Eating Disorders - Fiction vs. Fact
Separating Truth From the Falsehoods Regarding Abnormal Eating
Dec 29, 2008
Do eating disorders really exist, or are they just an excuse for creating new diagnoses? Fact, eating disorders do exist and are defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (a diagnostic tool as the name suggests).
Eating Disorders are Rare
Fact: The numbers of people suffering from eating disorders are on the rise - not only in the United States but throughout the world.
People Make a Decision to Develop an Eating Disorder
Fact: No one makes a conscious decision to develop an eating disorder. The creation is sometimes hooked with other mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Trauma and child abuse may trigger the onset of an eating illness. Additionally, obsession with body image and the pressure of some societies that equate beauty and success with thinness may also trigger an eating disorder diagnosis.
Actually, there are multiple factors that appear to be linked to the creation of an eating disorder(s). As with a substance abuse addiction, these factors include numerous aspects, internal (biological) and external (life's stresses - to name a few). Additionally, eating disorders are not relegated to happen to those only of higher socio-economic statuses as well.
Teenagers are More Likely Than Adults to Develop Eating Disorders
Fact: Amongst teenagers, eating disorders are on the rise. They may be triggered by excessive, harsh dieting, because in western cultures, there is pressure to conform to a thin body image. Therefore, it is not unusual for teenagers to diet. However, due to the fact that there is risk to developing an eating disorder, parents should not turn a blind eye towards their teenager(s), should he or she decide to diet.
Teenagers are not more likely than adults to develop eating disorders, even though it seems that way. However, if a man or a woman has had an eating disorder during the teenage years, it can erupt again in later years depending upon factors, such as highly stressful situations.
Health Risks and Eating Disorders
Fact: Eating disorders can be extremely dangerous. Each eating disorder diagnosis seems to corral its own health risks. For instance, severe starvation and malnutrition can cause the organs to shut down for anorexia.
For bulimia with purging, electrolyte imbalance is a problem. An electrolyte imbalance can cause heart failure. Additionally, with purging, the acids of the stomach can damage teeth and irritate the esophagus resulting in damages. There is no such entity as a safe eating disorder or an eating disorder without consequences.
People Diagnosed with an Eating Disorder Do Not Recover
Fact: The greater percentage of sufferers do recover, though recovery may take time. Unfortunately, there is loss of life, too.
Just maintaining a normal weight level does not imply recovery, either. Because eating disorders are a mental health issue, a comprehensive treatment approach besides the healthy weight level is essential. As earlier mentioned, any number of issues may have triggered the eating disorder to begin with. These issues must be dealt with, if recovery is to have a lasting impact.
It is Impossible to Help a Loved One with an Eating Disorder
Fact: The sooner help arrives, the sooner the sufferer will be able to live a quality life, thereby reducing the risks of developing serious health problems. Do not fear breaking the silence.
Sources
Adult Eating Disorders in Women
Tanya T. "Bulimic Activities and Their Impacts on Health and Personality", steady health.com, written for a website, 3/22/2007.
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