Eating Disorders: The Gay Rights Movement

About seven million women across the country suffer from eating disorders including anorexia nervosa and bulimia and, as a result most research involving these disorders have only been conducted on females. However, as many as a million men may also suffer from these same disorders. Women are not the only people prone to disliking what they see when they look into the mirror. Now a days more men are worried about their body shape. Clinical reports tell us that one in ten men suffer from eating disorders. More attention needs to be paid to mens eating habits.

According to the National eating disorders (NEDC) website: Every 60 minutes someone dies of an eating disorder related death. Over 30 million people in the United States are struggling with an eating disorder, and 5 in 200 people are struggling with just Bulimia or Anorexia alone, says Pearl, on people.com. People need to understand Eating Disorders are not a choice, and they are not to be glamorized, NEDC says, they are deadly mental disorders, that can affect anyone. Singer Demi Lovato has become an advocate for eating disorder help and even said herself, “Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses, not lifestyle choices”. If more people were correctly educated about eating disorders, they could be at

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

People often turn eating disorders into an impersonal set of medical details because they forget to consider the personal aspects. In her book Hollow: An Unpolished Tale, Jena Marrow describes anorexia with, “I am forever engaged in a silent battle in my head over whether or not to lift the fork to my mouth, and when I talk myself into doing so, I taste only shame” (17). Shame prevents many people from seeking treatment for anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder in which the person weighs significantly less than what doctors consider healthy, experiences body dysmorphia, and has an extreme fear of gaining weight (Mayo Clinic Staff). People downplay anorexia nervosa as a rich girl disorder or a cry for attention, but less than 28 percent of people

Currently, in the United States, “eight million Americans suffer with an eating disorder” (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, 2013, p.1). Though many may think that an eating disorder is only common in a woman’s life, men also suffer from this disease. Taking that statistic further, “ninety five percent of Americans between the ages of twelve and twenty five have an eating disorder” (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, 2013, p.1). Men and women develop an eating disorder which results from a psych disorder. This disease is becoming an issue in America because “10% of Americans die in 10 years from an eating disorder” and everyone must become educated on this topic (National

Eating Disorder is a condition that affects many women and even men, but it is more prominent among teenage girls. There are various types of eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia. Over the year people have become more accustomed to this new world online. Social media is growing every day and we can find out any new information on the spot. As social media grows As social media grows, people are more exposed to different views. Sometimes some of this views can give a false image and make some people believe that is right and only way to go. Some of this views pertain to body image and this is conversation that has been going on for a while. Everyone's views on body image varies, but there are people out there who do not have the mental

In recent years, it seems that the public has begun to pay more attention to eating disorders. This trend could be a consequence of the heightened nutrition and fitness craze that the 1990's has brought about, or possibly a result of more intense and conclusive research studies. More clearly defined definitions of anorexia and bulimia in the DSM-IV may also have contributed to better diagnosis of eating disorders.

For this paper, I chose to focus on eating disorders looking mainly at their causes. Based on personal experience, I feel that these disorders are stereotyped very heavily in our society, and that public awareness of their causes lacking. Growing up I was always very thin, due to a high metabolism and a small bone structure; traits which ran in my family. Many times, people would make fun of me and even call me anorexic. However, I was not anorexic or bulimic, I was just a thin child, and am still a thin young woman. These trials taught me a very valuable lesson about labeling people, and how much that can hurt them. This is one of the reasons I chose to write about this topic. I also chose to focus on the causes of these disorders because

In the US, half of a million teens suffer from eating disorders (EDs). Eating disorders are a type of mental illness; they are related to a patient’s discontent with themselves (most notably a discontent with their own body), and can prevent them from living a normal and healthy life. Many are concerned that the images portrayed in the media and in society may be responsible for these eating disorders. While the media are in no way the sole cause of these disorders, they undoubtedly play a role in the development of EDs, as they certainly focus on the ideal of being thin. Additionally, the portrayal of mental illness in the media and society challenges treatment for those already afflicted. As such, the media does contribute to eating disorders,

Eating disorders is something I believe that definitely should be spoken about and made aware more in the world. This disorder is a disturbance of a person’s eating causing serious health problems. Most people that has an eating disorder believes they are fat and want to be able to lose the pounds need to look skinny, thin, or slim. It comes to the point where it is unhealthy. There are people that are the “average” size and that are skinny whom believe what they see in the mirror to be fat. We even hear about how models do not eat in order to maintain their figure but this is not a good way to manage weight and can actually end up being fatal.

