Food Disorders Related to Distorted Body Image - Article Example

Food Disorders Related to Distorted Body Image Introduction As much as 24 million people of different ages and gender have been reported to have eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder in the United States.1 The total population of people with eating disorder in the United Kingdom was reported to be as much as 1.15 million which is much lesser than the total population in the U.S.2 For many years, a lot of individuals who are residing in the United States and in the United Kingdom have suffered and died from eating disorders. It is wrong to think that only women could suffer from eating disorders. Regardless of social and economic classes, races, and their level of intelligence, it has been reported that almost 10% to 15% of the American men are unable to handle a variety of emotional difficulties which could lead them to suffer from eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia.3 Eating disorders are serious physical and psychiatric illnesses concerning the unusual eating habits, attitude about food consumption, the weight management practices, and a person’s ideal weight and body shape. The common denominator of eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder is the irrational fear of getting fat and dissatisfaction in their own body weight and shape. As a result, these individuals would eventually go through unhealthy weight management system as well as the extreme intake of food. Eating disorders has a very high mortality rate of any mental illness.4 Therefore, it is essential to fight against eating disorders. For the purpose of this study, the researcher will gather articles and related journals to discuss several issues related to eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorders. In the process, the researcher will also determine the type of individuals who are prone to suffer from these eating disorders, distinguish the differences between the three types of eating disorders, and discuss about the health consequences related to eating disorders. Possible Causes of Eating Disorders Nobody really knows the main reason that causes eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia. However, a lot of researchers have come up with theories relating eating disorders with several factors that are related to physical, emotional, social, and familial related issues. According to the College Response National Eating Disorder Screening Program (NEDSP), almost 50% of the individuals who are suffering from eating disorders are due to depression.5 Another research study has concluded that social pressure is the most important risk factors in the development of eating disorders especially among the adolescents.6 Kenneth Dynn, a professor of psychological development at Sydney University stated that “the media is one of the major causes of dissatisfaction of physical appearance among the women population.”7 Although the media such as newspaper and magazine prints, film, television, and advertisements does not directly cause these women to suffer from eating disorders, the media triggers the fact that the women’s ideal body shape is the slim type. The fear of gaining weight is commonly the main reason that an individual is suffering from eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating. There is a possibility that eating disorders could be related to abnormal neurotransmitter systems in the sense that the serotonin system that is directly involve in the food intake regulation has been mixed up.1 This is the main reason why people who are suffering from food disorders are having difficulty in controlling their own intake in food. Teenagers as the Biggest Population of Individuals with Eating Disorders Between the male and female population, most of the individuals who have developed an eating disorder are those who belongs to ages 12 to 25.8 In fact, anorexia is considered to be the third most common chronic illness among the young adolescents.9 It is believed that the teenage years is the time of their lives wherein they wanted so much to be accepted by the other members of the society. The physical and emotional changes and pressure that these teenagers have to go through affects their overall outlook in life such as a strong desire to look good by being slim and gorgeous even to the extent that they have to lose weight in an unhealthy way. During puberty, it is but normal to gain body fat as part of their physiological development. However, some girls do not understand the human body developmental stage. Therefore, they tend to respond to it by going through excessive exercise and strict dieting. In the end, a huge portion of the teenage population develops the eating disorder habits. Going back to the psychological effects of advertisers using the images of the women celebrities with slim bodies, we could trace that the media greatly affects the mentality and the general perception of the teenage population when it comes to the perfect physical characteristics among the women. In general, the media contributes a lot to the creation and development of a distorted perception of a good body image among the teens. People with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) It is also possible that some of these individuals with eating disorders could be depressed and anxious about something. Some researchers believe that people with eating disorders may have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It is possible that as a way to control their lives, these people tend to practice anorexia and bulimia as a way of handling their everyday stress and anxieties. Family Influenced Eating Disorders and Heredity There are some evidences showing that eating disorders can be influenced by anyone of the family members especially the parents.10 Considering that the parents is the role model of their children, it is possible for the them to consciously and unconsciously influence the eating habits of their children including their personal reaction towards