Eating Disorders

The Diseases - There are three main types of eating disorders: Anorexia, Bulimia, and Binge-eating. Anorexia is an eating disorder in which a person restricts himself or herself from eating food. In this type of situation, a person can go to such extremes as charting everything they eat to prevent consuming too many calories and exercising too much to lose weight. Many times though, they will not notice the weight being lost and continue to believe they are fat. Bulimia pertains to an eating disorder in which an individual eats and then regurgitates their food to prevent weight gain. Bulimia shows similar signs to anorexia but with periods of binge eating followed by purging before they go on an “anorexic diet”, which is no eating at all. Finally, binge eating is an eating disorder in which a person consumes excessive amounts of food. With bingeing, a person can eat whole boxes of food on one sitting several times throughout the day. They feel the food is a source of comfort, using it much as someone would use writing in a journal or sleeping with a certain pillow to curb their feelings.

Causes

So many factors contribute to the beginnings of an eating disorder. Most all causes are results of the person’s feelings toward themselves. Low self-esteem and a strong belief that everyone sees you as fat seem to target that inner need to be accepted and, unfortunately, most people think the thinner, the better. Stress can also lead to eating disorders. Too much going on in your life and you feel you need to find something you can control. Depression is also a strong cause. The over-whelming feelings of sadness tend to lead some to unusual behaviors and destructive traits. It is the idea of believing you are unhappy because you eat yet you eat because you are unhappy. Genetics can also place as a contender, as eating disorders tend to run in the family. An ever-growing cause is the portrayal of what is beautiful in the media. Many starlets are resorting to harsh methods of re-doing their images, which in most cases lead to major weight lose. These stars still are praised, getting high fashioned endorsement deals, even if there is a backlash. It sends mixed messages. It tells people that it is bad, but in a slap- on- the- wrist sort of way.

Recognizing

How do we, the parents, recognize when someone we know, especially our children, has one of these diseases? We can start by recognizing the physical signs that are associated with an eating disorder. Signs of eating disorders include hair loss, rapid weight loss, nail problems, sensitivity to cold and abnormal periods. In bingeing, obese levels of weight gain is usually a tell tale sign. Psychologically and physical, observation should be done for these signs. Does the individual show a fear of being fat? Do they claim to never be hungry? Do they seem to be “loners”, staying away from fellow peers? These are good signs something is going on with your child. One of the biggest signs in all three diseases is denial. No matter how many times you let them know you are concerned, many still deny their eating disorders. They have to accept their disease before a healing process can begin.

Prevention

How do we prevent this from happening? Talking - Opening up communications with our children, or anyone you know that exhibits theses signs, is always effective. Giving a person a place to feel safe and to be his or herself can help get the issues out in the open. Seeking professional help is also important. Doctors can help a person understand what an eating disorder is and how they were susceptible to it. Therapists can help an individual sort out their feelings, preventing this from happening again and achieving a better understanding of their inner selves.