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=Eating Disorders=

Eating disorders are common among glamorous actors, singers and models. Many of them fear that their careers will be affected if they are not thin enough. Mary Kate Olsen, Victoria Beckham are two examples of well known celebrities.

Eating Disorders are serious and complex emotional and physical addictions. Without treatment eating disorders lead to mood swings, physical problems, and potential death. Eating Disorders include a range of conditions that involve an obsession with food, weight and appearance to the degree that a person's heath, relationships and daily activities are adversely affected.


 * __What is an eating disorder?__ **

An eating disorder is a mental disorder, more than a physical disorder. A person who develops an eating disorder does not feel good about themselves (think they are fat when they are not), or they feel unloved.

Eating disorders are characterized by severe disturbances in eating behavior. The practice of an eating disorder can be viewed as a survival mechanism. Just as an alcoholic uses alcohol to cope, a person with an eating disorder can use eating, purging or restricting to deal with their problems. Some of the underlying issues that are associated with an eating disorder include low self-esteem, depression, feelings of loss of control, feelings of worthlessness, identity concerns, family communication problems and an inability to cope with emotions. The practice of an eating disorder may be an expression of something that the eating disordered individual has found no other way of expressing.

A common misconception regarding eating disorders is that they are a fad, a diet gone wrong, or an attention-seeking attempt. This could not be further from the truth as eating disorders are serious, and in some cases fatal, mental illnesses which often require psychological and/or physical intervention to promote recovery. It is not uncommon for a person to progress from one eating disorder to another, for example somebody with Anorexia Nervosa may later develop Bulimia Nervosa or Binge Eating Disorder, and vice versa.

WHAT ARE THE 3 MAIN DIFFERENT TYPES OF EATING DISORDERS?

1. Anorexia 2. Bulimia nervosa 3. EDNOS

1. __**Anorexia**__

Anorexia Nervosa can be developed at any age or stage of life for both males and females. Anorexia Nervosa is the most fatal of all psychiatric illnesses. Extreme food restriction can lead to starvation, malnutrition and a dangerously low body weight – all of which are synonymous with a host of health problems, and in some cases death.

Anorexia nervosa is self-imposed starvation. Anorexia nervosa is a serious, life-threatening disorder, which usually stems from underlying emotional causes. Although people with anorexia nervosa are obsessed with food, they continually deny their hunger. People with anorexia nervosa often also limit or restrict other parts of their lives besides food, including relationships, social activities, or pleasure.

2. __** Bulimia **__

Bulimia Nervosa is a serious psychiatric illness characterised by recurrent binge-eating episodes (the consumption of abnormally large amounts of food in a relatively short period of time), followed by compensatory behaviour (purging or overexercising). Binge episodes are associated with a sense of loss of control and immediately followed by feelings of guilt and shame, which leads the person to compensatory behaviour (purging) such as self-induced vomiting, fasting, overexercising and/or the misuse of laxatives, enemas or diuretics.   3. __**EDNOS**__ 

EDNOS (Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified) is a term used when a person shows signs of disordered eating but does not meet all of the diagnostic criteria for one of the three Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM) recognised eating disorders, Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa or Binge Eating Disorder. For example, a person could show all of the psychological signs of anorexia and be losing weight, but still be menstruating and is not yet underweight for their height. EDNOS includes 'binge eating'.

BINGE EATING DISORDER (also known as COMPULSIVE OVEREATING) is characterized primarily by periods of uncontrolled, impulsive, or continuous eating beyond the point of feeling comfortably full. While there is no purging, there may be sporadic fasts or repetitive diets and often feelings of shame or self-hatred after a binge. People who overeat compulsively may struggle with anxiety, depression, and loneliness, which can contribute to their unhealthy episodes of binge eating. Body weight may vary from normal to mild, moderate, or severe obesity.

