 Eating
Disorders such as anorexia,
bulimia and binge eating disorders include extreme
emotions, attitudes and behaviors surrounding weight
and food issues.
For most they
bring on serious emotional and
physical problems that can have life threatening
set of consequences for females and males.
Because of the secretiveness
and shame associated
with
eating disorders, many cases are
probably not
reported.
In addition, many individuals struggle with body
dissatisfaction and sub-clinical disorder eating
attitudes and behaviors. For example, 80% of
American
women are
dissatisfied with their
appearance
(Smolak, 1996).
But remember eating disorders impact both
women
and men!
The types of eating
disorders that face many today
include the following;
Anorexia Nervosa
This is characterized by self-starvation and excessive
weight
loss.
Symptoms
- Refusal to maintain
body weight at or above
a minimally normal weight for
height, body
type, age and activity level.
- Intense fear of
weight gain or being fat.
- Feeling fat or
overweight despite dramatic
weight loss.
- Loss of menstrual
periods
- Extreme concern with
body weight and shape
Bulimia Nervosa
This is
characterized by a secretive cycle of binge
eating followed by
purging. Bulimia includes eating
large amounts of food,
more than most people would
eat in one meal, in very short
periods of time. Then
the individual gets rid of the food
and/or calories through vomiting, laxatives, abuse or
over-exercising.
Symptoms
-
Repeated episodes of binge eating and
purging
-
Feeling totally out of control during binging
eating
beyond the point of discomfort.
-
Purging the food after binging through
self-induced
vomiting, abuse of laxatives, diet pills and/or diuretics,
excessive exercise or fasting.
-
Frequent dieting
-
Extreme concern with body weight and
shape.
BINGE EATING DISORDER
(also
known as
COMPULSIVE OVEREATING)
is characterized
primarily by periods of uncontrolled,
impulsive, or
continuous eating beyond the point of feeling
comfortably full. While there is no purging, there may be
sporadic fasts or repetitive diets and often feelings of
shame
or self-hatred after a binge. People who overeat compulsively
may struggle with anxiety, depression, and loneliness, which can
contribute to
their unhealthy episodes of binge eating. Body
weight may vary from
normal to mild, moderate, or severe obesity.
Other eating disorders
This can
include some combinations of the signs
and symptoms of anorexia,
bulimia and/or binge
eating disorders.
These
behaviors may not be clinically considered to
be full syndrome
eating disorders, they can be as
physically dangerous and
emotionally draining.
All eating
disorders required medical attention and
support from family and
friends.
What
can be done?
Eating disorders are
serious health conditions that
can be both physically and
emotionally destructive.
People with eating disorders need to seek professional
help.
Early diagnosis and intervention significantly
enhances
recovery. If not identified or treated in their
early stages,
eating disorders can become chronic,
debilitating, and even
life-threatening conditions.
- Don't sit back and
watch, get involved no
matter how much pain
- Be a good listener,
you are not the expert
- Be honest and caring
to the person
- Make the person trust
you
- Get to the center of
the problem. Eating is
not the core of the problem.
- Don't keep bringing
up food. They will
think you are the food police
- Monitoring the
actions of the individual
- Use resources to find
recovery treatment/
therapy
- Get educated on each
type of eating disorder
- Understand the
symptoms and take action
if
you notice critical medical
situation
- Focus recovery one
day at a time. Small
rewards and encouragement
Most of all,
all people with eating disorders deserve
to find recovery and
the happiness and self-love on
the other side.
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