What are the causes of eating disorders and disordered eating?!
Question: What are the causes of eating disorders and disordered eating!?
Long and factual answers will be the ones considered for best =]Www@Answer-Health@Com
Answers:
A culture obsessed with weight, body shape, dieting and food perpetuates eating disorders!. Fifty years ago, eating disorders were practically unheard of and are still rare in some parts of the world!. However, eating disorders are increasingly more common in Western societies that have ample food but place a premium on being thin and maintaining self control!. These societies generally include the Western world!. Western societies are persistently flooded with media images, from television, films, magazines and advertisements, flaunting the ideal body image, especially for women!. The women who appear in these images are generally skinny, happy, and successful!. Young girls compare themselves to these unattainable figures and become upset when they do not measure up!. Seventy percent of girls who frequently read fashion magazines say magazine models influence their idea of body shape and sixty percent that infrequently read these magazines agreed!.Body image is especially difficult for teens since their bodies are going through rapid physical, social and emotional changes and can cause feelings of anxiety and confusion!. A survey of one thousand teens showed that thirty-nine percent worried about their weight and forty-seven percent reported wanting to lose weight because of magazine pictures Many doctors believe eating disorders may be caused by underlying emotional problems!. They are a response to natural human needs; the need to be accepted by ones self as well as being accepted by peers, to rid oneself of painful feelings and to deal with pressures!. Many doctors and therapists agree that the root of many cases of eating disorders is the desire to gain control of our own lives!. Although much of our lives are controlled by others, only we can control what we do with our bodies!. When people lose control of their life, they like to regain control by attempting to control their bodies and their feelings about their bodies!. For some people, anorexia may be an attempt to stop the process of growing up, this may be done consciously or unconsciously!. When a person is sexually abused they may want to prevent their body from developing because they do not want to attract sexual attention or because they are ashamed!. People who are involved in certain sports are also at high risk if they are required to maintain a certain bodyweight!. For women these sports generally include dance, gymnastics, long-distance running and skating and for men these sports generally include horse racing, lightweight boxing, lightweight rowing and wrestling!. Low body weight and low body fat percentage are crucial for success in these sports!. Recent studies suggest that chemical imbalances in the brain may also contribute to the likelihood of developing an eating disorder; however this has yet to be proven!. All things considered, there is no single cause for eating disorders, there are many different factors including; family, peers, emotional and personality disorders, and media advocates which together can create an unhealthy obsession and lead to an eating disorder!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
If we knew the causes then we would be closer to a cure/cures!.
Nevertheless, I will attempt to give some ideas!.
The 3 best known Eds are Anorexia Nervosa (Anorexia or AN), Bulimia Nervosa (Bulimia or BN) and (not yet clinically defined) Binge Eating Disorder (BED)!. Anorexics usually starve themselves and are underweight!. Bulimics purge w exercise, vomiting or laxatives after consuming huge amounts of high calorie, high sugar, high fat foods!. People w BED binge like bulimics but do not purge or do not purge successfully!. They may go on fasts and extreme diets like anorexics but are usually overweight!.
While 25-50% of women in industrialized nations have been sexually abused; the % for women w eds is closer to 85! Also the more invasive the sexual abuse, the more severe the sxs of the ed!. For example: women who purge by vomiting are considered to be trying to symbolically empty their vagina of the penetrating perpetrator!. Women with binge eating disorder and obesity have a higher degree of obesity the more severe and intimate the abuse!. Anorexics may be trying to become non-sexual!. Etc!.
There are also genetic predispositions to obesity that may or may not be factors in predisposing to developing an ed!. Some theorists compare the genetic factors for alcoholism and there are some findings that food addicts have the same factors!. Thus their brains are wired to use food as a coping mechanism already and to become addicted to that coping mechanism if overused!. Along comes a trauma or series of traumas and bingo! the person is addicted to food!.
I have to confess that I am less familiar w the facts concerning men and eds!. I know anecdotally that many of the men I have worked with have also experienced many of the same traumas as the women and have a penchant for alcohol and/or drugs as well!. Sex addiction is also high in this group!.
Eds are a shame-based disease!. Often the person eats to stuff feelings of shame and then is so ashamed of eating they in turn starve or purge and then are so ashamed of that behavior they have to stuff that feeling too! It is a vicious circle!.
Treatment entails getting the client to a safe place to "dry out" and go through withdrawal!. Putting them on a structured plan of eating and living w healthy food and good sleep patterns introduced!. Therapy for the abuse and if necessary medication for the depression and anxiety!. Since bipolar disorder is common among those w eds (some consider that the addiction began as a way to self-medicate the extreme highs and lows with stuffing a way to pass out into oblivion and starving and purging as a way to get high) it is also imperative that a thorough history and exam by a psychiatrist be given!.
Support groups and accountability for a more structured lifestyle is crucial for ongoing recovery!. Eds are prone to relapse and remission and are contagious!. They are therefore truely to be classified as diseases!.
