Disadvantage Of Eating Disorders

Eating Disorders can include any behaviors from bulimia; food aversion; anorexia to bingeing or over-eating specific foods or any food and often they require longer term psychotherapy. Anyone can develop an eating disorder, regardless of sex, age, culture or race, although the people most likely to be affected tend to be young women, particularly between the ages of 15-25. However, it is not unusual, for an eating disorder to appear in middle age.

Food becomes a serious problem when it is used to help cope with painful situations or feelings, or to relieve stress without people realizing it. Research shown that, genetic make-up may have a small impact on the development of an eating disorder as from that abnormal attitudes of other family members towards food. In situations where there are family issues, high academic expectations or social pressures, focusing on food and eating can be a way of coping with these stresses.

People with the condition of anorexia develop a fear of fatness going far beyond that of most dieters. The need to control their body weight dominates all other emotions and food becomes the central issue of their lives. Where as bulimia also develops from an obsessive desire to be thin. However, instead of not eating, the person alternates between drastic purging by self-induced vomiting and/or the abuse of laxatives and diuretics and frantic binging or periods of excessive fasting and exercise. This can lead to kidney damage, an irregular heartbeat & tooth enamel erosion. Compulsive eating differs from bulimia; after binge eating, people generally don't try to get rid of what they've eaten in this condition. Some people feel powerless to control their desire to keep comfort eating and they may develop overweight related health problems. Binge eating includes an obsession with shape and weight.

Exercising and the use of laxatives and vomiting to reduce weight are often major elements. Other signs before people lose a dramatic amount of their body weight include failure to notice or be satisfied with the result of exercise; avoiding food high in carbohydrates; low mood; menstrual cycle becomes irregular or ceases or lack of interest in sex.

Both men and women living with Binge Eating Disorder suffer a combination of symptoms similar to those of Bulimia and Compulsive Overeaters. People periodically go on large binges, eating unusually large quantities of food very fast & uncontrollably, until they are uncomfortably full. Their body weight is usually above average and they tend to find it harder losing weight and maintaining it. Unlike Bulimia, people don't purge following a Binge episode.

Reasons can be similar to those of Compulsive Overeating; a way to hide from emotions, to fill an emotional void and to cope with daily problems and stresses. Binging can be used as a way to keep people away, to subconsciously maintain an overweight appearance to cater to society's stigma as each person suffering from overweight may feel undeserving of love. As with Bulimia, Binge Eating can also be used as self-punishment for doing wrong things, or for feeling badly about themselves. Sufferers are at risk of high blood-pressure, heart attack, cholesterol, kidney disease, arthritis, bone deterioration, and even stroke.

• John Palsson
• 17/11/2008, 10:59 PM
• 0 Comments