Eating Disorders
What is an eating disorder?
An emotional disorder that manifests itself in an
irrational craving for, or avoidance of, food. Eating
disorders are often viewed as physical illnesses because
of the obvious impact on appearance, but they effect
the person mentally and emotionally and often weigh
on his/her every thought.
Three examples of eating disorders are:
Anorexia nervosa
Bulimia nervosa
Binge eating
Why?
The reasons that someone suffers from an eating
disorder can vary for each person. Some common
examples include:
Poor body image (not happy with looks)
Depression
Life altering events (death in family, divorce, etc.)
Obsession with dieting
What is beauty? Over the course of time, society has
changed the idea of what beauty is and how people
“should” look…
What is “beauty”?
Media impact
Media images are more than meets the eye. There are large
crews of professional stylists that change the looks of
the people we see to an unachievable status for normal
people. Also, a lot of times they use airbrushing and
photoshop to completely change the person’s
appearance.
Before and after of
Jaime Lee Curtis at a
photo shoot. Wish I
had 3 experts to help
with my make-up and
hair…
Click here to watch another professional transformation
ED statistics
Eating disorders have
61% of college women
increased threefold in the last
show some sort of eating
50 years
10% of the population is
afflicted with an eating
disorder
90% of the cases are young
women and adolescent girls
pathology
Anorexia
People suffering from anorexia have an intense fear of
weight gain and as a result, starve themselves.
May exhibit unusual behaviors with regards to food.
Preoccupied with thoughts of food, and may show
obsessive-compulsive tendencies related to food
may adopt ritualistic behaviors at mealtime.
may collect recipes or prepare elaborate meals for others.
Anorexia – signs, syptoms &
consequences
Expresses body image
concerns: being too fat
even though normal or
thin; unable to accept
compliments; constantly
compares self to others;
Constantly talks about
food
Sudden weight loss, gain,
or fluctuation in short
time
Lanugo hair (fine body
hair)
Bulimia
People suffer from bulimia typically overeat (much like
binge eaters); to avoid weight gain, the person uses
inappropriate weight loss techniques such as
undereating, over-exercising, or purging.
Purging can take form as self-induced vomiting or
laxative abuse.
Bulimia – signs, symptoms &
consequences
Erosion of tooth enamel
from the acid produced
by vomiting
Damage to the stomach
from frequent vomiting
Irregular
heartbeat/Heart failure
Electrolyte imbalances
(loss of important
minerals like potassium) that can lead to
sudden death
Binge eating
People who binge eat will secretly eat unusually large
servings of food in one sitting (sometimes more than
the daily recommended amount for that person).
Almost everyone overeats on occasion, such as having
seconds or thirds of a holiday meal. But for some
people, overeating crosses the line to binge-eating
disorder and it becomes a regular occurrence, usually
done in secret.
Binge eating – signs,
symptoms & consequences
Eating unusually large
amounts of food
Insomnia
Eating even when you're
full or not hungry
High blood pressure
Eating rapidly during
binge episodes
Eating until you're
uncomfortably full
Frequently dieting,
possibly without weight
loss
Obesity
Type 2 diabetes
High cholesterol
Gallbladder disease and
other digestive problems
Heart disease
Some types of cancer
How are they overcome?
Recovery from an eating disorder almost always
requires professional help from a doctor, psychologist
or both. Remember, eating disorders affect the mind
and body. Without help, eating disorders can lead to a
persons death!
Friends and family can help support this recovery by
reminding the person that it is not his/her fault and
that they are not alone. Do not blame the person for
the eating disorder and make sure you maintain a
positive attitude when helping someone overcome an
eating disorder.