Feeding Knowledge

I will continue with speaking about my struggle with an eating disorder, and I use ‘struggle’ because that is what an eating disorder is. A struggle with the persons mind, mouth, and image. It is very easy to look at a skinny girl and say, "come on man. EAT A BURGER!" and it is annoying and frustrating to those who do not understand what happens in the mind of a person with an eating disorder. People think it is a pathetic excuse to loose weight, but it goes way beyond that unfortunately.

This blog is of research I have done; I want to fill everyone in on what an eating disorder is, why it occurs and some of the false truths about the disease.

I have got this information from a book my mother had brought on finding out about my disorder. Help for eating disorders: a parent’s guide to symptoms, causes and treatments. By Dr Debra K. Katzman & Dr Leora Pinhas (2005)

Eating disorders affect every part of a persons life, and the disorders include; anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating all of which include extreme feelings, behaviours and attitudes about weight and issues with food. All of the above eating disorders are serious problems that have emotional and physical problems associated with them.

Here are some facts about the disorders:

Eating disorders are common between the ages of 12 and 25 years old. Children as young as 7 years old have been diagnosed with an eating disorder.

The greatest risk group is girls between the ages of 14 and 18 years old.

1 in 8 adolescent girls have eating disorders.

At least 1 in 10 people who develop eating disorders are boys.

Most children get help for an eating disorder from parental intervention…not because they want to GET help.

Up to 20% of patients with eating disorders will eventually die from the illness.

Although adolescents do not have more than one eating disorder at a time, it is not unusual for them to have different eating disorders at different times.

On average 30% of teenagers with anorexia nervosa will develop bulimia nervosa.

The impact of the illness on the individual is more important than the type of disorder the person has.

Eating disorders were thought to only affect white girls from wealthy families. This fact is false. It may affect any racial, ethnic or economic back round and a person may be of any age and any sexual orientation.

These disorders are not a phase of growing up, or of dieting. It is a real medical disorder that most often requires professional help.

Nearly 80% of teen girls and 10% of teen boys have been on a diet since they were 13.

Approximately 1 in 3 young people who diet will progress to serious dieting and 25% of these serious dieters will develop unhealthy eating attitudes and behaviours towards food or an eating disorder.

Children who’s mothers have suffered from an eating disorder, may be at a higher risk of becoming ill.

Eating disorders may slow down or stop puberty. May result in loss of hair, discolouration of the skin to a yellowish tone and mental alertness is lowered.

As mentioned above, there were three types of eating disorders that I will go into now. These too taken from the book mentioned above.

Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia is a serious and sometimes life threatening disorder, and it is known for self-starvation and extreme weight loss. children with this disorder have a great fear of weight gain and becoming over weight. Along with an extreme, obsessive drive to be thin. People with this disorder have a very strict control over what they eat and become obsessed with food and dieting thereof. No matter how much weight they lose or how thing they get, it just is not enough, they still think they are too fat or are terrified of becoming overwight.

Some people may undergo excessive exercise to burn calories, count calories and grams of fat they put into their body, starve themselves or limit themselves to certain foods. They may try and get rid of the food they have eaten by means of purging such as vomiting or taking laxatives. Diet pills may also be used in order to suppress their appetite. One may notice the person denying hunger, making excuses to avoid eating, not eating in front of people and often hiding food that they have claimed to have already eaten.

Bulimia Nervosa:

This disorder begins much like how anorexia
nervosa begins, by trying to eat less to lose unwanted weight. However instead of starving themselves they will binge and then purge.
Binging is when a person eats an unusually large amount of food in a short period of time. People with this disorder feel a lack of control over eating behaviours while they are binging. After they binge they purge. Purging is caused by fear of weight gain, a feeling of discomfort, and loss of control and may either be done by vomiting or by use of laxatives, diuretics, and diet pills. Binging and purging are usually done in secret. This illness is known for its cyclical binging and purging nature.

This illness is difficult to pick up as a person’s weight may vary. What may be noticeable is that the person may eat a large amount of food which will be followed by guilt and possibly depression, they will get involved in strict exercise regimes and diets. There is a misuse of laxatives, diuretics and diet pills. The person may make excuses to go to the bathroom straight after eating. Their weight may fluctuate slightly and they are able to eat a large amount without the expected weight gain. They may be caught vomiting in the bathroom or traces of vomit may be found.

Binge Eating Disorder:

This is a fairly newly found disorder. It is characterized by eating large amounts of food, eating until the person is uncomfortable, eating very quickly and often in secret. They usually feel guilty, ashamed and/or depressed after a binge. The person may eat even when not hungry.

People with this disorder use food to try and alter uncomfortable emotions. They may be sad, bored, angry or worried. They will often eat in secret or hide food to eat later while they are alone. Many of these people are either of an above average weight or obese. Some young people who suffer from this disorder may struggle with depression.

I don’t know if you are picking up any connections between the three mentioned disorders. Obviously in the bulimia nervosa disorder but also in the binge eating disorder. This is just a brief overview of an eating disorder(s).

TO BE CONTINUED…