Eating Disorders

645 Words2 Pages

There are two main types of eating disorders, and one that has not yet been confirmed as a disease. These are Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge-Eating Disorder. These disorders are not due to a failure of will or behavior, but are real, treatable illnesses in which certain poor patterns of eating take on a life of their own. These disorders usually co-occur with other illnesses such as depression, substance abuse, and anxiety disorders. Women are more likely to suffer from eating disorders, but they do occur in both sexes. They can happen at any age, but mostly occur in adolescence or young adulthood. Sometimes, these illnesses are serious enough to cause death, so early detection is essential in learning how to treat the patients effectively. Eating disordered people have many different body weights. The names of the diseases do not refer to body type, but behavior. Someone who is overweight can still have food restrictive behaviors, and a very skinny person can be a compulsive overeater. These people are also very strong. They have a problem with food, but they have chosen a private method of expression that affects themselves directly and everyone else second. Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa include the need to maintain a body weight that is considerably lower than the normal weight for age and height, the intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat even though they are underweight, a distorted view of body shape, or denial of the seriousness of the current low body weight, and women will usually not have a menstrual cycle. Anorexics see themselves as "fat" even if they are as thin as a toothpick. They become obsessed with the eating process itself, either by avoiding food completely, eating on a... ... middle of paper ... ...eated. I do not believe it is easy to live in a country that puts so much emphasis on weight, and no I don't think a person can "just eat" once the behavior begins. It isn't that easy. These are serious psychological disorders, most of which are caused by other issues. I think eating disorders occur in abused women more often than others because it gives them a sense of control. They feel they have no control in their lives, so they will use the one thing no one is able to take from them - food. You cannot force a person to eat or stop them from inducing vomiting. If you know of someone, or even suspect someone who is suffering from these disorders, the best you can do is try to convince them to get help, and to support them as best you can. Hopefully, we as a society will learn how to build a child's self image, rather than always shoving `perfection' at them.

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