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An Introduction to Eating Disorders
Eating Order Awareness
The following information will hopefully help sufferers, as a wide variety of topics will be covered including the causes of eating disorders, the distinct types that people can have and the different methods of treatment.
Overall, it will help give a deeper awareness of the seriousness and increasing prevalence of conditions such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder (BED) and Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified (ENDOS)
Introduction
There are several myths and incorrect information surrounding the disorder, and these need to be understood and our perception altered to ensure that the information we have is correct and is most beneficial when dealing with someone who is suffering from an eating disorder. It is important to:
- understand the distinct types of eating disorder
- understand the truth behind the most common myths about eating disorders.
- learn to most vital statistics concerning the prevalence of eating disorders, who suffers from them, and the recovery process
Eating Disorders and What They Are
To most people, when the phrase ‘eating disorder’ is mentioned, they will associate it to poor eating behaviour, such as eating very little. Others think that having an eating disorder refers to eating too much. However, eating disorders are much more complex than these simple definitions and several recent studies and research are being conducted to help understand this problem.
What is understood is that an eating disorder is a mental problem or a psychological disorder, and should not be looked at as if it is an eating disturbance.
Eating disorders can be classified as:
- Eating very little food
- Excessive eating
Disorders affect both women and men, but women are susceptible and there are more female sufferers than men. Young women and girls between the ages of 12 to 20 suffer from the problem most commonly (or noticeably), but it can affect anyone, at any time. Eating disorders are, at times, difficult to notice since we do not have diagnostic measures available to detect the problem.
It often starts off as a normal condition, especially for people going through adolescence, who are concerned about their body shape, and who are sensitive to criticism. The condition can then develop into a serious illness and may have serious effects on the sufferer if they do not get treated as soon as possible.
The disorder may manifest itself without showing any signs. Luckily, the condition can be treated.
The sooner a person gets helped, the earlier they recover from the problem. Different people take different amounts of time to recover, often dependent on the disorder they are suffering from.
Note that it is possible for one to be a victim of one or more types of eating disorder.
Causes of the Disorder
Eating disorders do not have fixed causes. Research shows that the disorder may develop in several ways, because of a number of circumstances. It has been established that there are many causes, including:
Genetics — The way that someone behaves and or looks is determined by genes. As a result, genetic factors are thought to be part of the causes of the disorder. This does not suggest that everyone who suffers from the problem inherited it from their parents, but what it means is that genetic factors determine how people behave when eating food.
Personality -
Hormonal Changes and Disruption -
Media/Society — There is much awareness and emphasis placed on how people look in society today, and this is also thought to contribute to developing an eating disorder. People become more concerned about their body shape and tend to eat less as a result. The media, including social media, is also believed to contribute to an individual’s eating behaviour.
Women can become obsessed with the idea of maintaining a specific shape (size zero) and tend to reduce the amount of food they eat to attain the desired results.
Also, those who suffer from low self-
Trauma and Stress -
Explaining the Myths
There is a lot of misunderstanding surrounding what an eating disorder and those who suffer with them, and so there is serious need for creating awareness about the problem. Having a good understanding about the disorder is important and can help one differentiate between the myths and the facts.
Here are some myths that revolve around eating disorders:
Myth #1: Eating disorders are defined as bad eating habits or behaviour.
Fact: The disorder is a mental disorder that can be cured by being subjected to proper treatment and people should treat it as a genuine problem and should understand that it needs to be attended to with the seriousness it deserves. Statistics indicate that the disorder is a major contributing factor to mental illness, hence the need to find out how it should be treated correctly and most successfully, just as it is done with any other mental illness. Eating disorders are believed to be the main cause of the high mortality rate in mentally ill patients.
Myth #2: Upper class girls are severely affected by the disorder, more so than anyone else. They are normally carried away with the idea of losing weight and trying to maintain a size zero.
Fact: The cause of eating disorders is a mental illness, which can affect any person, at any time. Even though young girls and women are vulnerable, since they often suffer from the problem on a higher scale, they are not the only people who develop the disorder and do so for several reasons.
Myth #3: The notion of an eating disorder is a relatively new concept.
Fact: The disorder was observed for the first time in the 1680s, though it was present in a slightly lower magnitude. However, the prevalence has increased due to increased stress and the ever-
Myth #3: The disorder results from a poor lifestyle.
