Does Eating Disorder Affect My Body Shape?

Eating disorders in children, like in adults, are generally viewed as a multi-determined syndrome with a variety of interacting factors, biological, psychological, familial and socio-cultural. It is important to recognize that each factor plays a role in predisposing, precipitating, or perpetuating the problem.

Eating disorders are characterised by an abnormal attitude towards food that causes an individual to change their eating habits and their behaviour. There are several types of eating disorders that can effect an individual physically, psychologically and socially. The two eating disorders which I will be discussing is anorexia and bulimia.

Many children and adolescents not only express dissatisfaction with their figure, shape and weight, but also exhibit disordered eating behavior, such as binge eating (eating a large amount of food with a sense of lack of control), food restriction, laxative abuse and vomiting. For children and adolescents, eating disorders can overlap in many instances. As an example, some children alternate between periods of anorexia and bulimia. Eating disorders typically develop during adolescence or early adulthood. However, research has shown that they can start in childhood, too. Females are much more vulnerable. Only an estimated 5% to 15% of people with anorexia or bulimia are male. With binge eating, the number rises to 35%

First lets look at the history of eating disorders. The very first case of an eating disorder diagnosed was actually a male. In 1689, Dr. Richard Morton described a case of “nervous consumption” in a 16-year-old male and he was prescribed restraint from

Today’s society is a consumers’ society in which trying to obtain perfection is one of the fastest selling businesses (DeLaMater Pg. 12). Mass media, advertising, and fashion industries are being accused of feeding off females dissatisfaction with their bodies by portraying unhealthy thin role models in order to sell their products. This unachievable physique and lifestyle has led today’s adolescence down a dark path of such extreme eating disorders as anorexia and bulimia. Although it may sound nice to be societies perception of thin, there are consequences to these eating disorders such as cardiac failure that lead to horrifying defects or even death.

Eating disorder according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary is a “psychological disorder affected by serious disturbances of eating.” [2]. It Primarily affects females, especially from ages twelve to twenty-five years old. According to Anad, “Women are more likely to develop a eating disorder than men.” In America, eating disorder has been increasing since the 1950’s. [3]

Eating Disorders affect 5-10 million Americans, and thousands of people die each year from their complications. Although some groups are at a greater risk than others, eating disorders occur in people of all ages, races, and socioeconomic backgrounds. We do not know what causes eating disorders, but many factors have been identified that may play a role (Smolin and Mary Grosvenor, 40).

There are many different types of eating disorders, and they all affect the mind and body in different ways.  For example, anorexia is when "a person refuses to sustain

Biological and familial influences can lead specifically to early-age distortion eating disorders. When compared with mothers of daughters in a non- clinical control group, mothers of adolescent girls with disordered eating patterns showed greater eating disturbance, had a longer history of dieting, and wanted their daughters to lose more weight (Pike and Rodin,

Particularly in modern countries, the media, models, and every diet plan out there influences the lives of women and girls to be as skinny as possible, no matter what the risk. In today’s society the average child watches fifteen to twenty hours of television per week. In these television shows they see many women who are malnourished and unhealthy. These women are idolised as having the perfect body shape and to have the most ideal weight. Young children tend to believe that if you look like this you will have success and happiness in life. This is an unrealistic picture of a healthy human being, and this can cause great harm to our youth today.

After watching the PBS documentary dying to be thin I learned a number of new things about eating disorders. The affects an eating disorder can have on the human body are catastrophic in all aspects. Research shows that eating disorders start as early as eight years old in the brain. Children have the beginning ideas at about this age and by a couple years later are fully submerged in bulimia or anorexia. There are different types of eating disorders some people over eat and try to make themselves seem unattractive. While others actually control their food so greatly they lose a massive amount of weight. Either one of these types of eating disorders have negative effects on a person’s body. Unfortunately, most people suffering from eating disorders have been sexually

It is statistically proven that eating disorders have a huge impact on health, and is the deadliest mental illness. (Source 2) Eating disorders can cause teeth decay, diabetes, low blood pressure, swelling, and possible death. (Source 4) The eating disorders are physical and emotional problems for men and women and can be life threatening. They include behaviors surrounding weight and food, extreme emotions, and attitudes. Self-esteem is a factor for all eating disorders. (Source 5)

Sometimes appearance obsessed fiends or romantic partners create pressure that encourage eating disorders (2). People sometimes think that the way to “fit in” is being skinny rather than being fat. When people have this eating disorders they are most likely to be discriminated and judged people will always think they would do it just for attention but when in reality they could be pressured by someone or they are just really sad at a point were they feel like all they can do is stop eating or because they are receiving hate from people just because of the way they look like. Eating disorders can affect someone’s social life really bad. They could even start hanging out with people that instead of doing the right to them, they pressure and encourage them to do it more which could bring a lot of bad consequences that could affect them in their future forever. Also when people have this eating disorders could fall back again so you gotta treat them right make sure they know that what they were doing was never and will never be the right thing. Sometimes eating disorders can even affect their mentality really

An eating disorder is a psychological disease which occurs mostly in women, however it can occur in men as well. It consists of either starving and not eating, or by throwing up after binging. Eating disorders can have many negative effects, fatigue, extreme weight loss, and if bad enough, death. Now what causes these eating disorders? The media has a big influence on women and their bodies. There have been many ideas of what the perfect body looks like, mainly over social media. However, the “ideal body” is very unrealistic and unnatural. Many women have a hard time accepting that they are good enough, which can lead to eating disorders. Athletes can also have a ideal body shape, which is also hard to achieve. This also causes a lot of athletes to suffer from eating disorders as well. The way the media portrays women causes eating disorders.

The altered eating and exercise patterns of those with eating disorders can seriously damage physical and emotional health. The ANAB (n.d.) contends activities associated with eating disorders place one in medical danger. Strenuous over-exercising is often seen in those with eating disorders even though they may be quite ill. The body of an eating disorder sufferer frequently has electrolyte imbalances and gastrointestinal problems. The