Eating Disorders : A Young Girl Named Amy

Many people are unaware of the background of eating disorders. Women are more likely than men to develop an eating disorder and they usually develop in childhood before the age of 20 (Ross-Flanigan 1). Women as well as men can develop an eating disorder; it is just more likely for a woman to develop one. Eating disorders are usually developed in adolescent or childhood years when a person is influenced the most. Also “Eating disorders are psychological conditions that involve overeating, voluntary starvation, or both. Anorexia nervosa, anorexic bulimia, and binge eating are the most well-known types of eating disorders” (Ross-Flanigan 1). Many people assume that an eating disorder is when a person staves themselves; they do not realize that it can involve overeating as well. Some eating disorders also involve purging, but not all. People with an eating disorder fear gaining weight even when they are severely underweight. They do not lack an appetite (Ross-Flanigan 1). These people are

Nowadays, when people emphasis more and more on healthy lifestyles, both exercise and food intake have become a big part of the consideration. With the goals of being fit and losing weight, some people eat irregularly or do not eat at all. As a result, eating disorders seem more often on news and reports. However, some people still view it as a joke. With the increasing number of people diagnosed with eating disorders, people should raise awareness on the effects of eating disorders and treat them seriously.

Thesis Statement: It is important to understand eating disorders and the types of eating disorders to overcome them and seek the proper treatment.

This paper will talk about some of the things that people with eating disorders go through in their daily lives and give a general description of what exactly an eating disorder is and why it is important. Schwitzer Alan M., Bergholz Kim, Dore Terri, and Salimi Lamieh all talk about a few things that they did in order to prevent eating disorders among college woman as well as some of the treatment methods and preventative measure someone can take in order to prevent something like this from happening again. It will also talk about something called the “three-legged stool” which was created by Sackett et al. in 1996. The “three-legged stool” is a treatment method for eating disorders which considers research evidence, patient preference and values, and clinical expertise. There will also be some evidence included to explain why those three things are important in treating eating disorders. Carol B. Peterson, Carolyn Black Becker, Janet Treasure, Roz Shafran, and Rachel Bryant-Waugh all mention how these things will help optimize treatment of eating disorders because patients won’t be forced into doing something that they don’t enjoy in order to overcome their eating disorder. The last thing that will be talked about is a case study conducted by Joanna Steinglass, Karin Foerde, Katrina Kostro, Daphna Shohamy, and Timothy Walsh. This case study attempts to develop a new paradigm

An eating disorder is an illness that involves an unhealthy feeling about the food we eat. “Eating disorders affect 5-10 millions Americans and 70 million individuals worldwide” (www.eatingdisorderinfo.org 1). They also affect many people from women, men, children, from all ages and different races. People who have eating disorders usually see themselves as being fat when they really aren’t. This usually deals with women or teenage girls mostly. They watch television, movies, read articles in magazines, and see pictures of the celebrities whom they want to be like because they have the “ideal body” that everyone wants and craves for. The media makes us all think we need those types of bodies to be happy with ourselves, be more successful

Research has shown that the greater the disparity between a person’s perceived current weight and their imagined ideal body weight, the greater the body image dissatisfaction (Glauert, Rhodes, Byrne, Fink, & Grammer, 2009; MacNeill & Best, 2015). Negative body feelings are a known precursor to disordered eating behaviors and the progression to an eating disorder (“Eating Disorder Statistics”, 2015). Inpatient treatment of eating disorder in the United States ranges from $500 to $2,000 per day while outpatient treatment costs vary but could be upwards of $100,000 over the course of an individual’s life (“Eating Disorder Statistics”, 2015). Additionally, eating disorders have the highest rate of mortality for any mental illness, with most recent statistics reporting that nearly 20% will die from a cause directly related to the illness (“Eating Disorder Statistics”, 2015). Eating disorders can lead to medical complications including, infertility, osteoporosis, and cardiac arrhythmias, further escalating the healthcare burden (“Eating Disorder Statistics”, 2015). As a psychiatric nurse and a mental health case manager previously, I have seen first hand the damage that disordered eating patterns, body image dissatisfaction, and eating disorders can have on an

Eating disorders are the last mental illness that is not being recognized as much as other mental illnesses. It is also unfunded as the other illnesses are being funded these days. The sickness is controlling the person that has the disease and not controlled by the person. The longer a person goes without getting treatment the harder it will be for them to overcome this sickness. If the disorder is caught early in the beginning then it is easier to overcome and the patient will be less likely to have a relapse. It is very important for anyone who believes that they may have an eating disorder to seek help immediately.

