Understanding Eating Disorders

We probably all know the types of two types of eating disorders are Anorexia and Bulimia but did you know there has been another type of eating disorder discovered which is called a Binge Eating Disorder. The sad part is that 90% of these disorders are claimed by women. The effects these disorders have on the person and their families are untold misery. These disorders are extremely complex for there is never one single cause. There are many reasons for these disorders and we will look into these with a little more depth.

One of the reasons could be a cultural factor. This is when the world around us tells us that thin is what is acceptable and anything else just won’t do, people with these disorders have an obsession for the perfect body but somehow this perfect body gets distorted along the way. Family has a lot to do with it in some cases, usually not intentionally. It happens when there is no communication or they have an attitude towards the member that has this disorder, it is a frustrating time for all concerned. Sometimes the reason can be genetically predisposed or it can be personality types. Sometimes it is just the stress of life’s events that people can’t cope with and end up with this disorder because of it. These reasons can be one or a combination that leads people into the world of eating disorders.

Anorexia is physically easy to see as it goes beyond dieting to a drastic weight loss in a very short time. This is when their perception of the perfect body takes over along with the fear of becoming overweight. Food then becomes an obsession; they develop unusual eating habits and if possible will avoid food at all cost or weigh the food that they do eat. They are always in control of what they eat.

Bulimia is a secretive disorder. With this disorder the person will eat what they want and actually binge taking in thousands of calories in one sitting but soon after they will induce vomiting so that no benefit comes from what they have eaten. With this disorder there is also the danger of people taking laxatives or doing extreme exercising but it is towards the same goal as Anorexia, the need to be thin.

Binge Eating Disorder is somewhat the same as Bulimia except they do not purge. It may come as a surprise but the most of the Binge Eaters are men. With this disorder you have the extreme of being thin, the person who does Binge Eating is usually very overweight. The more weight that is gained the more depressed the person becomes until the disorder becomes a vicious cycle. Regardless of which disorder a person has there is help for these disorders with medical and psychological treatment.

These disorders are very real and a nightmare for the person that is going through it. It affects everyone around them but you have to keep in mind they need loving support, patience and understanding from family and friends along with medical attention. The person that has the disorder has to face the reasons why they have gotten the way they are and it usually tends to be an underlying problem. Once they have faced their fears only then can they start to heal.