Overview of Eating Disorders
Sorry we haven't been posting as much lately! We've both been pretty busy with college stuff and just general schoolwork. However, we will try our best to stay on track.
According to the National Eating Disorders Association (http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/), "eating disorders – such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder – include extreme emotions, attitudes, and behaviors surrounding weight and food issues."
Anorexia is a condition in which someone is unhappy with their body and strives relentlessly to be thinner. Those with this condition can have such a distorted body image that they see themselves as overweight when they are actually starving or malnourished. This condition can be fatal, as a person can starve themselves to death. Some warning signs from the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders include: • Deliberate self-starvation with weight loss • Intense, persistent fear of gaining weight • Refusal to eat or highly restrictive eating • Continuous dieting • Excessive facial/body hair because of inadequate protein in the diet • Compulsive exercise • Abnormal weight loss • Sensitivity to cold • Absent or irregular menstruation in females • Hair loss
Binge Eating is a condition where someone regularly eats a large amount of food in a short period of time, and is unable to control their eating habits. These binges can be a way for the person to make up for something lacking in their life, or to forget about troubles they are having. The person is disgusted with themselves after overeating, and this leads to significant drop in self confidence. This condition can lead to serious complications, as the foods of choice for binge-eaters are usually high in sugars and fats. Some symptoms from the National Institute of Health include: • Eats large amounts of food in a short period, for example, every 2 hours • Is not able to control overeating, for example is unable to stop eating or control the amount of food consumed • Eats food very fast each time • Keeps eating even when full (gorging) or until uncomfortably full • Eats even though not hungry • Eats alone (in secret) • Feels guilty, disgusted, ashamed, or depressed after eating so much
Bulimia is when a person takes part in binge eating, but then attempts to "cancel out" these actions by engaging in actions such as induced vomitting or taking laxatives. This is extremely dangerous, as you are altering the body's normal digestive processes. Vomitting damages the esophagus and teeth, as well as the body's electrolyte content. This can lead to the failure of organs, including heart failure, which can result in death. Some warning signs from the National Eating Disorders Association include: • Evidence of binge eating, including disappearance of large amounts of food in short periods of time or finding wrappers and containers indicating the consumption of large amounts of food. • Evidence of purging behaviors, including frequent trips to the bathroom after meals, signs and/or smells of vomiting, presence of wrappers or packages of laxatives or diuretics. • Excessive, rigid exercise regimen--despite weather, fatigue, illness, or injury, the compulsive need to “burn off” calories taken in. • Unusual swelling of the cheeks or jaw area. • Calluses on the back of the hands and knuckles from self-induced vomiting. • Discoloration or staining of the teeth. • Creation of lifestyle schedules or rituals to make time for binge-and-purge sessions. • Withdrawal from usual friends and activities. • In general, behaviors and attitudes indicating that weight loss, dieting, and control of food are becoming primary concerns. • Continued exercise despite injury; overuse injuries.
Eating disorders have increasingly become a problem in recent years, especially among females between the ages of 12 and 25. This is due to the prevalent and ever-present images of "perfect women" plastered basically everywhere for women and girls of all ages to see. With advertisers seeking to make a profit off of low self-esteem and a desire to improve oneself, there is a pressure put on women to constantly strive to look good 24/7, whether it involves trying to cut down their waist or get a bigger ass. This makes it extremely difficult for women and girls to foster a healthy mindset and self confidence, and the presence of harsh throughts about oneself has become commonplace and "normal." This is not the case, and these thoughts can lead to destructive behavior.
Although this problem is most widespread among females, this does not mean that it is not a problem for males as well. The focus on females in campaigns and advertising has discouraged males with this condition to seek help, with the stigma that it is a "woman's disease." This touches a bit on gender issues and the dangers of assigning certain things to just one sex, but that will be discussed further in a another post.
The most important thing to remember is that feelings of being dissatisfied with your body should NOT be encouraged or indulged upon. Self-satisfaction and confidence are crucial to a healthy mentality. If you believe you or someone you know is experiencing the symptoms of any of these conditions, get help ASAP. These conditions are extremely common, and if you believe that you are affected, you will not be alone.
If you need help, NEDA has some great resources: http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/find-help-support .