Eating disorders

By Alisha Dias

What Is a Eating Disorder?

An Eating Disorder is a compulsion to eat, or avoid eating, that negatively affects both one's physical and mental health.

Types of eating disorders

Anorexia nervosa Bulimia nervosa
Compulsive over eating disorder

Anorexia Nervosa

It is defined as a psychosomatic disease that generates dramatic weight loss caused by selfinduced starvation.

Behavioral signs can be :

Obsessive exercise Calorie and fat gram counting Starvation and restriction of food Self-induced vomiting The use of diet pills, laxatives or diuretics to attempt controlling weight
Be depressed, lethargic, and feel cold a lot And a persistent concern with body image.

DSM-IV characterizes anorexia nervosa

as:

An abnormally low body weight (the suggested guideline 85% of normal for age and height, or BMI 17.5). The absence of three consecutive menstrual cycles. An intense fear gaining weight or becoming fat and a preoccupation with body weight and shape.

Cause
Anorexics set unattainable standards of performance for themselves. When they fail to meet these standards, they look for a part of their lives they can control; Food and Weight become that Control for them. Low self-esteem and constant self-criticism cause anorexics to constantly fear losing control, and even consuming a small amount of food could be considered a loss of control.

Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia Nervosa
It is a cyclical and recurring pattern of binge eating followed by guilt, selfaccusation and over compensatory behavior such as crash dieting, over exercising and purging to compensate for the excessive caloric intake.

Behavioral signs can be:

Recurring episodes of rapid food consumption followed by tremendous guilt and purging (laxatives or self-induced vomiting). A feeling of lacking control over his or her eating behaviors. Regularly engaging in stringent diet plans and exercise. The misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or diet pills. A persistent concern with body image. Withdraw from social activities, especially meals and celebrations involving food Make excuses to go to the bathroom immediately after meals. Hiding food in strange places (closets, cabinets, suitcases, under the bed) to eat at a later time.

Cause
They feel overwhelmed in coping with their emotions. In order to punish themselves for something they feel they should unrealistically blame themselves for. This can be in direct relation to how they feel about themselves, or how they feel over a particular event or series of events in their lives.

Compulsive Over Eating Disorder

It is characterized as an "addiction" to food. Food is eaten as a way to hide from their emotions, to fill a void they feel inside, and to cope with daily stresses and problems in their lives.

Behavioral Signs
Fear of not being able to control eating, and while eating, not being able to stop. Holding the belief that food is their only friend. Frequently out of breath after relatively light activities. Excessive sweating and shortness of breath. Leg and joint pain. Weight gain. Decreased mobility due to weight gain. Loss of sexual desire. Mood swings, Depression, Fatigue. Insomnia, Poor Sleeping Habits.

Health Risk
Heart attack High blood-pressure and cholesterol Kidney disease and/or failure Arthritis and bone deterioration Stroke.

Treating Eating Disorders

Help them cope with their disordered eating behaviors. Help them to establish new patterns of thinking about and approaching food. This can involve medical supervision, nutritional counseling, and therapy. The professionals will address a child's perception about his or her body size, shape, eating, and food.

Famous people who have DIED from Anorexia Nervosa

Karen Carpenter (musician)
Went on a water diet to lose weight and, as she put it, to appear more attractive. Continued to diet even after losing 9kgs, until her death at the age of 32. She died of cardiac arrest and weighed only 36kgs

Ana Carolina Reston

Brazilian model, starved herself to death in November2006.

Celebrities who have suffered of Bulimia Nervosa

Felicity Huffman
Actress (Desperate Housewives) battled both bulimia and anorexia from her teens into her 20s.

Paula Abdul
Dancer, choreograph and singer (American Idol Judge) battled bulimia, with compulsive overexercise and decided to check herself in a clinic, back in 1994.

Celebrities with Compulsive Over Eating Disorders.

The Country singer had admitted to have been struggling with compulsive overeating. She has been through rehabilitation, but continues to have problems with her weight.

Wynonna Judd

Was raped at the age of nine by her nineteen year old cousin and repeatedly sexually abused, struggled with compulsive eating. Oprah, who said about her weight "It's always a struggle. I've felt safer and more protected when I was heavy. Food has always been comforting.

Oprah Winfrey (T.V Host)

Thank you
Alisha Dias (T.Y. B.sc H.D)