Some resources: www!.tpoftampa!.com www!.milestonesinrecovery!.com www!.thewilloughatnaples!.com www!.foodaddiction!.com www!.foodaddictsanonymous!.org www!.somethingfishy!.com www!.ceahow!.org www!.neda!.org www!.aplaceofhope!.com
Be careful not to assume too much or even decide if someone (yourself included) has an Ed!. The subject is still being studied and treatments improved as more is learned!. There is also controversy about what recovery looks like for someone w an ed!. Some treat it as a mental disorder (DSM classifies it as such) and some as an addiction and some as a lifestyle choice!.
As for disordered eating: This brings to mind 2 things besides anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder!. One is Prader-Willy Syndrome: a disorder amongst mentally retarded people where they eat constantly if not restrained and will literally eat themselves to death!. The other is a new classification of Ed: orthorexia which is characterised by a fear-based way of eating only certain kinds or types of foods!. For example only all vegan, organic or absolutely no flour or sugar, or without additives!. Remember I said this is fear-based!. The person w orthorexia is not just trying to eat healthy but is terrified of something ominous if they even accidentally eat differently!. This person will obsess about food constantly and is compelled to check and recheck the process of growing, harvesting, mixing, cooking, preparing, etc, the food!. Be careful not to confuse orthorexics with recovering food addicts who use discipline and structure and food plans to help them NOT obsess!. It can be a fine line!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Nevertheless, I will attempt to give some ideas!.
The 3 best known Eds are Anorexia Nervosa (Anorexia or AN), Bulimia Nervosa (Bulimia or BN) and (not yet clinically defined) Binge Eating Disorder (BED)!. Anorexics usually starve themselves and are underweight!. Bulimics purge w exercise, vomiting or laxatives after consuming huge amounts of high calorie, high sugar, high fat foods!. People w BED binge like bulimics but do not purge or do not purge successfully!. They may go on fasts and extreme diets like anorexics but are usually overweight!.
While 25-50% of women in industrialized nations have been sexually abused; the % for women w eds is closer to 85! Also the more invasive the sexual abuse, the more severe the sxs of the ed!. For example: women who purge by vomiting are considered to be trying to symbolically empty their vagina of the penetrating perpetrator!. Women with binge eating disorder and obesity have a higher degree of obesity the more severe and intimate the abuse!. Anorexics may be trying to become non-sexual!. Etc!.
There are also genetic predispositions to obesity that may or may not be factors in predisposing to developing an ed!. Some theorists compare the genetic factors for alcoholism and there are some findings that food addicts have the same factors!. Thus their brains are wired to use food as a coping mechanism already and to become addicted to that coping mechanism if overused!. Along comes a trauma or series of traumas and bingo! the person is addicted to food!.
I have to confess that I am less familiar w the facts concerning men and eds!. I know anecdotally that many of the men I have worked with have also experienced many of the same traumas as the women and have a penchant for alcohol and/or drugs as well!. Sex addiction is also high in this group!.
Eds are a shame-based disease!. Often the person eats to stuff feelings of shame and then is so ashamed of eating they in turn starve or purge and then are so ashamed of that behavior they have to stuff that feeling too! It is a vicious circle!.
Treatment entails getting the client to a safe place to "dry out" and go through withdrawal!. Putting them on a structured plan of eating and living w healthy food and good sleep patterns introduced!. Therapy for the abuse and if necessary medication for the depression and anxiety!. Since bipolar disorder is common among those w eds (some consider that the addiction began as a way to self-medicate the extreme highs and lows with stuffing a way to pass out into oblivion and starving and purging as a way to get high) it is also imperative that a thorough history and exam by a psychiatrist be given!.
Support groups and accountability for a more structured lifestyle is crucial for ongoing recovery!. Eds are prone to relapse and remission and are contagious!. They are therefore truely to be classified as diseases!.
Some resources: www!.tpoftampa!.com www!.milestonesinrecovery!.com www!.thewilloughatnaples!.com www!.foodaddiction!.com www!.foodaddictsanonymous!.org www!.somethingfishy!.com www!.ceahow!.org www!.neda!.org www!.aplaceofhope!.com
Be careful not to assume too much or even decide if someone (yourself included) has an Ed!. The subject is still being studied and treatments improved as more is learned!. There is also controversy about what recovery looks like for someone w an ed!. Some treat it as a mental disorder (DSM classifies it as such) and some as an addiction and some as a lifestyle choice!.
As for disordered eating: This brings to mind 2 things besides anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder!. One is Prader-Willy Syndrome: a disorder amongst mentally retarded people where they eat constantly if not restrained and will literally eat themselves to death!. The other is a new classification of Ed: orthorexia which is characterised by a fear-based way of eating only certain kinds or types of foods!. For example only all vegan, organic or absolutely no flour or sugar, or without additives!. Remember I said this is fear-based!. The person w orthorexia is not just trying to eat healthy but is terrified of something ominous if they even accidentally eat differently!. This person will obsess about food constantly and is compelled to check and recheck the process of growing, harvesting, mixing, cooking, preparing, etc, the food!. Be careful not to confuse orthorexics with recovering food addicts who use discipline and structure and food plans to help them NOT obsess!. It can be a fine line!.Www@Answer-Health@Com