Eating Disorders

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fattest one of all?

- Unknown

Men and women of all ages, races and incomes get eating disorders. Almost eighty percent of people with eating disorders started with dieting. Experts estimate one in four college women are bulimic. Did you know ninety percent of women overestimate their weight and everyday fifty six percent of women are on a diet. It is also not surprising that eating disorders are on the increase because of the value society places on being thin. Women especially are given the message at a very young age in order for them to be happy and successful they have to be thin. Did you also know the average model weighs twenty three percent less then an average woman. According to medical standards they fit into having a disorder. Diet commercials are constantly appearing on television screens telling us that losing weight will make everyone happy. Over five million American men

and women suffer from eating disorders. (Vollstadt 45) Depression, shame, and agonizing sense of isolation is caused by eating disorders, they disrupt families, schools, and damages careers. It's unfortunate, but in today's society, people have forgotten that it's what's on the inside that counts, not what's on the outside.

One percent of teenage girls in the US develops anorexia nervosa and up to ten percent of those may die as a result.(AABA 3) Anorexia nervosa is a disorder in which preoccupation with dieting and thinness leads to excessive weight loss. The individual may not acknowledge that his or her weight loss or restrictive eating is a problem. Most women and an increasing number of men are motivated by the urge to become thin. Anorexics usually strive for perfection. They usually have a low self-esteem and sometimes feel that they don't deserve to eat. Denying the problem occurs most of the time. There are many warning signs for anorexia. Some of the signs are having a noticeable weight loss, becoming withdrawn, lots more exercise, fatigue, weakness in muscles, headaches, and a different attitude towards others. There's many more, but just look at the ones here and say that they aren't dangerous. There are also many medical conditions

to go with this disease like hair loss, bloating, cold hands and feet, etc. Some people wear baggy clothes to make themselves feel skinnier then they already are and they still feel the urge to lose more weight. Anorexics close to death will show you on their bodies where they feel they need to lose weight. No matter what their weight is, they still feel fat and need to lose more weight. It is not uncommon for someone who develops the disorder to starve his/herself until they weigh just 60 or 70 pounds. Researchers have discovered that a part of the brain called the hypothalamus begins to work improperly after the onset of anorexia. The hypothalamus controls such activities as maintenance of water balance, regulation of body temperature, secretion of the endocrine glands and sugar and fat metabolism.(ANAD 16) Further studies are needed, however, to determine if anorexia patients have a biological predisposition to develop the illness.

Bulimia is an eating disorder that involves eating binges followed by quickly purging, using laxatives, and other efforts. It is also related with anorexia, but doesn't have the large weight loss that goes along with it. It can cause gastrointestinal problems, potassium depletion, and damage to teeth from the acid in regurgitated food. Bulimia usually develops during adolescence, especially among females, from pressures including the social emphasis on sliminess. Just like an anorexic the bulimic uses self-destructive eating behaviors to deal with psychological problems that go deeper. An individual feels out of control and recognizes that the behavior is not normal. There are actually two different types of bulimia. There is the purging kind and the non-purging kind. The purging type: during the current episode of Bulimia Nervosa, the person has regularly engaged in self-induced vomiting or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas. The non-purging type: during the current episode of Bulimia Nervosa, the person has used other inappropriate compensatory behaviors, such as fasting or excessive exercise, but has not regularly engaged in self-induced vomiting or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas. (MSB 1) Some warning signs may be vomiting, mood swings, depression, tooth decay, and irregular heartbeats. The list goes on and on. Some experience medical complications and physical problems like dizziness, shortness of breath, lack of energy, and some major organ damage. It's not looking good for some people who have bulimia.

Binge eating can be very dangerous to everyone.