Eating+Disorders

Everywhere you look now of days you see images of female bodies. Women and their body parts are now being used to sell everything from women’s clothes, men clothes, cars, and even food. With actress’s, celebrities, and models now of days being taller, thinner, and younger its putting more undo pressure on my generation to live up to the unrealistic standers of beauty these people are setting for us. All teenagers having a need to always fit in and be accepted by their peers have pushed girls now to do unhealthy and damaging things to their bodies. One being not eating or in taking next to no calories this is called anorexia. Another eating disorder is called bulimia which is when they will still eat food but right after eating make themselves throw it all back up. Another form is excessive exercise this is where women take exercising way too far and exercise for extreme amount of time each day. Lastly is the abuse of laxatives, laxatives are safe and meant to be used when truly needed but people now are taking them in large amounts to make sure that right after they eat something it immediately exits their body. Studies show that eating disorders are now affecting girls as young as 5 or 6. So here is some more information on the two most common eating disorders anorexia and bulimia. These two eating disorders are normally what lead people to do other things like exercise extremely, and abusing laxatives and diet pills.

Anorexia nervosa which is more commonly known as anorexia, is an eating disorder but also a psychological disorder. A person with anorexia starts out as a way to lose weight but that then becomes secondary to the control or fear of one’s body. Someone with anorexia often doesn’t stop at restrictive eating they also will exercise extensively, use laxatives, and or diet pills they do this in order to feel a sense of control over their body. Anorexia is most commonly found in teenage girls, in the upper and middle classes. Males may also have it but only 0.3% of men will have it. People in careers such as athletes, modeling, acting, or performers are the most likely to have anorexia. Statistics say that every 1 and 100 teenage girls will develop anorexia. Many think that anorexia is a gene inherited from a parent but it’s also shown that it shows up a lot more in people that had childhood abuse. Another big factor is the persons personality often people that have low self-image, also negative feelings, and someone that is a perfectionist. There are four basic criteria for the diagnosis of anorexia nervosa that are characteristic. The refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height (maintaining a body weight less than 85% of the expected weight). An intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though the person is underweight. Self-perception that is grossly distorted, excessive emphasis on body weight in self-assessment, and weight loss that is either minimized or not acknowledged completely. Lastly in women who have already begun their menstrual cycle, at least three consecutive periods are missed (amenorrhea), or menstrual periods occur only after a hormone is administered. Although it is often very difficult to diagnose when someone does have anorexia.

There is also Bulimia which is where someone binge eats 3,000 to 5,000 calories at one sitting and then afterwards the guilt of it sets it. That’s when people go to extreme measures to remove the food from their body by either forcing themselves throw it back up, taking laxatives, or exercising to extreme amounts. There is a binge and purge cycle, it is shown the more strict and rigid the diet it’s more likely you’ll become preoccupied or even obsessed with food. The danger of starving yourself is your body will respond with powerful cravings. The cycle is that people start out wanting to lose weight so they put themselves on a strict diet not letting themselves have many different foods which lead to tension and cravings for these foods. The cravings then become so bad that the person binge eats they start to stress because they have taken in a couple thousands calories at one time so they purge to avoid weight gain after they have went through all this the person starts the feeling of shame and disgust with themselves for what they have just done so the cycle starts all over again. The problem with this is if you throw up right after you eat you only throw up about 50% of what you just ate so people with Bulimia will most likely end up gaining weight. Signs of someone with this might be going into the kitchen after everyone has went to bed, not having control over how much they eat, going out on food runs alone, smelling like vomit, going to the bathroom right after all meals, there are even some physical signs as well scars on their hands and knuckles from putting them down throat, and puffy chipmunk cheeks or discolored teeth. Bulimia is more commonly seen in females over males only 5 to 15 percent of males are believed to have bulimia. Both males and females show the same characteristics low self-image, the need to be accepted, or inability to cope with family and relationship issues. Bulimia seems to be showing up a lot more with men that wrestle or homosexual males. Bulimia is shown mostly in the upper and middle classes in all ethnic groups. Bulimia is more common in young girls between the age of 9 and 11, and in older women having the need to want to stay young and thin.

Eating disorders are very serious diseases that should not be ignored; they can be very damaging to people’s bodies and have lifelong affects as well. So if someone you know is dealing with either anorexia or bulimia don’t wait another minute they need your help more than ever. There are many opinions to help your loved ones by talking to their doctor or calling the eating disorder center of Denver for help at 1.877.301.7003 or visiting their site for more information at [|www.edcdenver.com]. Don’t wait another if someone around you is dealing with an eating disorder the longer you wait the more you’re hurting them.

[] __ [] __ __ [] __ __ [] __ __ [] __ __ Resources: __ National eating disorder association. (2011). Retrieved from [] WebMD, L. (2009). Medicine net. Retrieved from [] Segal, R. (1999). Help guide. Retrieved from [] Clinaero, I. (2006). emedtv. Retrieved from [] EDC, D. (2009). Eating disorder center of denver. Retrieved from []