food. In some cases, it is suggested that genetic components could affect the eating behavior of each individuals.11 Gender-Related Issues Women are usually the ones who suffers from eating disorders due to the fact that the society has set an image that attractive women are those who have sexy figures and such more than in men. In the case of homosexuality such as the gays and the lesbians, studies have shown that the lesbians are less likely to be a victim of eating disorders.12, 13 On the other hand, the cultural pressure that gays have to be thin and attractive increases their risks of being diagnosed with eating disorders. Considering the fact that three to five percent of the male population are gays14, they roughly account for roughly 20% of the men who are diagnosed with eating disorders15. In other words, ranging from the greatest to least risks of being diagnosed with eating disorders are as follows: the heterosexual females, gay males, lesbian females, and the heterosexual males.16 Sports and Career Related Issues It also possible for some girls or women to develop eating disorders depending on the type of sports or career they have chosen to do. For instance, individuals who are part of the gymnasts, ice-skaters, ballerinas, runners, or even by being a movie or theatre actors and actresses have a higher chance to have a culture set on the importance of weight loss. In the process of losing weight, these individuals may tend to choose to go through strict dieting up to the point where it could be very much dangerous to their own physical health. Even though eating disorders is less likely to be seen on the male population, it is still possible for wrestlers, basketball players, etc. to develop eating disorders each time they need to really lose weight within a very short span of time. For most men who are heavily into sports; winning is the most important thing rather than the physical appearance. About Anorexia Nervosa Anorexia Nervosa is a serious eating disorder that is normally characterized by the sudden decreased in the intake of calories, the increased in the physical activity, significantly and chronically low weight, as well as the resistance in the effort exerted to increase their body weight. According to Clare Lindsay (2001), it is normally associated with the feeling of hopelessness and despair concerning one’s own body.17 One of the most unique feature of anorexia is the fact that it is not referring only to a person’s strong desire to be very thin. It also alters the person’s perception about the body image he / she should have. Despite the fact that anorexic individuals are already shredding excessive weight at a dangerous level, these individuals would still see themselves as a fat person. Therefore, one can easily detect whether a person is suffering from anorexia through a keen physical observation. Most of the individuals who are diagnosed with severe anorexia may have the physical characteristics of protruding bones, denies the feeling of hunger, spend too much time on exercise routines, feels fat despite being thin, and would normally withdraw from the normal social activities. In the process of their strong desire to lose weight, these people tend to starve themselves by eating too little or almost nothing at all. Starvation related to anorexia may be caused by either self-induced or not could lead to a lot of physical and psychological changes. A sudden significant drop in the body weight of an individual is very dangerous since it could lead to a huge biological changes that may cause and create disturbances in his / her normal functioning of the brain. Particularly Anorexia is a gender-biased eating disorder. Based on a research study, roughly 90% of the anorexic individuals are female and the rest of the 10% are male.18 Due to the improvement of detection methods for anorexic diagnosis, a more recent study shows the significant increase in the rate of anorexia in both genders.19 Health Consequences of Anorexia Based on a research study, eating disorders greatly affect the sexual activity of those anorexic males.20, 21 It is more likely for anorexic males to withdraw from going through a sexual activity due to some psychological reasons such as they tend to become shy and not confident with their body image or they fear that the female counterpart would not appreciate his physical appearance, etc. In the end, the anorexic males would prefer to isolate themselves by becoming sexually inactive. As human beings, we need to eat nutritious food in order to have the nutrients our body needed in order to sustain life. In the case of the individuals with eating disorders, these people intentionally deprive themselves from the nutrients the body needed to maintain its resistance from a long list of possible diseases and health problems such as dehydration, malnutrition, heart, kidney, immune system, and liver problems, infertility, personality disorder, osteoporosis, and permanent health damage which could eventually lead to death.22, 23, 24 About Bulimia Nervosa The case of Bulimia Nervosa (BN) is very much different from the case of anorexia nervosa in the sense that people diagnosed with bulimia would not starve themselves in order to lose excessive weight. Instead, these individuals would eat as much as they could then eventually get rid of the excessive calorie intake through the process of a self-induced vomiting, the excessive use of laxative, enemas, or diuretic, a prolonged fasting, or doing an excessive exercise.25 This practice is commonly known as the ‘binge and purge’ attitude or behavior. Just like anorexia nervosa, individuals who are diagnosed with bulimia tend to affect more young girls and young women more than the male population. The only difference between the two is the fact that one can never tell whether a person has bulimia due to the fact that bulimic individuals normally appear just like a normal person with an average weight or body mass index (BMI). In order to trace whether a person has a bulimic tendency, one should