Eating Disorders

An eating disorder is an illness that consumes all aspects of a person's life. It is caused by a number of factors and influences and has a profound effect on the people suffering and their loved ones. There is a big difference between dieting and eating disorders. Dieting is losing a small amount of weight through exercise or a change of diet, but it is done healthily. Eating disorders are about seeking approval through others. It involves extreme weight change and not thinking about the major effect it has upon the body. It is totally based on looks and weight.

It is thought that many women teeter on the edge of anorexia or bulimia during adolescence as this is a time when girls become acutely aware of their bodies and those of others around them. As a result, they may feel inadequate or self conscious in comparison and attempt to search for a cure. Many will diet and it is then that it becomes crucial as they need to be able to resolve the frequent unfulfilled weight loss. This relies on support from family and friends and the more isolated and locked into family they are, then the more likely it is that they will become anorexic. (Boskino-White, M, 1991)

There are many different types of eating disorders. Anorexia Nervosa is defined as 'a psycho physiological syndrome occurring largely in young women and defined clinically by a constellation of symptoms; voluntary and deliberate food restriction, self reported lack of appetite, relentless pursuit of thinness and fear of fatness, body image disturbance, obsession with calorie counting and food preparation, hyperactivity, amenorrhea and sever malnutrition resulting in a variety of physiological changes' (Goldsmith, 1984) Anorexia is usually caused by low self esteem, a tremendous need to control their surroundings and emotions or a unique reaction to a number of factors such as stress, unhappiness or anxiety. Anorexia is diagnosed by a refusal to maintain a normal, healthy body weight, an intense fear of gaining weight, a disturbance in the way one sees their body or weight and in the post menarcheal female, the absence of at least three consecutive menstrual cycles. (Goldsmith, 1984)

Bulimia is defined 'by the following symptoms: cyclical binge eating that includes a secretive and frenzied consumption of large amounts of high caloric foods during a brief period of time, and then purging to undo the binge episode by such means of self induced vomiting, diuretic and/or laxative abuse occurring with vigorous exercise and/or amphetamine abuse. (Goldsmith, 1984) People can develop bulimia when they are feeling overwhelmed with emotions, to punish themselves for something or if they feel that they are not up to standards. It is diagnosed by recurrent episodes of binge eating and recurrent inappropriate compensatory behaviour in order to prevent weight gain. These symptoms occur on average at least twice a week for 3 months. (Goldsmith, 1984)

A vast amount of research has been undertaken on the subject of eating disorders and their causes. Many eating disorders have been proven to emerge during adolescence and often serve as the foundations to more serious problems like anorexia and bulimia. Eating disorders can often be overlooked in some groups such as boys and some ethnicities for example.

Rebecka Peebles, MD, an eating disorders specialist believes that society needs to think more broadly about who struggles with eating disorders. Peebles points out that diagnostic and even treatment criteria are developed with Caucasian women or girls in mind.

Peebles conducted a study and compared 104 boys aged eight to nineteen who had eating disorders with about 1,004 similarly aged girls who had the condition. She found that boys were less likely than girls to have used purging behaviours, such as vomiting or laxatives to control their body weight in the month prior to the study. The actual percentages were 23.5 percent for boys compared to 32.4 percent for girls. They were also more likely to be diagnosed with an eating disorders not otherwise specified or EDNOS, rather than with anorexia or bulimia because they expressed themselves differently. Peebles argues that there is a perception that males rarely get eating disorders when in fact males account for 1-5 percent of all patients with anorexia although prior to puberty the risk increases. Males also account for 5-10 percent of patients with bulimia. (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_48829.html)

The reasons men develop eating disorders are really no different then why a woman, child, or anyone else would. They may have been victims of abuse, come from dysfunctional families or were subjected to teasing from their peers. They also experience the same feelings as anyone else. They may have low self-esteem, may be perfectionists, over achievers, or do not know how to express emotions. They may avoid conflict, put others needs ahead of their own, feel unworthy and hate most everything about themselves. The number of woman that suffer from eating disorders is much higher than men because men are not under the same pressure to be thin. It is more common for men to try and cope with their problems by becoming workaholics or turning to alcohol and drugs, but the number of men developing eating disorders is increasing. It can also be difficult to know if some men do in fact have an eating disorder. Bulimic men are more likely to try and purge their bodies of unwanted calories by exercising compulsively, rather than by vomiting or laxative abuse. Some people may feel the person is just staying in shape, even though the man may be exercising compulsively because he feels he has to rid himself of the calories he consumed. Many men, like a lot of women, that have been overweight and started losing weight, were praised for the weight loss. They enjoyed the attention they received from losing weight and they may decide that they need to keep losing. They believe that losing weight will help them to be accepted and it will make them happy.

In some way, the hidden problem of eating disorders in men is cultural. Women tend to discuss emotions and psychological problems more than men. Anorexia and bulimia are generally perceived as women's problems. Discussion of weight issues, weight control and linking thinness with beauty are common features in women's magazines and so are eating disorders. Young women can therefore adopt the same behaviour without it being seen as too socially unacceptable. (Crisp, A.H, 1999)

A great deal of attention has been directed to the subject of eating disorders in women over the last 20 years, and since eating disorders in males are less common, it is hard to conduct meaningful research on them since the studies are too small to draw a reliable conclusion. Similarly attention has been given to the