Eating Disorders

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Fingerprints mark the glass. She stands, glaring at that girl. She glares at the round rolls that fall over her arms, thighs, and stomach. Flabs call her to attention, releasing flowing bile up her throat. She gags and sputters. So hideous. So disgusting. So obese. She takes a step backwards. She takes another, and another, and another. Her feet catch on the floor and she falls, a Goliath falling to the ground. Screams echo from the walls. She covers her ears, but she can’t escape the noise. She screams back at that girl, who went from frightened to raving. They shout at each other. A battle of gruesome words. Tears trickle down both sets of cheeks. She stops. She looks back to that girl, that fat girl. That girl who doesn’t exercise enough. That girl who can’t put a fork down. That girl who she couldn’t help, but detest. That girl who stared back, defiantly. Together, they crawl to the glass and lay hand over hand. Their moves are perfectly mimicked, perfectly timed. And then they raise their fists, and they shatter the mirror. Common sense seems to dictate that it’s completely reasonable for people to wish to look different or to fix a certain aspect of themselves. However, the moment this “healthier lifestyle” becomes an obsession, when it dominates your thoughts, eating habits, and life, the signs indicate a possibility of an eating disorder (www.helpguide.org, 2013). According to a study done by colleagues at the American Journal of Psychiatry (2009), the mortality rate of those suffering from anorexia nervosa is 4%. Because of the outrageously large mortality rate, more attention should be placed on the awareness of anorexia nervosa in the female population (as it estimates that the majority of 85-... ... middle of paper ... .../anorexia-nervosa/anorexia-nervosa-cause Husney, A., Agras, S. (2011, August). Pro-anorexia web sites: the thin web line. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/anorexia-nervosa/features/pro-anorexia-web-sites-thin-web-line National Association of Anorexia and Associated Disorders. (2013). Anorexia nervosa. Retrieved from http://www.anad.org/get-information/about-eating-disorders/anorexia-nervosa/ Rogge, T., Zieve, D., Blackman, B., Slon, S., Wang, N. (2013, February). Anorexia nervosa. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001401/ Savage, M. (2009, November). Bullying link to eating disorders. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/10003054 Smith, M., Segal J. (2013, December). Anorexia nervosa signs, symptoms, causes, and treatment. Retrieved from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/anorexia_signs_symptoms_causes_treatment.htm

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