| Eating disorders are one of the unspoken secrets | | | | healthy eating and weight management. |
| that permeate many families. Millions of Americans | | | | Eating Disorder Types |
| are afflicted with this disorder every year, and most | | | | In Anorexia Nervosa, the sufferer shows a |
| of them -- up to 90 percent -- are adolescent and | | | | desperate fear of weight gain and a desire to be |
| young women. Rarely talked about, an eating | | | | abnormally thin, and severely restricts her diet in an |
| disorder can affect up to 5 percent of the population | | | | attempt to achieve this. Some sufferers also use |
| of teenage girls. | | | | excessive exercise and sometimes self-induced |
| Why are adolescent and young women so | | | | vomiting as a means of weight control. This |
| susceptible to getting an eating disorder? According | | | | behaviour leads to a wide variety of harmful physical |
| to the National Institute of Mental Health, it is | | | | and psychological consequences and can be |
| because during this period of time, women are more | | | | life-threatening; in fact anorexia nervosa has the |
| likely to diet to try and keep a slim figure and/or try | | | | highest mortality rate of any psychological illness. |
| stringent dieting. Certain sports (such as gymnastics) | | | | Bulimia is characterized by eating excessive amounts |
| and careers (such as modeling) are especially prone | | | | of food in short periods of time, |
| to reinforcing the need to keep a fit figure, even if it | | | | Usually in secret, and is followed by some form of |
| means purging food or not eating at all. | | | | purging behavior. Most individuals suffering with bulimia |
| These eating disorders carry serious health risks and | | | | realize that their behavior is abnormal and try to keep |
| can sometimes result in death. Medical and Dental | | | | it a secret. Individuals are either slightly over, or at |
| complications can occur as a result of starvation, | | | | average body weight. |
| vomiting and abuse of exercise. A small but significant | | | | While bulimia is not as physically harmful as anorexia, |
| number of eating disorder patients die from their | | | | the psychological effects can be devastating, leading |
| disorder, convinced that it is better to starve to | | | | to depression and even more serious outcomes |
| death than to be fat. It is vital that eating disordered | | | | including suicide in the worst of cases. The physical |
| people receive treatment for their disorders. | | | | signs of bulimia which can be observed tend to be |
| Appropriate treatment includes medical attention and | | | | related to the purging methods used, and include |
| psychotherapy, both from professionals specializing in | | | | regularly bloodshot eyes, swollen glands, and dental |
| eating disorders treatment. | | | | erosion. In the long term, the dangers include |
| Preventing Eating Disorders | | | | digestive system problems such as ulcers, weakness |
| Cognitive-behavioral strategies may help prevent the | | | | and exhaustion, and even heart problems. |
| development of eating disorders in adolescent | | | | Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is a type of eating |
| women, particularly those who are overweight. A | | | | disorder not otherwise specified and ischaracterized |
| 2006 study in the Archives of General Psychiatry | | | | by recurrent binge eating without the regular use of |
| reported success with an Internet-based | | | | compensatory measures to counter the binge eating. |
| cognitive-behavioral program that targeted at-risk | | | | Binge Eating Disorder is characterized by: |
| college-age women. The women were taught how to | | | | 1. Frequent episodes of eating large quantities of |
| become more comfortable with their body weight | | | | food in short periods of time. |
| and image. The program also provided education on | | | | 2. Feeling out of control over eating behavior. |