Imagine looking into a mirror and feeling absolutely repulsed with the person looking back at you. Being dissatisfied with your body is without a doubt incredibly difficult thing to deal with, especially when no one is aware of just how much you are suffering. Time and time again we hear stories of people struggling with body issues. The issue is, we often only hear about the women who are suffering with eating disorders. This leads people to come to the conclusion that only women can suffer from deadly eating disorders and have low self-esteem in regards to their body image. But what about the males who are silently struggling daily? Why is it that while we do not seem to recognize their suffering, we are quick to acknowledge females who suffer from eating disorders? Males battling eating disorders are often marginalized. Personally, I have to people close to me who have battled eating disorders: one male, age fifteen at the time, and one female, age sixteen at the time. Today we are finally at a point in society where men and women have come to be considered to be equal. Although discrimination based upon a person’s sex has become less prevalent, it still happens, whether it is on purpose or because of a lack of knowledge.

However, treatments are available for helping with eating disorders, but unfortunately, there is no cure. Eating disorders are prevalent and can only be cured by the individual. According to Treasure J, “Practice recommendations emphasize the importance of specialized care for the treatment of eating disorders, but such care is not often accessible” (587). I believe that raising awareness for eating disorders will help prevent the spreading and increasing of eating disorders. Many people are not intelligent when it comes to eating disorders and they all have different presumptions about this disorder. Eating disorders do not seem like a huge impact to people around the world but in reality, “Eating Disorders affect up to 24 million Americans

Eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder, include serious disturbances to anyone that suffers from these disorders. The person’s everyday diet is altered, as well as their perception and attitudes towards body weight or shape. These thoughts can result in extreme emotional turmoil. When eating disorders come to mind, we commonly think of the young adolescent girl striving to be thin stereotype. While women are more common to suffer from an eating disorder, 10% are males. However, current numbers of prevalence in men may be underestimated and underdiagnosed due to the feminizing and demasculinize stigma that is associated with ED. Men may feel shame or the need to conceal ED’s which furthers their delay in seeking help or gaining access to treatment.

As many as 10 million woman and girls suffer from anorexia or bulimia in the United States (Steele). Anorexia and bulimia are very serious eating disorders. Many women and young girls feel that these disorders are the only way for them to be accepted by others. However the strive for acceptance only ends up causing pain, emotional harm, or death to those affected. Being a sufferer of anorexia, I know the emotional and physical damage this disease can cause. The root cause of having an eating disorder is still undetermined, yet some doctors and physiologist believe the new focus on a perfect body, shown by the media is to blame. Society’s portrayal and promotion of a thin body image as the ideal female body contributes to eating

Eating disorders affect “5 to 10 million American adolescent girls and women and approximately 1 million American boys and men” (Weltzin 42). Social, physical, mental, and emotional functioning can all be impacted by eating disorders. Kevin Thompson and Eric Stice from the article “Thin-Ideal Internalization” explain that “eating disorders are one of the most common psychiatric problems faced by women, and are characterized by a persistent course, co-occurrence with other psychopathology, medical complications, and elevated mortality. Body-image disturbance…is also extremely prevalent and may be associated with psychological distress” (181). There are three common eating disorders known as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. The typical age of people diagnosed with eating disorders are “between 12 and 18 years of age”(Weltzin 42). Anorexia nervosa is characterized by drastic weight loss, self-starvation, and a rigid exercise routine. Bulimia nervosa is dangerous cycles of binge eating and preceding to purge. Binge eating is characterized by a normal intake of large amounts of food with a sense of loss of control over eating behavior. People who have eating disorders “typically are obsessed with weight, counting calories and fat grams, and dieting” (Weltzin 41). Eating disorders are common in today’s society and can put many people at harm in everyday