Body image concerns spark suicidal thoughts
A huge number of adults in the United Kingdom have experienced suicidal thoughts because of concerns about their body image, according to a new survey.
A poll of 4,505 adults aged 18 and over by the Mental Health Foundation, a charity, found just more than one-third of UK adults have felt anxious or depressed because of concerns about their body image. One in eight adults have experienced suicidal thoughts or feelings because of concerns about their body image.
The survey was commissioned as part of Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK, which this year has the theme of body image.
The charity is calling for changes in the way social media and advertising portray body image, with more than one in five adults and almost half of 18 to 24-year-olds having said social media had caused them to worry about their body image.
Mark Rowland, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation, said: "Our survey indicates that millions of adults in the UK are struggling with concerns about their body image. For some people this is potentially very severe, with a large number saying they have self-harmed or had suicidal thoughts and feelings."
Women are more likely to be affected by body image issues than men. One in 10 women said they have self-harmed, or "deliberately hurt themselves", because of their body image, compared with 4 percent of men.
The charity said men are also affected, with one quarter having admitted they felt depressed because of concerns about their body image.
"Women, and particularly young women, are showing the highest rates of distress. Significant numbers have felt feelings of disgust and shame or changed their behavior to avoid situations that make them reflect negatively about their bodies," Rowland said.
"But body image issues can affect anyone and at any stage in life. Our research suggests that a worrying proportion of men have felt anxious or depressed about their bodies."
Rowland said that with many people attributing their concerns about body image to social media, the government needs to do more to tackle the issue.
It is not just adults who are feeling compelled to look a certain way on social media.
Almost two-thirds of young people feel pressured to look their best online, according to new findings from the Be Real Campaign, whose objective was to change attitudes to body image.
The research showed that more than 67 percent regularly worry about the way they look and the same number edit photos of themselves before posting on social media.
More than half of the 2,000 young people surveyed, aged 11 to 24-year-old, said celebrities and influencers sharing more realistic images of themselves would encourage people to post content that more accurately reflect what they look like in real life.
"Social media continues to present a multitude of dangers for young people. These dangers are not just limited to the content they see, but also the pressure young people face to emulate them," said Denise Hatton, chief executive for YMCA England & Wales.
The YMCA's Be Real Campaign is urging people to fight against unrealistic beauty standards and hold brands and organizations accountable if they lack diversity or promote an unhealthy body image.
In a latest study, Britain was found to be lagging behind other European cities when it comes to hospital beds for young people struggling with mental health issues.
According to a study into all 28 countries in the European Union, the UK is in 18th place for the number of inpatient beds available per 100,000 young people.
There are 9.4 beds per 100,000 young people in the UK, while Germany had the most with 64 beds and Sweden the least with 1.2 beds.
Swaran Singh, a professor at University of Warwick, said: "With around a tenth of young people likely to experience mental health issues, it's a matter of concern that the approach to child mental health varies so dramatically across Europe. Our youth deserve better mental healthcare than they currently receive."
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(China Daily Global 05/20/2019 page3)
