Thinking About Eating Disorders

Allow me to tell you the story of a friend of mine.

A young teenage girl we know recently suffered through the death of her mother and consequently had to be faced with being raised by her father in whom she was petrified of. Did I mention she was to be in charge of raising her 6 younger brothers and sisters.

She was always thin, but now weighs 90 pounds. She doesn’t think she has a problem and her father doesn’t think she has a problem. There are many questions in this situation, the major one being does she have an eating disorder. If she does have an eating disorder, what type is it….anorexia, bulimia?

It’s clear she needs help, others have tried, however her father prevents any intervention. The question becomes, what is causing the eating disorder? That’s why I assembled this collection of articles and ebooks on eating disorders. Hopefully, you…the reader, might see yourself or someone you care about in the articles to come. Perhaps you might see that you are experiencing the symptoms discussed for anorexia or bulimia. Maybe you binge eat.

In a society that is increasingly placing standards of beauty upon the youths of our population, people are at more of a risk than ever when it comes to developing an eating disorder. The celebrities in television and the media display stick-thin figures which can create a high standard of beauty that can lead to many problems with an individual’s self esteem. When coupled with the fact that an obesity epidemic is overtaking much of the modern world, it’s important to have a full understanding of the eating disorders which are prevalent in society today in order to be able to catch the warning signs when an individual you know is afflicted.

This truly is a life and death discussion. Admitting you might have an eating disorder of some type is the first step in finding a solution to your problem. I pray that you might listen to the voice inside your head as you read the following material.

 

Determining Whether an Eating Disorder is Present

Eating disorders can present a very serious problem to an individual's health, both mentally and physically. Those who suffer from eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia often have a very low self image and a lack of self esteem, causing them to feel as if their body will never be good enough. When one is afflicted with an eating disorder, it is crucial that they receive counseling to help to put them back on the road to recovery. It can be tough to determine whether or not a person actually has an eating disorder, so in this article, we'll be giving you some tips so that you can better tell whether or not a person in your life is facing a problem.

Many people that are experiencing eating disorders do their best to hide the problem. They may try to explain away periods of rapid weight loss as the effects of a diet that they are on. To that end, you need to be able to determine whether or not a diet can truly merit the results that your loved one is experiencing. Examine how your loved one behaves when they are going about their weight loss - if they appear to be trying to garner attention in a negative manner, you may be right in suspecting an eating disorder. When dieting, one attempts to lose some amount of weight with a positive outlook. If an individual focuses on their weight in a negative manner, you should be suspect. Dieting should be positive, with an individual looking not to attain perfection, but to shed a few pounds. Those who experience eating disorders are often looking for acceptance by the world, and this should be noticeable if an eating disorder is present. If the person is overly critical of themselves, holding themselves to a perfectionist's standard, the conditions are ripe for an eating disorder. They may continue to state that they are fat even when it is clear that they are below a normal, healthy body weight. Eating disorders often are accompanied by a case of depression, so be sure to note the person's personality.

You should also be on the lookout for physical manifestations of the problem. If the person is afraid to eat in public, they may be going through anorexia and are trying to hide their problem. If you regularly dine with the individual, be sure to note if they retire to the bathroom immediately after eating, which can occur when bulimics are trying to purge themselves of the food they eat. If you see that they are taking diet pills or laxatives, a serious warning sign may be present. People with eating disorders often keep their problem holed up inside, and it can be quite difficult to get them to admit that they have a problem. Be sure to approach them with compassion and love, showing that you are concerned about their wellbeing. As many as ten percent of all people with eating disorders will die from the affliction, so it's important to address problems and not ignore them for the health and safety of your loved one.

Written by: Scott Parat