Eating Disorders Looking Mainly At Their Causes

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

In the United States, 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder at some time in their life (“Get The Facts on Eating Disorders,” NEDA). This is in the United States alone. Imagine how many people are affected by eating disorders in the world. Even Though there is a plethora of people with eating disorders, many people don’t speak out and if they ever do it may be too late. Eating disorders can kill you and affect other factors of your health so it is important to find help. Although eating disorders are crucial, scientists, school, etc are trying to help people suffering and prevent others from having an eating disorder.

According to the internet, 10 million American women suffer from eating disorders? Eating disorders are serious illnesses which are caused by irregular eating habits and concerns about body weight. As a result, eating disorders are caused psychological and environmental behavior which can often result in a fatal illness. This is what Kathryn Arnett experiences in her life. She explains how she developed an eating disorder in her essay, “Media and Advertisement: The New Peer Pressure.” The factors that contributed to Arnett’s eating disorder was media idolizing and portraying fake body images, teens developing and having low self-esteem, and parents not being present in their children's’s life.

According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, “the body type portrayed in advertising as the ideals is possessed naturally by only 5% of American females.” (“ANAD”) Body image has been a controversial theme because of the influence of the media. It is a widely known fact that eating disorder cases are on the rise. The concept of body image is a subjective matter. The common phrase, “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder,” holds true meaning in this sense. One’s view and value of their body is self-imposed. Falling into the destructive eating disorders reveals much about a person’s psychological and emotional state. Examining the mental, physical, and emotional conditions behind recognized eating

In longing to reach the norm many people fall victim to these detrimental illnesses. Sadly, women are more subject to these eating disorders than men, the number of men suffering from eating disorders is on the rise. Our culture puts pressure on each of its inhabitants to attain this ideal body type that is unrealistic for most people. The images that pollute television and magazines make us all feel inadequate if we don't meet the credentials of slenderness; therefore, continuing the role of our society in the development of eating disorders.

In my research, I explored the world of eating disorders. I wanted to see if there was anything specifically encouraging eating disorders and if there was a way to stop it. Eating disorders affect the community greatly because often times, they go unchecked or unrecognized. As a recovered anorexic, I feel it’s very important to address this issue. It’s a very big problem that is often not addressed at all, or is seen as normal, like counting calories. I hoped to find a way to improve the way that eating disorders are viewed and explain to people about what defines an eating disorder, because many people will never know if it is not explicitly explained to them. My study’s purpose is to bring light into the dark world of eating disorders

There is a broad spectrum of eating disorders. Bulimia nervosa (BN), anorexia nervosa (AN) (two basic types, restrictive (ANR) and binge-purge (ANBP)), and binge eating disorder (BED). People with eating disorders often have a morphed perception of their body. Often they feel the need to be perfect, and when they do not look perfect to themselves they feel great shame. Which in effect causes suicide ideation, because they feel they do not deserve to live. It appears that eating disorders may carry the highest suicide risk of any psychiatric disorder.

There is a stigma against people who have eating disorders. If they eat too much, they have no self control. If they eat too little, they are neurotic and controlling. The stigma of being labelled with the words “Eating-Disorder” has silenced an uncountable number of people who need help but have been able to convince themselves that it’s “Not that bad.”

Eating disorders: noun. A group of psychological ailments characterized by intense fear of becoming obese, distorted body image, and prolonged food refusal (anorexia nervosa) and/or binge eating followed by purging through induced vomiting, heavy exercise, or use of laxatives (bulimia nervosa).These ailments are not pretty. In this society, where only the fit and thin bodies are accepted and appreciated, eating disorders are more common than they should be. Children, starting at a young age, see skinny people on television and in magazines. They hear comments on how their bodies look, then hear the same people turn around and make nasty comments on someone else’s figure. This is not okay, because it is teaching young people that anything

