
"Early intervention is essential for treating a eating disorder. When a person is refused, the disease develops. She does not stop as if by magic. This person could be dead in six months. That's the reality. "
Gemma became anorexic at just 10 years old (Image: Ken McKay / ITV / REX / Shutterstock)
Gemma also thinks that blaming social media diverts society's ability to understand the impact of a nutritional disorder on mental health.
"The fact that there is still a misconception that images are the cause of a disorder boils my blood.I think what feeds him is his lack of understanding and his ignorance.
"A eating disorder is a mental illness.
Not something that stems from an image that they see. This point of view undermines and devalues anyone in the grip of a eating disorder.
"It's too easy to say that social media causes an increase in unrest.
"People need to be more aware and understand the depths of this devastating disease. The increase is not caused by images, but by a lack of help at the right time.
"Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of all mental illnesses yet we are still far from having the right treatment in place accessible to all.
"I was fired and it caused untold damage, it should never happen again and we must do everything in our power to stop it."
POSITIVE … Author and activist Hope Virgo has been fighting against anorexia for a decade (Image: collect)
The Ministry of Health and Social Services reminded hospitals and clinics to adhere to the recommended treatment guidelines.
In 2017, he organized additional training programs promoting rapid response when a eating disorder was suspected and emphasizing the importance of not using weight or BMI as the only one criterion.
He says he is on track to treat 95% of all urgent cases in children and adolescents in one week and non-urgent cases in four weeks by 2020/21.
For help, please visit seedeatingdisorders.org.uk.
To sign the Dump the Scales petition, see: https://www.change.org/p/eating-disorders-are-not-just-about-weightdumpthescales
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