pay attention as to whether or not a person makes regular excuses to go to the bathroom immediately after every meal, eats a lot of food but never gain weight, the habit of using laxatives or diuretics, and their personal choice of withdrawing from social activities. Health Consequences of Bulimia Nervosa The health consequences of bulimic individuals include: the loss of necessary nutrients to sustain a healthy body; metabolic disturbances which could trigger psychological and mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, and obsessive compulsive disorder; tooth disorders such as the erosion and discoloration of tooth enamel due to stomach acid, tooth decay, gum disease, and mouth ulcers; low resistance to infections, severe muscle spasms, heart attach, and permanent damage to the rest of the body organs.26 About Binge Eating Problems Binge eating is referring to the habit of being unable to control over eating. According to some medical practitioners particularly the doctors, it is very evident in people who binge eating problems to have a frequent episodes of eating abnormally large amount of food all at the same time due to their inability to control the amount of food being eaten.27 There is a very big tendency for people with binge eating problems to continuously eat even when they are not hungry or is already uncomfortably full. After eating a very large amount of food, these individuals would eventually feel guilty, depressed, or disgusted for eating more than what is usual. Similar to bulimia nervosa, bulimic individuals tend to binge too. The only difference between bulimic individuals and those with binge eating problems is the fact that bulimic people would tend to do self-induced vomiting or taking excessive laxative (also known as purge) in order to get rid of the food they have eaten. In the case of individuals with binge eating problems, they never purge the food they eat. In other words, people with binge eating problems are normally the obese individuals having more than 20 percent of their normally accepted body weight. Health Consequences of Binge Eating Problems The health consequences of people with binge eating problems are related to the diseases that can be observed among the obese individuals. This includes health problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, high cholesterol levels, gallbladder disease, heart disease, and certain types of cancer. Binge eaters also have impact on a person’s psychological functioning. They tend to withdraw from socializing or missing some activities at work or in school. They also feel bad about themselves for not looking physically attractive. Psychiatrists' and Nutritionists' opinions on Food / Eating Disorders Anorexia Nervosa Anorexic individuals are required to seek professional treatment from a multidisciplinary team of professionals such as nutritionists, psychologists, and other related medical practitioners like physicians and dentists who generally treats health concerns related to eating disorders. Based on several studies, anorexic individuals should go through several treatment process involving some psychotherapy, group therapy, nutritional counseling, peer support groups, medications, and behavioral therapy.28 Bulimia Nervosa Similar to treating anorexic individuals, it is also recommended that bulimic individuals receive treatment from a multidisciplinary team of professionals such as nutritionists, psychologists, and other related medical practitioners like physicians and dentists who generally treats health concerns related to eating disorders. Based on NIMH studies, a combination of therapy such as cognitive-behavioral therapy and group therapy coming from support groups as well as the use of anti-depressant medications could provide an effective treatment for bulimic individuals.29 Binge Eating Problems Considering that binge eaters could easily regain back the weight they have lost, it has been strongly recommended that these individuals should go through a cognitive-behavioral therapy in order to teach them some proper techniques on how they could effectively monitor and change their personal eating habits in response to different internal and external stimuli.30 On the other hand, the use of interpersonal psychotherapy could help these people make some necessary changes in their lives with regards to their personal relationships with their friends and family members. Other health practitioners suggest that the use of medication treatments such as the antidepressants could also help these individuals in terms of controlling their emotions which could be possible in triggering their binge eating habits. Lastly, allowing them to join a self-help group is expected to provide sufficient emotional support as they go through the necessary changes in controlling their binge eating habits. Conclusion Eating disorders can be triggered by a lot of external factors that are related to physical, emotional, social, and familial related issues. Considering the fact that eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorders could lead to a lot of health related problems and even death among these individuals, immediate health care treatment coming from a multidisciplinary team of professionals such as nutritionists, psychologists, and other related medical practitioners like physicians and dentists is highly recommended. *** End *** References: 1 The Renfrew Center Foundation for Eating Disorders (2001) ‘Eating Disorders 101 Guide: A Summary of Issues, Statistics and Resources’ 2 Beating Eating Disorders (2007) ‘Some Statistics’ [Online] Last Modified: March 13, 2007. Retrieved: August 17, 2007 < http://www.b-eat.co.uk/ > 3 Cariat, D.J. Camargo (1997) ‘Review of Bulimia in Males’ American Journal of Psychiarty. 1997; 154. 4 Sullivan, PF. (1995) ‘Mortality in Anorexia Nervosa’ American Journal of Psychiatry. 1995;152:1073 – 1074. 5 Barber, J. 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(Eds.) ‘Binge Eating: Nature, Assessment, and Treatment’ New York: Guilford Press. Read More