In fact, the victims are mostly under or below weight according to the body mass index scale. (Anorexics).However, “Someone with anorexia may also have a distorted body image, shown by thinking she or he is fat” (Anorexia Nervosa). Viewing themselves as fat causes them to purge (forcive vomit). Many of the victims are aware of the health effects caused by purging. However, victims of anorexia only consider what they believe is what is truly seen. These victims will do anything to make sure their issue of being “fat” is resolved. The terrible fact about this mentality is that the victim’s mind will not allow them to see anything other than “fat”. So, telling a victim repeatedly that they are not fat will not be an effective solution to their problem. Thus, making anorexia not only a physical disorder but a mental disorder as well.

Eating disorder is a psychological concept of eating and weight theory that is related to this issue/current event. The most prevalent eating disorders these days include, Bulimia Nervosa and Anorexic Nervosa (Weiten & Doug, 2012). The incidents of young women binge-eating or purge-eating increased in 1970, through which women starved themselves, sometimes resulting in death (Weiten & Doug, 2012). The problem of eating disorders is largely prevalent in women affecting near about 3% of Canadian women during some period of their life whereas, it has increased among females between the ages 15 and 24 (Weiten & Doug, 2012, p. 424). Bulimia Nervosa involves the person vomiting, fasting and exercising or using laxatives after consumption of a certain number of calories. In addition, Anorexic Nervosa results in dieting or starving even after the victim has lost equal to or more than 15% of their weight (Weiten & Doug, 2012). A number of factors have been implicated in the incidence of eating disorders such as biological, developmental, psychological and social factors which are implemented through the idea of a being thin in society which then results into young boys and girls seeing themselves as fat when they are not (Weiten & Doug, 2012).

In US today, over 30 million men, women, and children suffer from an eating disorder. Research shows that 42% of first- to third-grade girls want to be thinner, and 81% of 10-year-olds are afraid of being fat. In fact, most kids with eating disorders began their disordered eating between the ages of 11 and 13. (Eating Dis.3) The most common eating disorders are; Anorexia, Binge eating, and Bulimia. Why do people resort to something so life threatening? Many people are turning towards eating disorders because they don’t accept who they are. Eating disorders are a mental illness that can have dangerous effects on the human body, and several people are involved in this bad habit.

It's believed that eating disorders may be caused by our state of mind. The psychological factor of eating disorders is vast, a guaranteed cause. There is no doubt that self-esteem, stress levels, and body image remain some of the primary causes of eating disorders in the youth. (5) To explain further, self-esteem goes along the lines of self-worth. A negative self-esteem promotes the thought that you're not good enough, or that you need to change yourself. (6) Society's idea of the picture perfect person rests on skinny, and people are willing to do anything to achieve perfection. To build on, negative self-esteem can cause guilt in the way you look or perceive the way you look. This can result in stress, or binge eating sometimes referred to as "eating your feelings." There's a clear connection between eating disorders and the human psyche. As a result of our mind's control over us, the youth is faced with low self-esteem, high stress, and poor body image. Our minds are causing our own demise, but what about our

An eating disorder often times develops from societal and environmental influences. As of today society has adopted specific physical expectations for men and women. Media often emphasises that women who are petite, tall, and then are beautiful; men who are tall, muscular, but lean are handsome. Society pressures average-weight individuals to become more slender. Magazines, television, mobile applications, and fashion all influences individual’s how someone “should” look like to be appealing.

Eating disorders have been around for well over a century, and affect tons of people around your neighborhood, town, county, state, or even country that walk, talk, and act just like you. The two big dogs of eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, which affect young boys and girls alike that cannot control their feelings when it comes to food. Some decide that food is not their thing, which is known as anorexia; and, some people have a love/hate relationship with food, better known as bulimia. Both of these disorders have consequences and are tough to give up without help from a responsible adult. The two dominate unhealthy eating disorders, anorexia and bulimia, are vastly spreading, predominately damaging young women across the nation.