An Introduction To Eating Disorders - Part 1

Our food ingestion is controlled by a number of factors such as the amount of food available to us, desire to eat, peer and cultural practices, family or our own voluntary controls. Because of pressures such as fashion trends, popular but not necessarily healthy slimming regimes, and societal pressure lots of people, especially females, eat to a bmi which is less than what is required for a healthy life.

Eating disorders are things which have a serious impact on ones eating behaviour. It may involve a damagingly excessive reduction in one's level of food consumption or alternatively, excessive overeating followed by the guilty feelings and angst about body image and weight.

It is key to acknowledge that having an eating problem is not because one has failed or does not have enough determination. It is in fact an identified medical condition which is able to be treated. The most widespread types of eating problems are bulimia nervosa and anorexia. A third kind of diet disorder, binge eating is not yet an official psychiatric diagnosis although it has been suggested that it should be so.

Many eating disorders develop though the earlier parts of adulthood, often adolescence, although there are cases among minors and later on in adulthood.

It is often the case for an diet disorder to coexist with another pyschological illness such as panic attacks, or depression. Those who suffer with eating problems are also likely to experience a number of physical healthy living problems such as heart conditions or kidney failure. Conditions such as these can become critical enough to lead to death. It is therefore essential to spot and treat an eating disorder as early as possible.

Studies have proven that a female is a lot more likely to suffer from an eating disorder than a man or boy.

Anorexia disorder

Research has repeatedly suggested that somewhere between 0.5% and 3.7% of girls or women have anorexia nervosa at one or more point during their lifetime. Initially, the symptoms may be difficult to recognise because symptoms are often concealed by the sufferer. However, some can be spotted early on and these include:

• A resistance to keeping ones body weight steady at the normal weight for height and age


• A very strong fear of becoming extremely overweight or even putting on pounds even though the sufferer is visibly underweight already


• Unrealistic perception of body image/weight through self- evaluation. Strong denial of extent of weight loss/underweight


Introduction To Eating Disorders Part 1
Our food ingestion is controlled by a number of factors such as the amount of food available to us, desire to eat, peer and cultural .....
• Affected menstrual periods in that they become less frequent or cease (in those women or girls who have already reached puberty)

Those who suffer from this disorder believe that they are too overweight even though they are often extremely thin.

Food consumption becomes a strong obsession as very unusual food eating habits build up for example avoiding meals, food eating certain foods in very small quantities. It is really quite common for an anorexic to carefully weigh and measure foods.

Most anorexics repeatedly recheck their body weight and often attempt other strategies to lose and control their bmi such as compulsive abnormally strenuous exercise, vomiting, or abuse of laxatives, diuretics or enemas. It is very common for girls with anorexia disorder to have a delayed onset of menstruation.

Anorexia disorder and its results vary from individual to individual. Some sufferers recover fully following a single episode whereas others have relapses over a number of years. Unfortunately, approximately 0.56% of those affected die per year.

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