Eating Disorders
'...who's the fattest one of all?' Many teenagers can relate to this question. About 75 million people worldwide suffer from eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia. Most are women, but about 10-15 percent are men.
Keywords
- eating disorder (n.)
- eating habit (n.)
- social pressure (n.)
- binge eating (n.)
- withdrawal (n.)
An Unreal Reality
The evil queen in the fairy tale Snow White owns a magic mirror. The queen asks, 'Who is the fairest one of all?' and the magic mirror, which never lies, always replies, 'My queen, you are the fairest.' But fairy tales are not real, and neither is the image looking back at you in the mirror if you suffer from an eating disorder.
Eating disorders are about more than going on diets to lose weight or exercising every day. When you suffer from an eating disorder, your eating habits become extreme. Your diet never ends, and it gets stricter and stricter. You might even avoid going out with your friends because you think it is more important to go running to work off the candy bar you ate earlier.
Suffering in Silence
Many adolescents are concerned about their looks and how to feel confident about their bodies. This is particularly widespread during puberty, with its dramatic physical changes and new social pressures to face. Unfortunately, many suffer in silence, ashamed or embarrassed to seek help. They might sneak off to the toilet to vomit right after dinner, or even do small physical exercises as often as possible to burn off a few calories.
Eating disorders can be deadly. Up to 20 percent of people with anorexia die from it, which makes it the deadliest of mental illnesses. Bulimia can also lead to life-threatening complications. Both illnesses often lead to depression, anxiety, poor self-esteem, and withdrawal from your family and friends.
Facts
Types of eating disorders:
- Anorexia nervosa
- Bulimia nervosa
- Binge eating disorder
- Anorexia athletica
- Night eating syndrome
- Overeating
Boys Suffer Too
An increasing number of boys are dealing with anorexia or bulimia, too. The reason is often a yearning for athletic excellence and physical perfection. It can result in damaging behaviour.
Boys and girls display similar physical and psychological changes when the illness gets hold of them. Boys, though, are generally more likely to be concerned about being athletic, while girls are often much more concerned about their basic body image.
It can be difficult to diagnose eating disorders in boys. A lot of boys go through extremely skinny phases, but keep up a healthy appetite. This can all be caused by puberty, but if the list of changes starts to grow quickly, something else might be at the root of it.