Eating Disorders

North Americans have access to one of the most abundant food supplies in the world. Yet they also have some of the globe’s worst eating habits. They either overeat or eat too little. A medical condition that involves a serious disruption in one’s eating habits is known as an eating disorder. Millions of people suffer from these disorders. Although each disorder has its own set of symptoms and patterns of behaviour, one disorder is often linked to another.

There are three major eating disorders: binge eating, bulimia, and anorexia nervosa.

Binge eaters consume large amounts of food in a single sitting. They eat fattening, high-calorie food such as potato chips, cookies, doughnuts and fast foods. As a result, they become overweight which adds to their anxiety. A binge eater commonly binges twice a week for several months or more. Then a binge eater may diet for a few weeks to lose those pounds. But this never works. The see-saw between overeating and dieting causes trouble with one’s metabolism. Soon it becomes almost impossible to lose weight. The person goes back to binging and, overtime, becomes obese or grossly overweight. In addition to the physical effects of binging, the person may become depressed about their appearance and behaviour.

Bulimics begin as binge eaters. However, they purge, or get rid of the food they eat. Usually, this is done by vomiting or taking laxatives, or both. Bulimics binge and purge two or three times a day; often doing so in secret. Bulimia has several harmful physical side effects. Throwing up brings stomach acids which can cause a sore throat, eat away at teeth surfaces and make one’s jaw and mouth swell. Frequent vomiting stresses the stomach and may cause severe abdominal pain. Many bulimics feel guilty about hiding their disorder and can become depressed to the point of a major depression.

Anorexics are people with a disease called anorexia nervosa which is a psychological illness with deadly physical consequences. It is caused by an obsessive fear of gaining weight. People with this disorder refuse to eat and tend to exercise more. By starving themselves, anorexic teenagers damage the development and growth of their bodies. If left untreated, anorexia can end in death by starvation.

The unrealistic images we see in the media can contribute to the development of eating disorders. Issues of the media and body image are important because of the rise in eating disorders and other disorders related to body image. Certainly not all people with eating disorders have been negatively affected by the media and the media is probably not the sole cause of eating disorders. However, it is often a contributing factor.