peterhutch asked:


Eating disorders are some of the most destructive illnesses today. Although a commonly used term, the meaning is often a source of confusion for many people. Basically, eating disorders happen to people whose diet patterns have gone awry somewhere along the way and ultimately lead to eating habits that are damaging and dangerous.

Eating disorders are a very serious problem, and those suffering from them need to get the proper treatment in order to be able to resume leading normal, healthy lives. Depending on where you live and the severity of the eating disorder, there are various options available for treatment. Those suffering from severe anorexia or bulimia will most likely find an inpatient treatment most beneficial

Eating disorders are characterized by critical disturbances in eating behaviors. A person afflicted with this problem may voluntarily resort to an unhealthy reduction in food intake or may abnormally take in more food than necessary. Feelings of guilt and extreme concern over weight or body shape likewise accompany this malady.

Driven by the compulsive need to avoid weight gain, many eating disorder sufferers consume large quantities of laxatives in order to rid the body of the food they eat. Laxatives are a readily available form of medication normally taken to treat constipation. Indeed, sufferers of bulimia and anorexia often complain about constipation and feeling bloated.

Eating disorders are not a problem with food; however it is a problem with mental health. When a person looks into the mirror, he or she does not like the way they look and think they are fat even though they are stick boney.

Like adults, eating disorders in children are usually a combination of factors – physical and emotional. On one hand, dieting in young children is instrumental in eating disorder development; on the other hand, it can be a method of weight control for obese children. The family eating environment and influence of parents are important factors in childhood eating disorders.

There are eating disorder treatment options which can be used to offset the physical and emotional damage caused by eating disorders. Although common among troubled teens, eating disorders affect women and men of all ages including small children.

Anorexics often have the feeling that calorie intake and weight is the only thing they can control in their lives. Many have very low self esteem and some even feel they don’t deserve to eat. People with anorexia usually won’t seek help for themselves because they fear being forced to eat and get fat. It is possible, however, for anorexia to be treated and cured.

Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder that consists of repeated bouts of binge eating. A person who is a binge eater has an uncontrollable urge to eat excessive amounts of food. This person will believe that he or she is overweight even when they are not. Some of these people induce vomiting, also known as purging, or use laxatives or diuretics to get rid of all of the food that was eaten during binging. Other people might fast and/or exercise excessively instead.



George

David Karlson asked:


 

Anyone who has suffered from an eating disorder knows that it is difficult to overcome this condition. Binge eating disorder treatment may involve the individual attending a treatment center in order to solve the problem. Binge eating consists of over eating large amounts of food. It is difficult to stop this sort of destructive behavior. One issue encountered with this problem is that we all need to eat, so food is always going to be in the picture. This is why it can be difficult to treat this condition.

What steps are involved with binge eating disorder treatment? Well, to start with, here is a list of things that he or she should do to solve this serious eating problem:



Tell someone you have a problem

Get treatment or therapy

Limit the amount of food you have at home

Take part in relaxing endeavors

Do not beat yourself up emotionally

Start an exercise routine

Try to determine what causes your binge eating – record your findings in a journal

Do not skip breakfast

Do not go on a diet

Accept you for who you are and not for your appearance



Most people that suffer from this eating disorder will not be able to treat it without some form of binge eating disorder treatment. Plenty of clinics treat these issues. Talk to your family doctor, as they should be able to refer you to a clinic or getting you into therapy. Here is a list of some of the things a clinic will focus on for the individual that suffers from these disorders:



Reduce the amount of eating binges

Develop healthy eating habits

Help the patient deal with guilt and shame associated with an eating disorder

Develop a healthy outlook on yourself

Treat the conditions that may be causing the eating problem such as depression or anxiety



So, go ahead and make that first step in getting help if you have a problem with eating. Binge eating disorder treatment starts with telling someone. If someone, you know, may suffer from this condition, then talk to them and try to convince them to see a doctor.



Adrian

Keith Lee asked:


Teen eating disorders can cause a family to crumble at its foundation. Young adults frequently struggle to fit into their society circle. Having to deal with peer pressure and ideal body images can really put a toll on their delicate self-esteem. Parents should be well aware of the signs and symptoms that accompany dysfunctional eating habits. No matter if the child is male of female, they can develop an eating disorder which will hamper their growth, both physically and mentally.

What Actually Is Teen Eating Disorders?

Parents so often have misconceptions about teen eating disorders. They may believe that society is brainwashing their child into becoming thin, when in reality, it may be the result of their own actions that are helping to promote the negative behavior that their child is exhibiting. If a parent finds comfort in food, then the child will more than likely follow suit. This can lead to anorexia and bulimia or even compulsive eating. Parents must grasp the concept that they are their child’s first line of defense when it comes to avoiding eating disorders.