As a result of eating disorders, women could get other problems of their body, such as alopecia and malnutrition. If a female is suffering from eating disorders, she might feel unconfident and negative because of her concern of body image. Her social relationships might be affected because it could be hard to socialize with people who has healthy eating habit. She might also suffer from dizziness and tiredness in daily life since she doesn’t consume enough food or consume too much food which will also damage her digestive system. Eating disorders also have negative effects on mental health, as well as physical health. Women who suffer from eating disorders are more likely to have depression since they are too strict about their body image.

Eating disorders are severe disturbances in eating behaviors, such as eating too little or eating too much. “Anorexia nervosa affects nearly one in 200 Americans in their lives (three-quarters of them female)” (Treating anorexia nervosa). Anorexia, when translated into Greek means “without appetite” which is not true for all suffering from anorexia most people with this disorder have not lost their appetite they simply have to ignore it. People with anorexia have an intense fear of gaining weight and have convinced themselves that they are overweight even if they are the opposite of overweight. Since the way that they view themselves is in a negative light they starve themselves and put their lives at risk. “In the most severe

People suffering from eating disorders cannot solely help themselves. Although they may be able to stop for a short time, in the long run they will be back in the same path of self-destruction. Kirkpatrick & Caldwell (2001) state, "Because eating disorders are a complicated mix of physical and psychological abnormalities, successful treatment always includes treatment of psychological issues as well as restoration of a healthy diet" (p. 131). Trained therapists should treat eating disorders. The severity of the disorders will determine the need for outpatient therapy or an in-hospital program (Matthews, 2001, p. 178). There are many goals of therapy but the return to normalcy is the main goal. The eating disorder sufferer needs to restore and maintain a normal weight as well as develop normal eating and exercise routines. Kirkpatrick and Caldwell (2001) state,

Look in the mirror. Do you like what you see? Most of us have come to appreciate ourselves for who we are. While other’s struggle to achieve the perfect body. They strive to be what is depicted in fashion magazines and movies. The never ending obsession to be the perfect size zero. This inevitably can lead to eating disorders. Eating disorders can cause someone to have an unhealthy image of themselves and food is the enemy. In a national survey at the Mclean Hospital in Massachusetts it was estimated that over 9 million people suffer with eating disorders. They can struggle with anorexia, bulimia or binge eating. A study conducted by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders states that most of these

     Thus, eating disorders must be studied in the context of what certain individuals face during their developmental stage, or what they may have suffered in childhood. In general, a combination of the pubertal phase of the female body, the loosening of the individual's ties to parents, and the development of a stable and cohesive personality structure play impacting roles

                Physical appearance is not the only issue that this disease faces in people. They also face problems with psychological, environmental and biological issues in life. Since there is no clear way to tell which of these factors is the culprit of causing eating disorders, each factor needs to be looked at.

“There’s no magic bullet, there’s no pill that you take that makes everything great and makes you happy all the time. I’m letting go of those expectations, and that’s opening me up to moments of transcendent bliss. But i still feel the stress over ‘Am i thin enough? Am I too thin? Is my body in the right shape?’ “

Eating disorders are described as any abnormal eating habits and can range from minor to life-threatening. They result in people making very unhealthy decisions, which cause harmful effects on the mind and body including the “Psychic-emotional, gastrointestinal, endocrine, and reproductive systems.” (Health and Illness PG. 247) It is important to bring attention to this topic because more and more people are being diagnosed with eating disorders every day. Without proper help, people who fall victim to these disorders continue to get sicker. Not only do eating disorders harm one’s body physically, but they can also cause mental or emotional pain. There needs to be more focus on educating society about eating disorders. There also needs to be a push to treat the victim’s disorders so that they can continue to live a healthier lifestyle.