In a country where centuries-old traditions coexist with the rush of modern life, a quiet phenomenon is unfolding among Egypt’s youth. Eating disorders (EDs), serious mental health conditions characterized by unhealthy eating habits, such as extreme dieting, overeating, or food restriction, often driven by an unhealthy obsession with body weight or shape, are on the rise.
As of 2024, an estimated 13.3 percent of Egyptian youth, aged 15 to 23, are now battling EDs, a study published in The Egyptian Journal of Neurology, Psychiatry and Neurosurgery revealed.
Egyptian and broader Arab cultures have traditionally celebrated curvier body types, linking them to fertility and prosperity, according to a 1990 study about cultural factors in eating disorders and body shape preferences among Arabs. With sweeping sociocultural shifts across the Arab world, fueled by greater exposure to Western media, evolving beauty ideals, and an emphasis on thinness or being ‘skinny,’ particularly among young women, has emerged.
The cultural shift has triggered a surge in body dissatisfaction, restrictive dieting, and disordered eating behaviors, with females being most at risk, exposing gaps in a strained mental health system and deep-rooted cultural stigmas surrounding psychotherapy, as reported in a 2020 study conducted in the Netherlands.
Such disorders take many forms, each with distinct patterns and serious health risks. For example, anorexia nervosa, an ED, is marked by extreme food restriction and a distorted body image, often leading to dangerous weight loss. On the other hand, bulimia nervosa involves cycles of binge eating followed by purging behaviors such as vomiting or excessive exercise, typically hidden from others, and binge ED features episodes of overeating without purging, often resulting in obesity.
In children and adolescents, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) stems not from body image concerns but from aversions to certain foods, leading to malnutrition. Orthorexia, though not officially recognized, reflects an unhealthy obsession with “clean eating,” sometimes causing social isolation and nutritional deficiencies.
While comprehensive national data remain limited, the Assiut Scientific Nursing Journal found a steady increase in cases, especially among adolescents with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa in the lead.
Among the Egyptian youth included in the 2024 study, 8.4 percent had bilimia nervosa, 1.4 percent had binge eating disorder, 0.8 percent had Subthreshold anorexia nervosa, meaning it does not meet all the disorder’s characteristics, and 2.7 percent had Subthreshold bulimia nervosa.
Despite the prevalence, EDs remain steeped in stigma throughout Egypt. Deep-rooted cultural views on mental health hinder open dialogue and delay efforts to seek help. Many families tend to view the symptoms as physical conditions rather than signs of psychological distress, often resulting in misdiagnosis or neglect.
However, the stigma is a global challenge that affects access to mental health care. According to the 2020 study, EDs are linked to a range of physical and psychological complications, including malnutrition, anemia, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and, in some cases, suicide attempts. Without treatment, these conditions often persist for years, marked by high rates of relapse and mortality.
Another study, a cross-sectional online survey in 2024 involving 317 individuals with EDs, had similar findings, stating that stigmatization is linked to worsened psychopathological symptoms, longer illness duration, lower self-esteem, and heightened internalized stigma about seeking mental health support.
The issue is further exacerbated by a lack of public awareness, and little education on healthy body image or the risks of disordered eating, and specialized care remains scarce. Only a few clinics in Egypt are working actively to raise awareness and provide access to care, most of which are concentrated in major cities such as Cairo. Such clinics include Nine Psychology’s Eating & Body Challenges Clinic and Good Hope Psychiatry Clinic.
While the clinics address a need, experts urge for expanded research to understand the scope and unique characteristics of EDs in Egypt, guiding public education campaigns to combat stigma and promote early intervention.
However, these efforts would be ineffective without healthcare professionals receiving proper training to recognize and treat these disorders. Integrating mental health care into schools and community health programs through supportive policies would further strengthen efforts to combat the issue.
As eating disorders rise in Egypt, addressing the issue will require greater involvement from families, educators, policymakers, and healthcare professionals.
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