Eating disorders are often the end result of a person having a skewed perception of himself. This leads to undereating, overeating and partaking in extreme habits that can lead to very serious health issues. Men women, teens and even pre-teens have been afflicted with eating disorders that should never be taken lightly.
Types
There are a handful of detrimental eating disorders. Bulimia is a disorder characterized by eating mass amounts of food then eliminating it from the body by unhealthy means such as vomiting, taking laxatives or partaking in excessive amounts of exercise. In the mind of a bulimic, this is a guilt free way of enjoying food without suffering weight gain.
Another type of common eating disorder is anorexia. In lieu of bulimia, anorexics do whatever they can to avoid gaining weight. One of the main symptoms of this disorder is going long periods of time without eating. People who fall into this category are often times very gaunt and pale.
On the other end of the spectrum, compulsive overeating is a condition where people can't stop eating a certain food. This would be the case with foods like pizza, popcorn, potato chips and cookies. They have one piece or bite of something and this sets off a trigger that has them spiraling out of control. Food is eaten in such excessive amounts that bloating and actual physical sickness may ensue.
Features
There are a number of disturbing features that accompany eating disorders. Here are a few signs to look for.
Eating really slowly and moving food around on a plate to give the appearance that it was eaten, putting marginal amounts of food on a fork and scraping it off with the teeth only, bringing a napkin to the mouth and secretly spitting food into it. The napkin is the then thrown out later. Another sign of an eating disorder is chronic complaining about weight and having an obsession with calories and exercise.
Impact
There are some famous people who have suffered from or even died from eating disorders over the years. Here is a list of some of them and a brief description of their stories.
Karen Carpenter was a famous musician in the late 70's and early eighties. She went on a water only diet to make herself look more attractive. She ended up losing 20 lbs. and unfortunately her life as well. When she died, she was 32 years old and weighed a mere 80 lbs. Her death was linked to cardiac arrest induced by anorexia.
Christy Henrich was an aspiring U.S. athlete in 1988. When told by a judge to lose to make the Olympic Team, she lost more than the weight. She lost her life as well. She was 22 years old, 60 lbs and her cause of death was multiple organ failure caused from anorexia.
One of the most famous stories in history was the case of Theresa Marie "Terri" Schiavo. In 1990, she had collapsed in her apartment and was rushed to the hospital. She never regained full consciousness and was kept alive by means of a feeding tube for nearly 15 years. Later investigation determined that she was in fact suffering from bulimia. Her husband sued her obstetrician for failing to diagnose this and he won. She ended up dying on March 31, 2005.
Identification
There are a few good organizations out there set up for helping people with eating disorders. One such organization is called NEDA. This stands for National Eating Disorders Association. Famous American Idol judge Paula Abdul happens to be a spokesperson for them. She had battled disordered eating habits since she started dancing at 7 years old. As she got older, it got out of control until she checked herself into the clinic in 1994. She now shares her story to other sufferers encouraging them to seek help.
Treatments
It takes a lot of courage to seek help for an eating disorder. There is a great website that offers a database of referrals for people suffering from an eating disorder. It is called EDReferral.com. See website below. Some treatment options that they offer are individual therapy, group therapy, nutritional support, psychiatric care, outpatient, inpatient and residential. In most cases, the best treatment is a combination of therapy, nutritional counseling and group support.
Expert Insight
People who play sports where a good part of the body is exposed are prone to have eating disorders. This is especially the case with sports like tennis, cheerleading, swimming and figure competitions. It is not gender specific either. Many men get afflicted with eating disorders too. A good case of this would be wrestlers. They are always bombarded with the arduous task of "making weight." It is not uncommon for them to resort to inhumane ways to cut 10 or more pounds in a 24 hour period.
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