__** CAUSES OF EATING DISORDERS **__

__//** Eating Disorders are about feelings, not food. **//__ Eating Disorders are not just about food and weight. They are an attempt to use food intake and weight control to manage emotional conflicts that actually have little or nothing to do with food or weight. Eating disorders do not occur in an otherwise satisfied, productive, and emotionally healthy person. People with eating disorders are struggling with a number of emotional problems. This may be a hard concept to accept. Many people with eating disorders appear to be functioning at a high level, such as enjoying success with school or work. Often, the only problem appears to be with eating. However, healthier eating habits or stronger willpower are not the missing ingredients that will make the problem disappear. AN EATING DISORDER IS AN EXTERNAL SOLUTION TO INNER TURMOIL. __Psychological Factors that can contribute to Eating Disorders:__
 * Low self-esteem
 * Feelings of inadequacy or lack of control in life
 * Depression, anxiety, anger, or loneliness Interpersonal Factors that Can Contribute to Eating Disorders:
 * Troubled family and personal relationships
 * Difficulty expressing emotions and feelings
 * History of being teased or ridiculed based on size or weight
 * History of physical or sexual abuse

__ Social Factors that Can Contribute to Eating Disorders: __
 * Cultural pressures that glorify "thinness" and place value on obtaining the "perfect body"
 * Narrow definitions of beauty that include only women and men of specific body weights and shapes
 * Cultural norms that value people on the basis of physical appearance and not inner qualities and strengths Other Factors that can contribute to Eating Disorders:
 * Scientists are still researching possible biochemical or biological causes of eating disorders. In some individuals with eating disorders, certain chemicals in the brain that control hunger, appetite, and digestion have been found to be imbalanced. The exact meaning and implications of these imbalances remains under investigation.

__** WHO GETS EATING DISORDERS? **__

Unfortunately, we do not have accurate statistics for the frequency of eating disorders in South Africa, but there are indications that the prevalence of these conditions is increasing, particularly among black girls and women. It would appear that many black women who used to be proud of their full figures have changed their mindsets as a result of urbanisation and westernisation and now want to be as thin as the models and actresses of the western world.

It is evident from Dr Senekal's lecture that eating disorders are a cause for great concern in South Africa and that more and more people are succumbing to these conditions. Many individuals – from the young girls who want to be as skinny as their catwalk icons to the young men who want perfect V-shaped bodies bulging with muscles – are at risk of developing eating disorders.


 * 8,000,000 or more people in the United States have an eating disorder.
 * 90% are women.
 * Victims may be rich or poor.
 * Eating disorders usually start in the teens but may begin as early as age 8.

Research suggests 20–25 per cent of children affected by eating disorders are boys.

__** EFFECTS OF EATING DISORDERS **__

If it isn't treated, bulimia can cause the following health problems:
 * Stomach problems
 * Heart problems
 * Irregular periods or no periods
 * Fine hair all over the body, including the face
 * Dry, scaly skin
 * Stomach problems
 * Heart problems
 * Kidney problems
 * Dental problems (from throwing up stomach acid)
 * Dehydration (not enough water in the body)

What are the problems caused by anorexia?
Girls and women who have anorexia may feel cold all the time, and they may get sick often. People who have anorexia are often in a bad mood. They have a hard time concentrating and are always thinking about food. It is not true that anorexics are never hungry. Actually, they are always hungry. Feeling hunger gives them a feeling of control over their lives and their bodies. It makes them feel like they are good at something--they are good at losing weight. People who have severe anorexia may be at risk of death from starvation.

