The Prevalence Of Eating Disorders

It has been found that eating disorders are most common in the western and industrialized culture where food is abundant. This is because these individuals attach a lot of importance to their physical appearance and are willing to do anything to get the dream figure. An eating disorder is not just watching what one eats and exercising on a daily basis but is rather an illness that causes serious disturbances in eating behaviour, such as great and harmful cutback of the consumption of food as well as feelings of serious anxiety about their body shape or mass. They would start to stop themselves to go out anywhere just so that they could work out and burn all of the calories of a meal or snack that they had scoffed earlier. Two of the most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. The regular description of a patient with either disease would be a youthful white female, with an upper social standing in a predictably socially competitive environment.

Eating disorders have become a major problem throughout the world, specifically in the United States. The key factor that has an influence on eating disorders is the media. Including people of all ages and genders, up to twenty-four million people suffer from an eating disorder in the United States (ANAD np). This is a huge problem in the world today but what makes it so much worse is the fact that it can be prevented and it is in our control to change it. Young adults look to these celebrities, which are often their role models, and try to look just like them. What they fail to remember is the fact that celebrities have a lot of money, money that can afford nutritionists and personal trainers. They also fail to remember the extensive measures the celebrities may have to go through to look the way they do. An example of extensive measures can be considered plastic surgery. Ultimately, this creates a false goal that is almost unattainable for the “average” or “regular” person. Overall, the media has overtaken a huge impact on what the “ideal” body image has become today. Eating disorders are still on the rise and it is proven that an eating disorder such as anorexia affects up to 5 percent of women from ages 15-30 years old ("Media, Body Image, and Eating Disorders | National Eating Disorders Association np"). This may not seem that significant but it is also not considering other eating disorders such as bulimia. All in all, eating disorders

Bulimia has cost the lives of many around the world, but it still does not seem to stop spreading its influence. This type of eating disorder shares similar emotional triggers found in those suffering from anorexia and excess fasting. “This illness is associated with premorbid perfectionism, introversion, poor peer relations, and low self-esteem.” (Garfinkel) Of course, these characteristics are a direct result of the person’s environment. As stated by Pigott once she got back home from her trip to Africa, “ I reverted to my natural state: one of yearning to be slimmer and more fit than I was. My freedom had been temporary. I was home, where fat is feared and despised.” (Pigott, C., pg.93) Bulimia, unlike anorexia, is characterized by a person binge-eating, or consuming a large amount of food in a short time lapse, but then “purging” themselves by either “self-inducing vomiting, taking enemas, or abusing laxatives or other medications.” (“The Eating Disorder Foundation”) This eating disorder is known to cause depression, kidney damage, dental damage, and anxiety disorders if left untreated. (“The Eating Disorder Foundation”) Despite its devastating effects, bulimia cases worldwide are increasing rapidly, showing the public’s ignorance in choosing to conform with the norm rather than taking care of themselves.

We know that eating disorders involve serious disturbances in eating behavior and extreme concern about body size or weight. We also know that eating disorders can be life-threatening if treatment is not provided or is not effective. But we do not completely understand what causes eating disorders. Generally, scientists believe they arise from a complex interaction of genetic, psychological, and sociocultural factors (Smolin and Mary Grosvenor, 42).

I thought the chapter in the textbook about eating disorders was very interesting. This is a very real and current issue in our country today. And as I learned in the reading, it affects many countries throughout the world, not just the United States. According to the PsychWatch section on page 281, “Eating Disorders Across the World”, non-Western countries are starting to be exposed to more Western and United States television and magazine advertisements, and this is resulting in more cases of eating disorders in these countries. Both men and women are affected by anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating. The statistics show that more women than men have these eating disorders. But it is hard to say if this is true, or if just more women seek help.

People are often exposed to the media 's ideal body image, whether it 's through magazines, television, toys (e.g. Barbie dolls), or social media, it is almost impossible to avoid it. There are numerous of people who desire to look the way the world defines beauty. And although this may not seem like so much of a bad thing, this can lead to hardships for many people. This type of influence has caused countless individuals to endure an eating disorder in order to get the body they wish to have. Eating disorders are a worldwide problem that are very dangerous due to having many types of disorders and symptoms that occur, the effects that take place in a patient 's mental

Our culture has portrayed the “thin ideal” in every avenue of the media such as; magazines, social media, movies, and commercials. In the past 70 years, the number of all eating disorders incidences have dramatically increased. For example, bulimia cases have tripled since 1988 from ages 10 to 39 (Grabe et al 462). Body dissatisfaction and low self- esteem has put

“An eating disorder is about anxiety and control and healing from trauma and food and weight are just the tools of destruction” (Floyd, Mimms, & Yelding, 2008). An eating disorder is defined as a severe disturbance in eating behavior. An eating disorder, as defined by our text book for class, is psychological disturbances that lead to certain physiological changes and serious health complications. The three most common and most easily identifiable forms of eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. While most people who have eating disorders tend to be women from white middle-class upper-class families, eating disorders span social class, gender, race, and ethnic backgrounds (Floyd, Mimms, & Yelding, Eating Disorders, 2008). It is believed that most eating disorders develop as a way to handle stress. People with eating disorders tend to have low self-esteem, feelings of helplessness, depression, and perfectionism. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, more than 90 percent of people with eating disorders are adolescent girls and young women and the death rate for eating disorders is about one in ten people.

