EATING DISORDERS: How should we deal with them?


 Statistics show that approximately 1.6 million people in the UK suffer from an eating disorder and 8 million in the US, with the term itself often being thrown around in a blasé manner in pop culture and television shows without consideration of the often dark and life threatening connotations of the term. The images shown to the world on silver screens are often glamorised versions of what life is really like for those suffering from an eating disorder, serving to perpetuate the growing issue in our society.

First of all, what is an eating disorder?
The term eating disorder encompasses a wide range of physiological disorders which are categorised by abnormal or disturbed eating habits. An individual may place much emphasis on their specific shape and weight rather than their health, causing them to follow a damaging routing in terms of food. There are three common eating disorders:

·         Anorexia nervosa: this relates to when a person tries to keep their weight as low as they can, and can employ a range of methods such as excessive exercise, starvation or pills.
·         Bulimia: this refers to when a person undergoes periods of binge eating and makes themselves deliberately sick or employs laxatives (medicine which aids in the emptying of the bowels) in order to have more control over their weight
·         Binge eating disorder (BED): this occurs when a person feels the need to consume large amounts of food in a short period of time

Some symptoms are the following:

·         Skipping meals, an excessive focus on calories
·         A dedication to weighing themselves
·         A reluctance or refusal to eat in public places
·         Eating very low calorie foods in the presence of other people

Alongside the various types are a host of effects which are left out of storylines. One can experience abnormally slow heart rate and low blood pressure increasing the risk of heart failure, osteoporosis (brittle bones), hair loss and severe dehydration leading to kidney failure. Specific to bulimia an effect is potential gastric rupture, peptic ulcers (sores that develop in the lining of the stomach, esophagus and small intestine)as well as pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas).

  When approaching the issue, it is important to remember that real people are involved, not simply a condition which needs to be cured, and a dialogues needs to be created to understand the underlying issues behind the disorders. This also raises the issue of whether a person ever is free of an eating disorder? Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can be used to help alter the mind-set of a person so that they can act more positively in situations regarding their self-image and eating habits. In addition dietary counselling can often be used to form a focus on the benefits of eating healthily yet importantly in balance. However, a person may move away from a threatening weight, but the deep psychological effects often stay entrenched, with calorie counting and negative body perceptions being inescapable. Individuals may focus on their own personal eating disorder journey, but it still remains that society promotes an often exclusive and skewed image of beauty which medical professionals and individuals must battle against perpetually to provide care and safety.

  Moreover, when discussing eating disorders, it must be understood that they can affect anyone, whether they have a thinner or larger body, they are male or female and regardless of their ethnicity. The topic has become prominent in the news with Netflix releasing a new film ‘To the Bone’ which chronicles the life of a young girl with anorexia as she experiences various recovery programmes. Some feel that the film is vital as it allow for a more open conversation about the issue and may make people feel more comfortable about stepping forwards and seeking help. However, there is a growing petition for the film to be banned as it may appear to glamorise eating disorders, and provide a damaging platform for those with mental health problems to fall further away from a place safety and wellness.

  It is vital that focus is transposed to ensuring people are content within themselves, and an understanding that health and beauty pertains to a range of different sizes, weight and body shapes.

I hope this post was informative

By Vicale Czan Alfanti

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Eating-disorders/Pages/Introduction.aspx#Spotting-signs-in-others

https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/health-consequences-eating-disorders

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PTSD - A Psychodynamic Explanation

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a type of anxiety disorder which you may develop after being involved in, or witnessing, traumatic events. The condition was first recognised in war veterans and has been known by a variety of names, such as 'shell shock'. PTSD can develop immediately after someone experiences a disturbing event, or it can occur weeks, months or even years later. Its estimated to affect about 1 in every 3 people who have a traumatic experience, but it's not clear exactly why some people develop the condition and others do not. There are many theories that could be used to explain this condition. Psychodynamic approaches to PTSD focus on a number of different factors that may influence or cause PTSD symptoms, such as early childhood experiences, current relationships and the things people do to protect themselves from upsetting thoughts and feelings that are the result of experiencing a traumatic event. The psychodynamic approach focuses mainly
Read more

Disparities in Global Eye Care

Vision is one of our most precious possessions. Multiple polls globally show that most people are more fearful of becoming blind than losing any other sense. (1,2) With sight being such a valuable asset, one would assume that eyecare is at the forefront of medical services across the world. Living in the developed world, we perhaps take for granted the simple and yet crucial services available to us such as regular eye tests, glasses, contact lenses and high-quality ophthalmic care - most of which can be accessed for free or at a subsidised price. However, in many parts of the world this is not the case. 285 million people worldwide are visually impaired, with 90% being from developing countries. (3) In China, for example, levels of blindness are increasing each year, however critically, rates of blindness have been reported at up to 4 times higher in the developing world as compared to more economically developed countries (4, 5). This is particularly worrying given that around 80% of
Read more

Do Contact Lenses Really “Support Your Vision”?

Image
Contact lenses have been frequently used as an alternative to glasses. Compared to the heavy-framed glasses in front of one’s eyes (optic glasses), thin plastic discs on the eye (contact lenses) help correct refractive errors in both myopic and hypermetropic users. The lens’ shape and power can be tailored to the user’s sight. A concave lens can be used to decrease myopia by reducing light refraction and increasing focal length so that the image is formed on the retina (1)  (Figure 1). Alternatively, a convex lens can be used to limit hypermetropia in an opposing mechanism to concave lenses (1) (Figure 1). Figure 1, An illustration of myopia and hyperopia and how adding lens of different shapes in front of the eye can be used to alter the refraction of light and correct each impairment in vision (10) Besides supporting sight, which both types of lenses can do, contact lenses confer some advantages that make them preferable to glasses. Unlike glasses, contact lenses are less likely to f
Read more