Eating Disorders and How they are Misunderstood
Eating disorders such as bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder have the highest mortality rate of all mental disorders, but the general public does not have any knowledge about these disorders. This makes it hard for people with these disorders to get the help that they need. If everyone as a society understands these disorders we can help people with these disorders to feel like they are not alone and help to overcome these disorders.
Eating disorders affect a lot more people than we may think. They affect men and women of all ages and races(Muhlheim, 2019). Yet many people see eating disorders as something that only affects teenage girls that want to be skinner. There are many common misconceptions about people with eating disorders. Many people assume that people with these disorders are extremely skinny, but people all of shapes and sizes can be affected. People with eating disorders are often misunderstood. They undergo physical pain as well as severe health problems. Eating disorders are a serious health problem that many people do not understand and without the general public understanding these disorders it is hard for people with them to fully recover. There are risk factors that can affect your chance of developing an eating disorder. You have a much greater chance of developing an eating disorder if someone in your family, such as a parent or sibling, has one or has had one in the past. Eating disorders are much more likely to occur in people that have been diagnosed with another mental health disorder such as anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or depression. Many people either eat too much or not enough while stressed out, which can play a role in developing an eating disorder. Therefore, stress is another possible risk factor that is associated with these disorders. Dieting is another risk factor that has been linked to causing eating disorders. Trying to lose a lot of weight can trick your brain into thinking you do not need to eat when you actually do. The most common types of eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder (Feldman, 2019).
Anorexia nervosa is a life threatening eating disorder. Someone who has this disorder has an extreme fear of gaining weight(Muhlheim, 2019). Due to this they normally have an abnormally low body weight. In order to control their weight, people with this disorder tend to over exercise, limit how much food they eat, and in some cases they may even misuse laxatives, vomit after eating, or the misuse diet aids. They become obsessed with their weight. Even if a person with this disorder is extremely underweight they may still think of themselves as being over weight. No matter how dangerously skinny a person with anorexia gets they are never satisfied with their weight and continue to try and lose it. This can cause very serious health problems or even get to the point of self-starvation. Anorexia is a very serious health issue yet many people do not understand that. Even with the seriousness of this disorder, it is this disorder is often overlooked by the general public. This is because of some common misconceptions. The first misconception is that this disorder only affects people that are underweight. Although many people who are anorexic are underweight, this disease affects more than only those individuals. It can affect people of all shapes and sizes including people who are of a healthy weight or even overweight individuals. Another common misconception is that people with this disease never eat and are not associated with binge eating in any way. Anorexia affects everyone differently and there are two subtypes of this disorder. The first subtype is the type that comes to mind when people think about someone who is anorexic (Mahoney, 2019). Someone with this type of anorexia hardly eats any food due to the fear of gaining weight. The 2nd type of anorexia is the binge and purging type. Someone with this type of anorexia will binge eat a lot of food in one sitting and then force themselves to vomit. Finally, the most common misconception about anorexia is that they only affect women. Although most eating disorders do affect more women than men, it is not uncommon for a man to be diagnosed with an eating disorder. These disorders can affect anyone no matter your gender, age, race, or body type.
Bulimia Nervosa is another life threatening eating disorder. A person with this disorder will go through phases of binge-eating and then self-inducing vomiting(Muhlheim, 2018). This is done in order to reverse the affects of how much food that they consumed. It is common for people with bulimia to view themselves in a very negative way. They may judge themselves harshly and have an extremely low self-esteem. This disorder can be hard to overcome, but with support from friends and family along with treatment, overcoming this disease is possible. There are many common misconceptions associated with Bulimia as well. Many people think that this disorder is the exact same thing as anorexia except people with this disorder purge after eating. Purging is not the main difference between anorexia and bulimia. The main difference is actually weight. The majority of people who are anorexic are underweight, while the majority of people who are bulimic are either overweight or are a healthy weight(Mahoney, 2019). Another common misconception is, that you can simply look at a person and tell if they are bulimic or not. Many people assume people with this disorder are overweight. If a person is overweight this does not mean that they have an eating disorder. Bulimia is often a result of other mental disorders including anxiety and depression. Another misconception when it comes to bulimia is that this disorder is all about food. Someone who is bulimic does not just love to eat food. They feel better while they are eating it for a short time, but after they are done they feel disgusted by all of the food they just consumed. The final and again most common misconception is that this disorder only affects women. When it comes to bulimia men and women are both equally at risk. It is believed by many psychiatrists that the reason more women are reported having eating disorders than men is because more women are willing to seek help and treatment than men are.
Binge-eating disorder is another eating disorder that can be life threatening. It is also the most common eating disorder (The Primary Eating Disorder Diagnoses: General Description, History, and Myths, 2018). A person with this disorder frequently consumes large amounts of food in a single sitting and they have a feeling as though they cannot control their eating habits. Even if they are no longer hungry, they may continue to eat. Many people assume that binge-eating disorder is the same thing as overeating and they think that they can use these two-terms interchangeably (Walden, 2018). This is untrue. There is a difference between eating too much and having binge-eating disorder. During an episode of binge eating the person no longer cares about the food that they are eating and they are physically unable to stop eating. After eating they feel a large amount of shame about the eating episode that just occurred. Many people believe that binge-eating disorder is not a big deal. When in reality binge-eating disorders is a serious mental disorder that needs to be taken seriously. These disorders can significantly impact a person’s life in a negative way. Many people with these disorders have extremely low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety. Physical risks to the person’s health are another major concern that goes along with binge-eating disorder. These risks include heart disease, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. A misconception that lessens the seriousness of this disorder is that many people believe that the solution to binge-eating disorder is to simply stop eating so much. This is not a solution to this disorder. It is much more complicated than that. An individual with this disorder gives food power over their lives. Binge eating is caused by underlying emotional problems that cause a person to feel as though they need to eat in order to forget issues that are going on in their lives. The final misconception that is the most common for all types of eating disorders is that it only impacts women. Many people believe that only women are affected by these disorders. Eating disorders can affect anyone; this includes men, women, and children of all races and ages (Mahoney, 2019).
Eating disorders are more than just eating too much or not enough; they revolve around more than just food. Eating disorders are complex mental illnesses that can have serious affects on relationships, mental health, and a persons overall physical health. These disorders can be extremely frustrating and very difficult to treat. Educating the general public about eating disorders such as bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder can help us to better understand people who have these disorders and help to get the help and treatment that they need.
References
Feldman, R. S. (2019).Essentials of understanding psychology. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education, Chapter 12: Psychological Disorders
Mahoney, B. (2019, March 13). Four Common Misconceptions About Bulimia Nervosa. Retrieved from https://centerfordiscovery.com/blog/four-common-misconceptions-bulimia-nervosa/
Mahoney, B. (2019, March 14). Five Common Misconceptions About Anorexia Nervosa. Retrieved from https://centerfordiscovery.com/blog/five-common-misconceptions-anorexia-nervosa/
Muhlheim, L. (n.d.). An Overview of Eating Disorders. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/eating-disorders-4157252
The Primary Eating Disorder Diagnoses: General Description, History, and Myths. (2018).The Psychology of Eating Disorders. doi:10.1891/9780826155023.0001
Walden. (2018, September 10). 8 Myths About Binge Eating Disorder. Retrieved from https://www.waldeneatingdisorders.com/8-myths-about-binge-eating-disorder/
