I know this topic might sound absurd to some people reading this. You might be thinking what about eating could be considered a disorder. Unfortunately however, there are a number of disorders associated with eating.
The most common ones are:
1) Anorexia
2) Bulimia
3) Binge eating disorder
These disorders are characterised by dangerous eating behaviours which usually result from focusing too much on your weight, body shape and food.
Adolescent and young women are most commonly affected by eating disorders because during this period of time, women are more likely to try extreme dieting in order to keep a slim figure. Certain sports (such as gymnastics) and careers (such as modeling) are especially prone to reinforcing the need to keep a fit figure, even if it means purging food or not eating at all.
Also, the media may have some role to play in the increased incidence of eating disorders due to the fact that from the covers/pages of magazines to television, all we ever see are the physical shape of people such as models and celebrities which motivates or even force people to attempt to achieve slimness themselves. Most of these people portrayed in the media are either naturally thin and thus unrepresentative of normality or unnaturally thin by forcing their bodies to look like the ideal image by putting excessive pressure on themselves to look a certain way. And of course there’s always good old photoshop to erase all the lumpy bits.
Eating disorders are actually classified under mental illnesses and because mental illnesses are generally poorly understood they tend to be glossed over and not even acknowledged at all. Many people with such problems are even too ashamed to seek help and so it’s important that we are all aware of the warning signs that there might be an eating disorder.
Red flags that may indicate an eating disorder include:
- Skipping meals or making excuses for not eating
- Adopting an overly restrictive vegetarian diet
- Excessive focus on healthy eating
- Making own meals rather than eating what the family eats
- Withdrawing from normal social activities
- Constant worry or complaining about being fat and talk of losing weight
- Frequent checking in the mirror for perceived flaws
- Repeatedly eating large amounts of sweets or high-fat foods
- Use of dietary supplements, laxatives or herbal products for weight loss
- Excessive exercise
- Calluses on the knuckles from inducing vomiting
- Problems with loss of tooth enamel that may be a sign of repeated vomiting
- Taking breaks during meals to use the toilet
- Eating much more food in a meal or snack than is considered normal
- Expressing depression, disgust, shame or guilt about eating habits
- Eating in secret
If a friend/sister/or anyone around you is showing a good number of these red flags it is important to talk to them and encourage them to seek help.Eating disorders are serious problems and need to be diagnosed and treated like any medical disease. If they continue to go untreated, these behaviors can result in future severe medical complications that can be life-threatening. However, with proper medical care, those suffering from eating disorders can resume suitable eating habits, and return to better emotional and psychological health.
A person with an eating disorder should never be blamed for having it! The disorders are caused by a complex interaction of social, biological and psychological factors which result in the harmful behaviors. The important thing is to stop as soon as you recognize these behaviors in yourself (or anyone around you) and get help to begin the road to recovery.
