I was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa when I was 14, but it took months for doctors to recognise it. Many believed I was simply dieting or “rebelling” against my parents, and I even had to explain what an eating disorder was to some of them.

During that time, my mental and physical health kept getting worse, and it took years to regain my strength. I’m incredibly grateful that my parents took me to another state for treatment, but not every child gets that chance.

My experience made me realise how easily eating disorders can be dismissed as dieting, teenage rebellion, or a phase. There are still children and teenagers whose struggles are misunderstood or left untreated because of this. Treatment should not depend on how well someone is able to explain their disorder or how severe their condition has become. Everyone struggling with an eating disorder deserves to be recognised, understood, and treated with the seriousness their condition requires.

Eating disorders are not limited to anorexia nervosa. They include conditions such as bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, ARFID, and OSFED, each affecting people differently. While some involve restricting food, others involve binge eating, purging, or avoiding certain foods due to fear, sensory issues, or other difficulties. Because these disorders can look very different from one another, they are often misunderstood or mistaken for dieting or unhealthy eating habits

According to the World Health Organization, the prevalence of eating disorders in India is disturbingly high, with up to 10% of young women affected by conditions like anorexia and bulimia. Yet, most healthcare providers lack the necessary training to recognize and treat these complex illnesses, which require a multi-disciplinary approach combining mental health support, medical care, and nutritional counselling.

We urge the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to take immediate action to address this gap. Key steps should include:

• Introduce eating-disorder training for healthcare professionals
  Include basic training on the recognition, assessment, and appropriate referral of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, ARFID and other eating disorders within existing adolescent and mental-health training programmes. India already has systems for training general healthcare workers in early identification and referral, so this could be incorporated into those structures.
  
  
• Introduce a standardised identification and referral protocol.
  Suspected eating disorders should trigger a defined process of assessment, referral and follow-up rather than being dismissed as dieting, poor behaviour or teenage rebellion. 
  
  
• Integrate eating-disorder awareness into existing school health programmes.
   Schools should provide age-appropriate information on eating disorders, body image and when to seek professional help.
  
  
• Require multidisciplinary treatment for diagnosed cases.
  Treatment should address both the physical and psychological consequences of an eating disorder, with appropriate coordination between medical professionals, mental-health professionals and nutrition specialists. Recovery should be monitored over time rather than being reduced to food intake or weight alone.
  
  
• Establish measurable standards for eating-disorder care.
  Public healthcare institutions should record referrals, treatment access and follow-up for identified eating-disorder cases. This would make it possible to identify gaps in services and measure whether interventions are actually reaching adolescents.

These actions are not just beneficial but necessary. With increased awareness and better resources, we can ensure that individuals suffering from eating disorders in India receive timely and effective care, reducing long-term impacts on their lives.

Please sign this petition to urge the government to improve the understanding and treatment of eating disorders in India, ensuring that no child feels isolated or misunderstood during their time of need. Together, we can make a difference and pave the way for more compassionate and informed healthcare in our nation.