Recognizing Anorexia

Symptoms of anorexia are primarily related to symptoms of starvation. Anorectics are, quite literally, starving themselves to death. This disease can be found in both men and women. Anorexia strikes people of all ages. This disorder has become a growing threat to high school and college students during the last 20 years. It has been estimated that as many as one in every 100 female students between 16 and 18 years of age are afflicted with this disorder. Symptoms in recognizing anorexia are dizziness, loss of concentration, irritability, serious insomnia, numbness in hands and feet, depression, feelings of hopelessness and despair, infections that don't heal, bruises, low tolerance for cold, a layer of fine downy hair, low blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, dehydration, kidney failure, seeing food as an enemy, continual exercise, pacing while eating, rushing from table to vomit and purge after eating, binges followed by periods of starvation, continual fear of gaining weight and considering oneself fat although others do not. If you or a loved one is suffering from these symptoms, please seek help.

Recognizing Bulimia

Bulimia is more common than anorexia. The average age who seek treatment are people around 30 years of age. Following are possible signs of bulimia: Binges followed by severe diets, vomiting, laxatives, enemas, diuretics, extreme exercise. Constant fear of being fat and fear of not being able to stop eating. Fear of losing control around food and fear of eating without purging. Depression and putting oneself down after a binge. Irregular menstrual periods, tooth decay, unusual weight changes and swollen salivary glands, dizziness and cramps. A minimum average of two binge eating episodes a week occur for three months and frequent use the bathroom after meals. An ulcerated esophagus develops along with dry skin from loss of fluids, rash or skin eruptions, constipation and water retention. Electrolyte imbalances develop from incorrect amounts of sodium and potassium in the system. If you or a loved one suffers from this illness, please seek medical help.

Identifying a Compulsive Eater

A compulsive eater is someone whose days revolve around food. Their most intense emotions, fear, guilt, anticipation, pleasure, nearly all have to do with food. A compulsive eater may simply eat large or frequent portions of food, eat beyond the time their hunger is satisfied, or once they start eating, feels they cannot stop. Their eating is often driven by anxiety, fear, frustration, or anger, rather than by hunger or even pleasure. A compulsive eater mat even be a compulsive dieter. Some stick rigidly to their diets because they feel that if they ever let go and binge, they would be completely out of control. Compulsive eaters can be found in people of all ages. It tends to run in families. Possible signs of compulsive eating that occur frequently, each week for six months are: buying and eating food secretly, being ashamed to be seen eating, claiming to keep to a strict diet while remaining considerably overweight(a sign of secret eating), eating unusually huge quantities, eating as the primary way to respond to good or bad news, planning ones day completely or primarily around eating, having special rituals for food and eating, being afraid to be left alone with food, feeling guilt or shame about food, continual fear of being fat. If you or a loved one has this psychological problem and experience anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem in relation to food, please seek help.

Suggestions for Compulsive Overeaters

Compulsive overeaters have problems they do not know how to deal with. Talk to a eating disorder specialist to gain their help , guidance, and support. Start with one of our easiest suggestions first. Don't try to change more than one habit at a time. Begin by observing your eating habits and write down what and when you overeat and how you feel, noting the reasons you are upset. Plan one day's eating at a time - what will you be doing, when will you eat and where. There are no forbidden foods. Eat small amounts of food you really like. Eat with friends. Denying yourself fun and social enjoyment of eating leads to solitary overeating and self-hatred. Go ahead and have fun in public. Pay attention when you eat. Try to be seated at a table, not standing or rushing. Eat slowly - know that you are eating and what you are eating. Concentrate on the experience of chewing and swallowing. Don't eat if you are angry, upset, sad, or overly emotional. Wait until you can enjoy your food. Drink water instead. Be aware when you are really hungry. What does it feel like? When you blow it and overeat at one meal, get right back on track. Don't shoot the whole day. Whatever you do, don't punish yourself, use it as a learning experience. Why did it happen and what can you do next time. Don't give yourself a guilt trip. Allow yourself to fail occasionally. Make a list of things you could do during those moments when you are most susceptible to food, once you have identified your overeating patterns.