By altering weight and removing any physical imperfections, eating disorders have sparked, creating a false image in young adults brains. In spite of this, starving and purging to have become increasingly familiar. In fact, “The National Association for Anorexia Nervosa reports data from a number of studies showing that 47 percent of middle-school and high-school girls want to lose weight because of images in magazines, while 69 percent admit magazine ads affect their perception of the ideal body shape”. Advertisements, the media, and corporations are creating a perception amongst consumers that it is possible to have the same physical appearance and

“About 11 million people in the United States suffer from an eating disorder” (Wexler 36). Company’s display their models to look like they never eat. These men and women do not look healthy and they make teens and others want to look like them. Whether the public agrees or disagrees, models do infact have a huge impact on girls and boys. They set a certain image that everyone wants to look like and that is not what they should be showing. They should be showing different sizes of different models. Additionally, women and men tend to look at these models and develop problems. They can get eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia. These disorders can cause serious effects including death. It can also cause low self-esteem and low confidence. This low thoughts on someone can cause self harm and suicide if taken too far. Even though companies are allowed to advertise in ways that benefit their company, social media and commercial advertising are causing men and women to have a negative body images of themselves and should offer more realistic examples because girls compare themselves to the models and develop self-confidence issues, and the unrealistic body images

People need to be informed on the issue that unrealistic beauty standards, set by the society, are harmful. These standards cause a “schema that combines three fundamental components: the idealization of slenderness, an irrational fear of fat, and a belief that weight is a central determinant of one’s identity” (Lintott 67). Our society promotes a specific body image as being attractive: being thin. It is represented throughout mass media, both in the physical and online worlds. The media exposes individuals, especially women, to impractical body types. Today, negative body image encourages women to engage in disordered eating behaviors to fit an impractical standard of beauty. In fact, according to the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA), 20 million females will “suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder at some time in their life” (Lintott 68). We contribute so much time striving to look like what society wants us to resemble. Some individuals believe that this thin ideal is the norm and that the media is not causing any harm. But, this thin ideal is detrimental. It is the main reason for the increase in the development and encouragement in eating disorders, body dissatisfaction in women and a rise in the number of pro-anorexia websites.

Hudson, Hirripi, Pope and Kessler’s (2007) research indicates that the average onset of anorexia nervosa is 19 years old, but can develop as young as 14 years old, and women are more likely to develop anorexia nervosa than men. Some studies indicate that anorexia affects whites more than Hispanics, African Americans and Asians; however it crosses cultures and socially diverse populations (APA, 2013). According to the DSM 5, Anorexia nervosa predominantly occurs in developed, high-income countries such as in the United States, as well as in many European countries, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. Individuals who present with weight concerns that develop eating and feeding disorders varies substantially across cultural contexts. One study indicated that that “the ‘spread’ of Western values regarding slimness (fat phobia) is primarily responsible for the development of anorexia nervosa in non-Western societies” (Rieger et al., 2001). Rieger et al (2001) also looked at the medical records of Asian women and found the absence of fat phobia; the rationale for dietary restriction was commonly related to other external factors. The WHO (2004) also reports that female athletes, ballet students, fashion models and culinary students are at risk of developing anorexia nervosa; unhealthy dieting and society’s

and most people may not even be aware that the way they eat could be

Throughout the semester I have really enjoyed this class and I have learned a lot. The Ted talk that we watched that was all about the female superheroes is something that I thought was very interesting and at the same time very disturbing. I think that female superheroes should be sold along with male superheroes. I think that it's an outrageous thing and something that I did not know until watching this Ted Talk. I think that both men and women superheros should be sold together. Why hasn't this issue been brought up before? Little girls or boys going to pick out their favorite female superhero just like they are able to pick out their male favorite male superhero. I think it's something that is a bigger problem that people are not paying

Researchers study eating disorders to try to understand their many complexities. “Eating disorders are complicated psychiatric illnesses in which food is used to deal with unsettling emotions and difficult life issues” (Michel & Willard, 2003, p. 2). To help those with eating disorders, one must understand the causes, effects and treatments associated with the disorders. Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa and Compulsive Overeating are three common eating disorders found in society today. “No one knows exactly what causes eating disorders. However, all socioeconomic, ethnic and cultural groups are at risk” (Matthews, 2001, p.3). Eating disorders are difficult to diagnose but can be deadly if left untreated.