Fact: The victims often find it difficult to believe and accept the fact that they are ill. They also find it difficult to accept that the disorder can be treated and cured.
Myth #4: It is not possible for one to recover from the disorder
Fact: Proper guidance and treatment can cure the problem. However, an eating disorder can impact on the patient’s life in the long term.
Myth #5: Eating disorders can be caused by bad parenting
Fact: Eating disorders are caused by several complex factors, and poor parenting is certainly not among them. Family members have a key role to play in assisting the patient during recovery.
Myth #6: All underweight people suffer from the problem.
Fact The disorder is a mental problem and revolves around a person’s emotions and thoughts. A person’s apparent physique cannot qualify one to be treated as a patient of an eating disorder.
Myth #7: Individuals with eating disorders are likely to adopt bad eating behaviour because of their desire to be noticed and look like celebrities.
Fact: The root cause of eating disorder is low confidence and low self-
Body Shaming and Body Image
Normally, most patients will be unhappy how their body looks. They often believe that they do not look good and will desire to change their body until they feel they have achieved the ‘perfect’ look, despite what their actual body shape is. To fully understand an eating disorder, it is important to critically look at the body image concept which can be understood by looking at the following aspects:
Body image perception refers to how one sees their body, despite what their body is like.
How you feel about your body image results in how you think and see it, compared to how you want it to look. Cognitive body image refers to what one thinks about their body size and shape. Individuals who are not comfortable with the way they look will mostly adopt unhealthy behaviours, which they believe can change their body image for the better. People who feel positive about their body image will often accept who they are and will do everything they can to avoid developing eating disorders.
Why Some People Are Not Satisfied with How They Look
Understanding why there is a tendency for some people to become dissatisfied with how they look is important if one wants to learn how to treat an eating disorder. People tend to comment and criticize other people, even if they do not realize they are doing so, and some people react destructively when negative feedback is given. This is what leads to developing a negative body image and the desire to alter yourself in some way, resulting in the development of an eating disorder.
The media also plays a role in making people feel dissatisfied with the appearance of their body. Some individuals may feel dissatisfied with themselves after being surrounded with seemingly perfect celebrities and models, featured on billboards, media platforms, magazines, and television. What they perceive as the standard of beauty results from the use of makeup or digital manipulation and cannot be realistically attained. When people compare themselves with these standards, they feel dissatisfied with their body type and will strive to obtain the beauty standards they see in the media. This is what results in changes in eating styles and eventually leads to an eating disorder.
To reduce the chances of developing a negative body image, it is important to maintain positive thoughts and understand that images we see every day are not a reflection of reality. Setting healthy goals that can be realistically achieved will improve the image you have of your body and reduce the chances of developing negative eating behaviours.
Men and Eating Disorders
Even though it is often believed that it is women who suffer from eating disorders, to sensitivities when it comes to appearance, it has been found that men also suffer from the problem. This needs to be brought to attention, since eating disorders in men are normally ignored.
Here are reasons why some men will develop the disorder:
- Men also have, often unrealistic, body standard that they feel they need to achieve
- Men are thought to be strong and muscular, and this is how they are depicted by the media.
- Being lean and muscular is a trending feature, which is thought to be ideal for all men.
- To be able to adopt and conform to changing trends, men will resort to eating disorders to achieve this goal.
- The problem is common in body builders, since they are likely to get obsessed with eating a protein-
based diet to help them build their muscles - Males always often relate their success to material things, such as a perfect body and excellent job.
- They also suffer from immense pressure and can easily become stressed and anxious when they encounter demanding situations.
- This can lead to eating too much or exercising excessively.
- When men are called weak, they become more vulnerable and it can be worse if they are already suffering from some form of eating disorder.
- Eating disorders have their own stigma, as it is considered a female problem, and men can feel embarrassed or stigmatized when they admit to suffering from the disorder.
- This often leads to them keeping quiet about it and trying to deal with it on their own
Statistics
Eating disorders are given less attention than they deserve, given how severe the problem is and the high mortality rate among people who suffer from them.
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It has also been established that Bulimia is more prevalent than anorexia nervosa, and that twice as many people could suffer from the problem than anorexia.
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while 27% show some signs of improvement, and 45% experience full recovery.
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