Who is a Compulsive Eater

Some 85% of compulsive eaters are women. Compulsive eating may be found in people of all ages. It tends to run in families, although sometimes only one child will develop this eating disorder, possibly because he or she is closer to the parent who is also a compulsive eater. Here are some possible signs of compulsive eating. They tend to occur frequently. Buying and eating food secretly and being ashamed to be seen eating. Claiming to keep strict diet while remaining considerably overweight. Eating unusually large quantities of food such as entire cakes or pies, or eating more than one meal at a time and frequently eating past the point of being physically full. Eating is the primary reaction to good news or bad news and also eating when bored, nervous, frustrated, angry or lonely. Planning one's day around eating or avoiding food. Having eating buddies where most or all activities revolved around food. Having special rituals for food and eating, and being afraid to be left alone with food. Feeling guilty or shame about food and eating and alternating periods of heavy eating with rigid dieting and the continual fear of being fat. Some of the medical effects of compulsive eating include diabetes, heart attack, stroke, weakness and fatigue, anorexia or bulimia, and psychological problems such as anxiety, depression and low self-esteem.

What Is an Eating Disorder?

A person has an eating disorder when they use food to work out their emotional problems. Instead of feeling upset about a difficult situation, this person will try to get rid of their feelings by eating or by dieting. This person is obsessed with food or dieting, rather like an alcoholic is addicted to liquor. Instead of food being a part of their life, it becomes their whole life. The question is, "What is and what is not an eating disorder?" There are many areas of misinformation and confusion. Eating disorders can exist in many stages, sever, mild, or moderate. It is based on the percentage of weight loss. This variance can be less than 10 percent for mild and greater than 25 percent for severe. Eating disorders have genetic, environmental, and situational components and require expert medical evaluation. Health officials can assist, particularly registered therapists and dieticians who can design a therapeutic diet. This disease cannot be self-diagnosed or treated, so please seek medical intervention.

Frequent Questions and Answers About Eating Disorders

Are eating disorders a recent problem? No. Ancient Greeks and Romans wrtoe about abnormal eating patterns. Medical reports from three hundred years ago describe patients with anorexia. Only recently, however, have doctors tried to define these illnesses precisly, in order to better recognize and treat them. Bulimia was only identified as a distinct disorder in the mid-1970s, however, the problem existed long before then. Are all anorectics and bulimics women? Most are, but about five to ten percent of them are male. Are eating disorders caused by parents? Family problems can contribute to the onset and serverity of an eating disorder. But they don't cause it. Research has shown that children with eating disorders come from many types of families, including healthy, functional families. Are eating disorders all in the mind? No. They are both physical and metabolic in cause. There may be a physical malfunction in the way the body regulates hunger. Also, the more sever the disorder, the greater the damage it does to the body. The impact of starvation on the brain can lead to worsening mental and emotional problems. Is an eating disorder a sign that some other psychiactric illness exists, such as a personality disorder? Eating disorders are illnesses in and of themselves. They are not necessarily the product of some other illness. Of course, an eating disorder arising in a young person can affect the way his or oer personality develops.

More Frequent Questions and Answers About Eating Disorders

Do eating disorders cause depression? Depression is a separate problem. Some patients feel depressed because they are struggling with a chronic illness. However, there does seem to be a connection between a family history of mood disorder and the risk that a member may develop an eating disorder. Will a teenage girl who worries about her figure develop an eating disorder? Unfortunately, overconcern about one's body is normal in our culture. But when other emotional pressures bear down on a vulnerable person, the risk rises that she'll develop an eating disorder. Do food allergies, vitamin deficiencies, or improper diet cause eating disorders? There' not enough evidence to show that these alone can cause an eating disorder. However, there is evidence that imbalances in some vitamins or minerals may cause certain problems. Is it true that anorectics have no appetite? No. Anorectics to experience hunger much of the time and need considerable willpower to conquer these feelings. The more they starve, the more their bodies crave food. Do anorectics hate sex? Better to say that most anorectics would rather avoid sex. Starting uses up all the patient's energy, leaving her none for any other activity, including, but not limited to sex.

Are anorectics lying when they say they are fat but are obviously starving? No. They mean it very sincerely, because the disorder has warped their ability to think and see accurately. The longer the illness persists, the more the patient misjudges her appearance and the more he or she feels compelled to keep starving. Do an anorectic's psychological problems have to be cured before she can gain weight? Absolutely not. An anorectic is in danger of dying. Job One is to restore weight so that his or her body and his or her ability to think clearly, can return to normal. Only at that point will psychotherapy have some chance of succeeding. Do anorectics starve themselves so they can look good? Looking "good" has a different meaning for anorectics than for normal people. Many anorectics know they look skeletal and emaciated. For the, starvation is a compulsion they can't control, not a plan to become more attractive. Do laxatives and diuretics help control weight? Only with abuse. With normal use, by the time food passes in the bowel movement, the body has absorbed most of its calories anyway. Any weight lost is probably just temporary "water weight" loss.