__**Where to get help**__

[|www.weighingthefacts.blogspot.com] [|www.helpguide.org] [|www.eatingdisorderfoundation.org] Great Site South Africa: Call 011 646 2809 / 02 777 0528 or 079 066 3382 for centres countrywide [] [] //Source: National Association of Anorexia// []

__FURTHER READING and REFERENCE SITES__
To be done at home

__Click on the weblinks below to obtain further information__

http://www.eatingdisorders.org.au/eating-disorders/what-is-an-eating-disorder

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__ **WATCH THIS:** __

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASSJlw4X25Y&feature=youtube_gdata_player

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__ FOR HELP: __

[|www.weighingthefacts.blogspot.com] [|www.helpguide.org] [|www.eatingdisorderfoundation.org] Great Site South Africa: Call 011 646 2809 / 02 777 0528 or 079 066 3382 for centres countrywide [] [] //Source: National Association of Anorexia// []

__ Facts __
 * 80% of women who answered a People magazine survey responded that images of women on television and in the movies make them feel insecure.
 * Two out of five women and one out five men would trade three to five years of their life to achieve their weight goals.
 * In one study, three out of four women stated that they were overweight although only one out of four actually were.
 * In 1970 the average age a girl started dieting was 14; by 1990 the average dropped to 8.
 * A study asked children to assign attractiveness values to pictures of children with various disabilities. The participants rated the obese child less attractive than a child in a wheelchair, a child with a facial deformity and, a child with a missing limb.
 * The dieting industry is the only business in the world that has a 98% failure rate.
 * One half of 4th grade girls are on a diet.
 * The average US woman is 5’4” and weighs 140 pounds. In contrast, the average US model is 5’11” and weighs 117 pounds.
 * 51% of nine and ten-year-old girls stated they felt better about themselves when they were adhering to a diet.
 * One out of three women and one out of four men are on a diet at any given time.
 * Four out of five US women are dissatisfied with their appearance.
 * 81% of ten-year-old girls are afraid of being fat.
 * A study found that adolescent girls were more fearful of gaining weight than getting cancer, nuclear war or losing their parents.
 * Some of the pictures of the models in magazines do not really exist. The pictures are computer-modified compilations of different body parts.
 * A study found that 25% of Playboy centerfolds met the weight criteria for anorexia.
 * Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of all mental illnesses. The mortality (death) rate for eating disorders is approximately 18% in 20-year studies, and 20% in 30-year follow up studies.
 * 52% of girls begin dieting before age 14 (Johnson et al. (1984). Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 13.)
 * Eating disorders cross racial, economic, and educational boundaries.
 * Bulimia can cause damage to the reproductive system, kidney failure, cardiac arrest, and ulcers of the intestinal tract.
 * Many people with eating disorders are addicted to exercise.
 * Victims of eating disorders generally have very low self-esteem.

__Please seek help if:__

Do you have an eating disorder? 1. Do you overeat until you feel sick? 2. Do you feel guilt and remorse when you eat? 3. Are you terrified of being overweight? 4. Does it feel as though food controls your life? 5. Do you isolate so that you can eat? 6. Do you have a history of dieting? 7. Do you avoid eating when you're hungry? 8. Do you weigh yourself at least once a day? 9. Do you eat large amounts of food in a brief amount of time? 10. Do other people say you're thin but you think you're fat? 11. Do you make yourself vomit? 12. Do you regularly take laxatives or diuretics to lose weight? 13. Do you exercise no matter how tired or sick you may feel and feel upset when you miss a day? 14. Do you go to the gym or exercise more than once a day? 15. Do you take longer than other people to eat a meal or do you usually finish before everyone else? 16. Are you preoccupied with food or your body size much of the day most days? 17. Do you hide foods? 18. Do you cook for others but never eat what you've made? 19. Do you resist foods when in public but eat them when you're alone? 20. Do you eat or refuse to eat when tense, anxious, or disappointed? 21. Do you feel exhilarated or "in control" when you don't eat? 22. Have you taken drugs to curb your appetite? 23. Do you exercise instead of eating? 24. Do you count calories or fat grams? 25. Do you make unfulfilled promises to yourself about what you will or will not eat? 26. Do you feel defeated or hopeless about food or your body size? 27. Have you kept any of these issues secret? If you have answered "Yes" to any of these questions, you may have an eating disorder. Eating disorders are very serious. You should get help immediately. Ask a trusted family member, teacher, or friend to help you find professional assistance.