Where To Find Information About Teen Eating Disorders?

If a parent needs help in finding out more about what they can do to combat teen eating disorders, then they can do a little bit of research on the internet. There are many sites focus on teen eating disorders where parents can learn how to help their teen increase their calorie intake in a healthy way and hopefully avoid the pitfalls of an eating disorder. If a parent is looking for more specific health information, then they can try Web MD or the Mayo Clinic’s website.

Where Can Parents Seek Help?

Parents who are raising adolescents should be aware of the different types of teen eating disorders. Those who become afflicted with these issues need to seek help from specialists, such as therapist or a nutrition professional. Parents also need to remember not to be critical when it comes to their child’s weight. Adolescence is a tough stage of life and having a parent who is constantly nagging about their child’s weight can be very devastating. Seeking medical professionals can help a great deal when it come to learning about how to deal with an eating disorder.

How Parents Can Help Their Teens with Eating Disorders?

When parents try to help their child to avoid succumbing to teen eating disorders, the first thing that they should know is that they are the main person that their child will try to emulate. Monkey see, monkey do, right?

If the parents are constantly dieting and focusing solely on their weight, then the child may develop similar behaviors as well. If the child feels that they are not living up to the standards set by the parents, then they may resort to eating, binging, or purging in order to cope with their health anxiety.

Parents must understand that they do have control, and they must take it.



Aaron

hannah_1721 asked:


This is for a report I’m doing in school. Be sure to provide your age and the age of the sufferer(s). If you know more than one sufferer of an eating disorder, please tell me how many people you know.

Thanks!

Helen

David Karlson asked:


 

What exactly causes a compulsive eating disorder? Most experts agree that the exact causes are unknown. Experts also believe that this condition could begin in childhood if the child uses food to relieve stress or as a comfort food. This could result in a person developing this disorder.

Practically half the people that suffer from a compulsive eating disorder also suffer from depression. Experts are uncertain if the depression causes the eating disorder or if it is the other way around. Potentially, there are physical problems that could cause an eating problem. A problem in a person’s hypothalamus could cause an eating disorder. This part of the brain controls and monitors your appetite.

If this part of your brain fails to send the proper signals, a person could continue to eat even if they are full. An imbalance in serotonin will also play a role in compulsive eating disorder. A serotonin imbalance can lead to depression, so you can see how an eating disorder and depression could be linked.

People who have a compulsive eating disorder know that they overeat. The problem causes them much embarrassment, but they cannot stop overeating. They will usually be successful in hiding the condition from their friends and family, thus it is a secretive disorder.

A compulsive eating disorder will also increase the possibility of other health problems as well. One obvious health risk is being overweight. Many of the people that are overweight suffer from this over eating condition.

Another problem that can occur from compulsive over eating is a nutrition deficiency. This occurs because the person usually overeats on sugary foods and foods high in fat content, especially foods that lack the proper vitamins and nutrients we need to stay healthy.

A compulsive eating disorder can also lead to such conditions as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, gallbladder problems and high cholesterol as well.

Most people that suffer from a compulsive eating disorder must seek help from a physician or clinic. It is very difficult to control this issue without help. Some people feel that they can treat the issue themselves by trying different fad diets. This usually just results in a yo-yo cycle of dieting. The best option for getting over this condition is to seek professional help as soon as possible.



Troy

Sandra Kim Leong asked:


Eating disorders are fast becoming a growing and common problem. It is not unusual to open up the newspapers and reading about reports of this condition every other day. Many models, actresses and famous celebrities are also widely known to have eating disorders due to their desire to look good for the camera.

In the United States, statistics show that currently there are approximately between 5 and 10 million women in the United States who suffer from some kind of eating disorder, or are at the borderline of developing one. The wide variance is an indication of many cases that go unreported or undiagnosed. Many prefer not to seek treatment as they mistakenly believe that they do not have a problem.

It is also not true that eating disorders just affect young women. Young women are thought to be most susceptible as they are more concerned about beauty and fashion. However, in reality, people of all ages and from any kind of background can generally be affected. So long as you become obsessed with unhealthy eating patterns, you can be said to be showing symptoms of

this condition. It is estimated that over one million boys and men suffer from some form of eating disorder.

However, there are many experts who believe that this statistic may be distorted because many men with eating disorders are not accurately diagnosed. Studies have shown that many men are told that they are simply exhausted tired or depressed. Doctors fail to think that men can be affected too.

