Thinking About Eating Disorders

Allow me to tell you the story of a friend of mine.

A young teenage girl we know recently suffered through the death of her mother and consequently had to be faced with being raised by her father in whom she was petrified of. Did I mention she was to be in charge of raising her 6 younger brothers and sisters.

She was always thin, but now weighs 90 pounds. She doesn’t think she has a problem and her father doesn’t think she has a problem. There are many questions in this situation, the major one being does she have an eating disorder. If she does have an eating disorder, what type is it….anorexia, bulimia?

It’s clear she needs help, others have tried, however her father prevents any intervention. The question becomes, what is causing the eating disorder? That’s why I assembled this collection of articles and ebooks on eating disorders. Hopefully, you…the reader, might see yourself or someone you care about in the articles to come. Perhaps you might see that you are experiencing the symptoms discussed for anorexia or bulimia. Maybe you binge eat.

In a society that is increasingly placing standards of beauty upon the youths of our population, people are at more of a risk than ever when it comes to developing an eating disorder. The celebrities in television and the media display stick-thin figures which can create a high standard of beauty that can lead to many problems with an individual’s self esteem. When coupled with the fact that an obesity epidemic is overtaking much of the modern world, it’s important to have a full understanding of the eating disorders which are prevalent in society today in order to be able to catch the warning signs when an individual you know is afflicted.

This truly is a life and death discussion. Admitting you might have an eating disorder of some type is the first step in finding a solution to your problem. I pray that you might listen to the voice inside your head as you read the following material.

 

Bulimia Statistics

Bulimia nervosa is a terrible type of eating disorder which can really cause damage to the body and the mind. Bulimic individuals are overly concerned with their body image, and they often exhibit low self esteem. They achieve weight loss through unconventional and dangerous ways, most often through 'purging'. Bulimics often over-indulge in food, eating huge, sweet, high-calorie foods before retiring to the bathroom in order to vomit up the food and keep their body from ingesting the calories. It's a very serious condition, and in this article, we'll be relaying some statistics that we've found that discuss the complicated eating disorder known as bulimia nervosa. By better understanding the disease, you'll be able to see how many people are affected by it and exactly what kind of damage it can do.

Those who are facing a problem with bulimia may be good at hiding their problem. Many bulimics exhibit few physical symptoms, making it tough to discover if they've got a problem. Many college-aged females are affected by bulimia though, and studies have shown that a full ten percent of all college-aged females are afflicted with a case of bulimia.


While females are most often afflicted with bulimia nervosa, that's not to say that men aren't affected. Approximately ten percent of all cases of bulimia occur in males.


Bulimia can do a great deal of damage to the human body if left untreated. There are many problems that can develop through the disorder, and sadly, roughly one in ten individuals that are bulimic will die due to complications of the problem. These complications may include starvation, heart attack, or suicide.


One thing to note when trying to discover if an individual is afflicted with bulimia is their weight. The typical bulimic's weight fluctuates from between ten to fifteen pounds over their ideal body weight to ten to fifteen pounds below their ideal body weight.


While anyone may develop a case of bulimia, studies have shown that many cases of the disorder were developed at a young age. A study conducted showed that eighty six percent of all eating disorders were developed at an age of twenty or younger.


While anorexia is commonly considered to be the most prevalent eating disorder, cases of bulimia are more common. While about one percent of all women between the ages of twelve and twenty five have anorexia, as many as one in seven women between twelve and twenty five develop a case of bulimia.


The binge eating that bulimics engage themselves in often follow a pattern. Binges may range from caloric intakes of one thousand calories to over twenty thousand calories in one meal.


Now that you can see the problem that bulimia presents, you can be more alert when it comes to addressing the problem should it occur in someone that you know. When discussing the disorder, be sure to address the afflicted with compassion and love, and expect to be rejected. Do your best to help your loved one to seek assistance from a counselor or a doctor in order to help them to resolve their issue.

Written by: Scott Parat