Eating and Body Image Disorders
We were amazed and thrilled by their talent and beauty. Mind-boggling gymnastic feats and a voice like an angel were their trademarks. They died from self-inflicted starvation at the ages of 22 and 33.
When Christy Henrich, elite gymnast, and the beautiful and talented recording artist Karen Carpenter died, we were stunned and asked, "How could such a thing happen? Can someone really die from an eating disorder? It must be a celebrity thing."
What we rarely see “up close and personal” is the heartache, devastation and financial toll that eating disorders wreak on thousands of families across our country.
Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia are deadly diseases, mostly afflicting young teenage girls, and now more middle aged women as well. Between 5 and 16 million women between 12 and 20 are starving themselves, abusing medications such as diuretics and laxatives, or eating massive amounts of food and then purging, in an attempt to achieve a body image which is distorted beyond all reason. Ten percent of those afflicted perish. Among college age women, between 19% and 30% display bulimic behavior.
The dark side of peer pressure has grown in intensity. Girls are getting hit with the message that “super-model” figures are the expected norm.
It's no wonder so many girls and women are suffering from body-image problems ranging from mild self-dissatisfaction and constant dieting to severe, life threatening eating disorders.
The causes are complex. They include low self-esteem, depression, feelings of loss of control or worthlessness, sexual abuse, family communication problems and genetic predisposition. If not addressed, these eating disorders become extremely difficult to cure and are often tragically fatal.
Warning Signs
Anorexia Nervosa is characterized by a refusal to maintain a healthy body weight by restricting food intake and or abusing medications such as diuretics or laxatives. Any actual or even perceived weight gain is met with intense fear of becoming fat.
Bulemia Nervosa is characterized by binge eating and purging behaviors in an addictive fashion that can be devastating to overall health and social interactions.
There are many signs along the road to a fully developed eating disorder which should raise a red flag.
* Shame or guilt about your body
* Constant comparing your body with others
* Constant checking of your body in the mirror
* Missing school based on feelings that you have gained too much weight
* Restrictive dieting
* Purging after meals
* Withdrawal from friends and family
* Chronic fatigue
* Mood changes
* Excessive exercise
* Use of laxatives or diuretics
* Frequent weighing
* Loss of control when eating
* Lying about eating habits
The results are only too clear.
* Numbing of feelings
* Daunting sense of failure
* Depression
* Isolation from family and friends
* Increased secrecy of behavior
* Significant medical problems including gastrointestinal disturbances, heart problems, dental decay, loss of menstruation, hypotension (low blood pressure)
Left untreated death is a reality - our treatment programs are here to help.
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