The Dangers of Eating Disorders

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The Dangers of Eating Disorders

How a person perceives their body is influenced by what it looks like to them and what it looks like to others. Our society teaches us through media and social pressure that body image is important. Feeling attractive is an important part of self worth and for many, feeling attractive means matching a certain ideal appearance. Most of us will never be able to look like this ideal, but the message we get is that we risk social failure if we do not try hard enough. When we believe this message we may feel incompetent and depressed and have low self-esteem because we cant meet impossible standards of appearance.

The two main types of eating disorders Anorexia Nervosa, and Bulimia Nervosa, also known as binge eating. There are many health and mental complications that go along with these two problems. The major complications of binge eating disorder are the diseases that accompany obesity. These include diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, gallbladder disease, heart disease, and certain types of cancer. People with binge eating disorder are extremely distressed by their binge eating. Most have tried to control it on their own but have not succeeded for very long. Some people miss work, school, or social activities to binge eat. Obese people with binge eating disorder often feel bad about themselves, are preoccupied with their appearance, and may avoid social gatherings.

Most feel ashamed and try to hide their problem. Often they are so successful that close family members and friends don't know they binge eat. Things that can cause binge eating are still unknown, but half the people with an eating disorder have a history of depression. Whether depression is a cause...

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...oblem too, and you cant just rush right into it and expect to get rid of it. Anorexia can be very devastating to a persons health physically and mentally.

Women and men need to develop personal skills that will help them feel good about themselves without placing an emphasis on physical appearance. No one should rely on dieting, excersize, and dressing to determine one's self worth.

Bibliography:

References

Salisbury, J.J., and Mitchell, J. E. (1991) American Journal of Psychiatry, 148, 768-777.

Study Group on Anorexia Nervosa. (1995) Journal of Eating Disorders ,17, 235-241.

Rastem, M. and Gillberg, C. (1991) Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolscent Psychiatry,30, 238-239.

Stober, M. (1991) Journal of Clinical Psychiatry,52,9-12.

Sullican, P. S.(1995) American Journal of Psychiatry, 125,1073-1078.

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