Eating Disorders are not a choice; they are an Illness There is an ongoing argument about whether Eating Disorders are illness or a conscious choice; In June 2015, the Huffington Post joined the debate by publishing an article titled “Stop Blaming the Victims of Eating Disorders” which sides with the belief of Eating Disorders being a disease or illness, and not a choice. Eating disorders are defined as “any of a range of psychological disorders characterized by abnormal or disturbed eating habits”, and they are not choice. Eating disorders are long-term illnesses, just like Diabetes and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). However, the public often blames the person with the Eating Disorder, claiming they chose to have it. Society
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
Eating disorder is the abnormal eating behavior that would negatively impact one’s health, emotions and ability to function in important areas of life. Eating disorders include several categories: binge eating disorder, which means people eat large amount in a short period, anorexia nervosa which people eat very little, bulimia nervosa which people eat a lot and then try to rid themselves of food, pica which people eat non-food items, rumination disorder means people regurgitate food, avoidant food intake means that people have a lack of interest in food, and other specified eating disorders (ANAD). There is believed to be no single cause for eating disorders, as all the biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors contribute to this illness. Studies have shown that specific chromosomes may be associated with bulimia and anorexia (NY times). Eating disorders may also be caused by imbalance of serotonin and dopamine which explain why people who have anorexia
Eating Disorders are, “eating behaviors that develop to deal with problems,” such as, “self-esteem, emotional regulation, fear of growing up and relationship problems” according to Mehler and Andersen (2017) in their book Eating disorders: A guide to medical care and complications.
In today’s social norms or Conformity to fit in with a certain group of individuals you see a lot of “I need to change this or have that” to be accepted. Eating disorder, it’s one of those on the top of the list. You could be in other words Fat or over weight, might be a health condition like a Thyroid. In the other cases, you have someone eating too much. That individual will start eating less or will throw up after each meal to fit in with the society. You could say it for Anorexic individuals also, just the steps would be flipped.
Eating Disorders are defined as deviations of eating behavior that can lead to extreme weight loss (cachexia) or obesity, among other physical problems and disabilities. The main types of eating disorders are Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa. These two diseases are closely related because they represented some symptoms in common: a prevalent idea involving
Eating disorders are extremely serious and often even fatal. They are tremendously trying on both the person with the disorder, and those who are close to them. I remember the time that my roommate and I were watching TV with a group of girls when one of the girls started commenting on how fat a certain actress had become, and how gross she looked. I saw the look on my roommate’s face when she heard this girl criticize this actress who still looked practically perfect. More than anything, the weight this actress had put on made her look healthier than she had before. I became quite concerned though when I noticed that my roommate ate nothing for the next three days, and the one meal she did eat I am certain she threw up soon after. My roommate, like many other girls, was trying to achieve an unattainable goal. Some girls will just never be so thin, and struggling to be is very dangerous.
The reason that eating disorders are a growing problem is because people think they need to be stick thin to be accepted by the current society. When they get the results they want, they think, “If I keep doing this, it will get even better.” This isn’t true; their serious disease takes great physical and emotional tolls on themselves, and also to their family and friends.
An eating disorder is an illness that causes serious disturbances to your everyday diet, such as eating extremely small amounts of food or severely overeating. A person with an eating disorder may have started out just eating smaller or larger amount of food, but as some point, the urge to eat less or more has gotten out of control. Severe distress or concern about body weight or shape may also signal an eating disorder. Common eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and a binge-eating disorder. Eating disorders do not discriminate on whom it may affect. Everyone is susceptible to the life altering disease. Men and women, straight or gay, old or young, black or white, all are able to be a victim. Media is more commonly known to push for the practices of an eating disorder. We live in a society that reinforces the idea to be happy and successful we must be thin. Today, you cannot read a magazine or newspaper, turn on the television, listen to the radio, or shop at the mall without being blatantly or subconsciously given the message that fat is bad. Eating disordered behavior can be seen as a defense mechanism, in many cases a way to express something that the individual has not found another way to express. Much like how alcoholics depend on alcohol, individuals with eating disorders like bulimia or compulsive overeating syndrome us binging or purging as a way of coping with emotions and feelings that they cannot control.
So what exactly is an eating disorder and what kind of behaviors are characteristic of them? According to the National Institute of Mental Health, an eating disorder is simply described as an illness that results in serious disturbances to a person’s daily diet and eating patterns. However, eating disorders are much more complex than that and can “arise from a combination of long-standing behavioral, biological, emotional, psychological, interpersonal, and social factors” (Eating Disorders on the College Campus). Eating disorders are serious illnesses and have the highest mortality rate of all
The major eating disorders include anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder. There are also many other eating disorders that are not always specified for people that do not fall into the other categories. When treating these illnesses along with any other, medical staff work to protect a patient’s autonomy which is their right to make decisions about their own care. The problem is that eating disorders are one of the hardest conditions to treat (Treasure, 2015). It has also been shown that over half of all cases develop into severe illness for the patient and profoundly impact their physical and mental health (Treasure, 2015).
Eating disorders are diseases in which people have an unhealthy relationship with their food, and negative image reflecting how their body looks, such as, the fear of gaining weight. This type of body dysmorphia can lead to damaging eating habits, such as; starvation, purging, and even binging. Furthermore, there are numerous eating disorders recognized today, the most common being binge disorder, causing the affected person to eat far too much and experience pain, discomfort, and irritable bowel symptoms, bulimia which causes the affected person to purge their food through vomiting, and one of the most common eating disorders -- anorexia nervosa. (Eating Disorders, 2008) Many of these disorders can be treated in multiple ways, the most common way is through counselling with a social worker, the social worker helps develop a treatment plan for the client and aids them in their recovery.
An eating disorder is any of various psychological disorders, such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia, which involves insufficient or excessive food intake. They are a silent epidemic and a exceedingly negative response to a misinterpretation of one’s role in the world. Adolescents with eating disorders are usually convinced they’re ugly, worthless, and untalented. While some
Eating disorders are devastating and harmful behavioral patterns that occur within people for numerous reasons. The three types of eating disorders I will be discussing include the three most common of the disorders: anorexia, bulimia, and compulsive over eating (known as binge eating). Though the disorders take physical damage on the body, they are not in fact physical illnesses. You cannot "catch" and eating disorder. Rather, they are mental issues that develop more frequently within females but do affect the male population somewhat as well.
Eating disorders arise for many reasons, mainly physical, psychological and social issues and require professional attention as soon as possible (Life Span Development 2010).
I have always been a pretty self conscious child with a tendency to over think and get trapped inside my own thoughts. However, I never thought that I would be the victim of an eating disorder. Especially as a boy, that is just something that you don't hear much about and I kept that part of my life a secret from as many people as I could. My mother, father, and brother knew about it but I never told my friends. It was just very embarrassing to discuss and I felt like people wouldn't take me serious, or just tell me to eat. However, I knew it would be hard for other people to understand so thats why I just kept it to myself. Up until recently is when I finally gained the confidence to speak about it and share my experience. That is because now I am more confident about myself than I ever was, but let me tell you about how I was before now.