| Anorexia/Bulimia ... |
We all worry about food and healthy eating at times; perhaps we overeat at
holidays, or skip a meal. However, people with eating disorders do more than
worry; they live in contsant fear of food and fat. They often feeling guilty,
about their eating habits and their weight and ashamed and out of control
around food.
Anorexia, bulimia, obesity and compulsive overeating are epidemic
problems in a culture that idolizes and equates thinness with beauty.
If
you struggle with an eating disorder, or have concerns about a friend or
family member you don't need to feel alone or ashamed. Eating disorders
are treatable.
While each problem is unique, all eating disorders have similar warning
signs which may include:
- Unhealthy amount of body fat
- Constant dieting on low-calorie or high restriction diets
- Preoccupation with food
- Using food to hide or deal with emotions
- Obsessive exercise
- Fear of not being able to stop eating once you start
- Seeing you body image differently than others see you
- Using body weight or image to determine yours or another's worth
Unfortunately, all eating disorders can have serious physical, mental, emotional, and
spiritual risks.
Anorexia is a disorder where one simply starves her/himself,
consuming less calories, thus becoming severly underweight. Because this
can be fatal, anorexics need professional care, and like any
life-threatening illness, parents may have to force intervention on a minor.
Anorexia Symptom Checklist
- Ceased menstruation (or never started even when age appropriate)
- Insomnia and hyperactivity
- Distorted body image (sees self as fat and "feels" fat)
- Rigid and intense exercise routines
- Extreme fear of gaining even one pound or less
- Strict food rules (perhaps regarding portions, restricting certain foods, etc)
- Cold, dry skin with downy hair on arms, legs, face, and back
- Delayed physcial and social development
Heatlh Risks Due To Malnutrition
- Heart and / or kidney failure
- Depression and / or suicide
- Digestive and elimination problems
- Low protein stores and electrolyte imbalance
Bulimia is a disorder often characterized by chronic low-calorie
dieting that sets-off a binge-purge eating cycle. A bulimic person
tends to binge, or gorge themselves, on massive amounts of food, then purge
themselves of the food by vomiting, abusing laxatives, fasting, or
exercising excessively. The use of diuretics is also common.
Bulimic Symptom Checklist
- Extreme fear of gaining even 1-5 pounds
- Distorted body image
- Strict food rules (example: no sweets, only one meal per day, etc.)
- Dry skin and hair
- Depression and/or mood swings
- Fatigue from insufficient and/or irregular nourishment
- Swollen face from vomiting (immediately after a purge)
Health Risks
- Depeleted protein and fat stores caused by chronic dieting
- Damage to digestive system from binging and purging
- Throat and esophagus damage due to acidity of vomit and force vomiting
- Laxative dependence
- Electrolyte imbalance leading to irregular heartbeat, heartfailure,
and kidney damage
- Dental problems (acidity of vomit can destroy tooth enamel)
- Irregular menstruation due to lack of body fat needed for hormone production
Please see Overeating/Weight Loss
for information about this eating disorder
Due to the fatal risks of Anorexia and chronic cycling of Bulimia
seeking professional help is a wise choice. Individual, group, and/or family
counseling can help to shed light on:
- Unhealthy eating patterns
- Interpersonal relationships
- Triggers that contirbute to the eating disorder
- Gaining insight into the core origins of the eating disorder
Counseling can also aid in building a healthy support system and identifying
helpful coping mechanisms. At Directions Counseling Group treatment for
eating disorders includes all aspects of the person: physical, emotional,
mental, social, and spiritual. This results in a more comprehensive healthy
outcome with therapy goals and client well-being.
The information on this page is general in nature and not
intended as a substitute for a professional clinical evaluation.
|