So what are eating disorders? They refer to conditions whereby you have an unhealthy preoccupation with food and body image.

The most common types are anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge eating. Anorexia describes a condition whereby you just refuse to eat due to an obsession with weight loss. Bulimia is characterized by a cycle of binging and purging that you use to control your weight. Binge eating disorder is an eating disorder that involves sessions of intense overeating followed by feelings of intense guilt. Other disorders that are related to eating disorders include emotional eating and nocturnal eating.

One startling statistic reveals how prevalent eating disorders actually are in the United States. According to recent research, the number of people suffering from an eating disorder is three times as much as the number of people currently living with AIDS. Another statistic tells us that there are three times as many people with eating disorders than there are schizophrenia patients

in the United States.

One of the root causes of eating disorders is the way beauty and body image are constantly being portrayed by the media. Fashion magazines and TV commercials present the ideal American model to be 5′11″ tall and of 117 pounds in weight. Yet, the average modern American woman is 5′4″ tall and weighs approximately 140 pounds. Inevitably, this disparity in the numbers can only result in eating disorders developing so that the perfect body weight and shape can be attained. Who does not want to look like a model?

Even young children nowadays are consumed by thoughts of weight and physical beauty. Recent studies find that about half of all American elementary age school children would like to be thinner, expressing dissatisfaction with their current appearance. Even kindergarten aged children are anxous about their looks and fear gaining weight. Some have even gone on diets so that they can look better. Eating disorders used to be virtually non-existent with young children. It just does not seem that way anymore.



Margaret

Alex asked:


The term bulimia means excessive or abnormal desire for food which is better described as ox-hunger. Bulimia Nervosa disorder has the character of repeating occurrence of binge eating which develops the person with lack of sense for having no control on eating behavior and encourages self-induced vomiting and intake of laxatives and drugs to get rid of this eating habit. This eating disorder is usually of three main types; Bulimia Nervosa, Anorexia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder. It involves long lasting and obsessive eating pattern in the person suffering from this eating disorder. From the past 20 – 30 years, the number of people suffering from this disease is enormously increasing at a faster pace.

Anorexia nervosa is a disorder which compels people to starve themselves in an obsession of becoming thin. This disorder mainly affects teenage girls but men are no longer remaining exceptional in this case.

Bulimia nervosa, abbreviated to bulimia generally, is a disorder where an individual goes through the binge-eating session, followed by their worsening health. They often develop self-induced vomiting feeling of guilt for having eaten much. People suffering from bulimia nervosa tend to develop bulimia symptoms like this. They usually scare and suffer from an artificial preoccupation of gaining weight in their own body. People who suffer from this disorder greedily consume food in a huge quantity in an attempt to get rid of their stress and in another to deal with their anxiety feeling.

People having binge eating disorder intake high caloric foods in a frequent manner but this does not induced themselves for vomiting unlike people with bulimia nervosa sufferers. Studies and research have reported that binge eating disorders are likely to run in different generations of the family, so it is obviously a case having genetic links.

This is a psychological disorder that mostly affects women and very occasionally, it affects men. Bulimia nervosa affects every individual physically as well as with the underlying cause in relation with the reaction of being overweight, self image issues, self consciousness and lack of food control. Therefore, bulimia treatment is a significant thing for every person suffering from this psychological disorder, although the complete treatment is bit difficult. Because the sufferer never admits to the problems they are suffering from and develop tendency to hide this eating habit. Getting embarrass is another issue they have but this disease can prove to be extremely hazardous effect to their physical health. If the immediate bulimia treatment is not given to the person, he/she may begin to have problems such as electrolyte imbalance, esophageal tears, cardiac problems, gastrointestinal disorders, stomach disorders and dental problems. In the later stage of the disease it is become difficult for the person to normal functioning and the person become more prone to illnesses and colds. They may also develop more bruising on the surface of skin and may intend to have more broken bones from a simple fall. if anybody would find with this disorder and bulimia symptoms, approach him to obtain bulimia treatment for this as soon as possible.

There are many options of treatments a person suffering from bulimia nervosa can adopt. It includes medications, psychological treatment and support treatments for in patient and out patient, and dental treatments with compulsive exercising. While going through a treatment, person strictly needs put away him/herself from overeating and night eating habits. If any body is suffering from bulimia nervosa, it is important for you to support them in any way otherwise, treatment alone will not going to help them with their problem in any case.



Clyde

Ebib x asked:


My friend (boy) has missed his lunch 3 times this week and im really worried about him. He thinks hes fat but hes not.
Im worried he might have an eating disorder. What shall i do?

Katherine