A team of psychologists from the CISOM to the aid of the families of adolescents affected by food disorders: is the new initiative launched by the Italian Relief Corps of the Order of Malta thanks to the support of the Eni Foundation and in collaboration with the Italian Society of Pediatrics (SIP). The initiative is part of the project “YOU ARE NOT ALONE”, designed to cope with the needs and discomforts generated by the Covid-19 pandemic, and has involved, since the end of August, teams of CISOM psychologists specifically trained to offer active listening and address the psychological distress that eating disorders hide.
The service is active from Monday to Friday, from 9.00 to 17.00, at the number 06 95945656.
“The pandemic has further aggravated the psychological distress of many children and young people, who have inevitably seen the possibility of a healthy life shrink, increasing isolation and loneliness. – explains the National Director of CISOM – The increase in eating disorders among adolescents is one of the most serious consequences, but to help children we must offer support and tools first of all to their families, fathers and mothers who risk feeling powerless in the face of such a profound and self-destructive malaise. The new and important synergy established between CISOM and Eni Foundation has made possible the realization of this important project, dedicated entirely to counteracting the increase in eating disorders in children and adolescents, providing concrete help to families who, due to the current health emergency, are now facing situations of growing discomfort “.
The average increase of cases of eating disorders among adolescents in the last year (February 2020 – February 2021) compared to the same period 2019-2020 is 30%, with a lowering of the age group (13-16 years). The psychological listening desk of CISOM and Eni Foundation is a first step to give concrete answers and not to leave parents and family members alone.
But the “YOU ARE NOT ALONE” project does not stop there, with the collaboration of the Food Bank and the Caritas Ambrosiana, it also provides for further activities in the three major Italian cities, Milan, Rome and Naples, to which are added Ravenna, Gela, Taranto and Porto Torres: the distribution of educational and informative material and information guides on malnutrition, eating disorders and correct behavior in managing the difficulties related to these pathological conditions; the training of volunteers and care workers, who come into contact with children and adolescents, on the issue of eating disorders.
Since September, the “YOU ARE NOT ALONE” project also provides for the distribution of food parcels and proximity services for families in need, now more numerous due to the economic crisis following the pandemic.
CISOM – Italian Relief Corps of the Order of Malta – is a non-profit foundation, with civil, social, health care, humanitarian and cooperation purposes, instrumental to the Sovereign Order of Malta. Faithful to the motto “Seduli in accurrendo, alacres in succurrendo” and to the values of the millennial Order of Malta, for over 50 years doctors, nurses, psychologists, logisticians and the more than 4000 CISOM volunteers present in every Italian region have brought relief, aid and comfort on the occasion of national and international natural disasters, during important events with a strong impact on public safety, in the streets and among the most lonely and needy people; CISOM is also involved in health care activities for migrants in difficulty in the Strait of Sicily and Lampedusa . www.cisom.org