European Journalists April Issue | Page 26

A  CAMPAIN  AGAINST    ANOREXIA       Anorexia:  it  has  become  the  most  serious  disease  of  the  new  century  among  the   young.   Most   scientists,   psychiatrists,   sociologists   and   associations   have   been   promoting  initiatives  in  order  to  raise  awareness  about  it  and  try  to  be  helpful.     On   April   3rd   a   new   campaign   against   anorexia   started   in   Rome   thanks   to   the    second    meeting    included  in  the   campaign   of   communication,                                               information   and   awareness   against   anorexia   that     the   “Aidaf/   Federation”,   the   association   representing   dance   schools,   has   promoted   until   30th   June   2014,   together    with  “Agiscuola”  and  the  pediatric    hospital  “Bambino  Gesù”    in  Rome.     On   24th   March     in   the   course   of   the   meeting     called   the   “Body   for   several   different  dances”,  the  child  psychiatrist,  Stefano  Vicari,    presented      seven  of  the   short   stories   included   in   his   latest   book   called   “The   salad   under   the   pillow”,   in   front   of   a   packed   audience   of   students     of   high   schools   in   Rome   AGIS.   These   stories   deal   with   real   cases   of   psychiatric     disorders   in   adolescence,   including   anorexia.   Nowadays     physical   appearance   has   been   dominating   both   the   mind   and   the   body,   the   book     which   combines   words   and   the   artistic   gestures   of   dancing   bodies,  has  the  aim  to  give  a  strong  and  positive  message  of  hope.   According  to  Stefano  Vicari,  who  wrote  this  book  in  order  to  make  people  know,   in   a   non-­‐scientific   genre,   adolescence   is     characterized   by   emotions   and   experiences     ranging   from   anguish   to   ecstasy     but       dance,   far   from   causing   anorexia,  may  be,  among  most  sports,  the   most  effective  therapy  against  this  eating   disorder.  He  demonstrated  that    it  can  be   used  as  an  effective  therapy  thanks  to  the   absence    of  the  idea  of  competition  which