Today I am the mother of two girls aged ten and six. My hope is that if I learn more about eating disorders, I will not pass my obsession on to the next generation. Perhaps I may even learn to understand this disorder which has taken so much of the joy out of an otherwise wonderful life.
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What are eating disorders?.
The three most common forms of eating disorders are Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia and Binge eating disorder, but eating disorders are not just the extremes of Anorexia, Bulimia and Binge eating. Dangerous eating practices like the use of diet pills, laxatives and diuretics, and extreme fad diets, are widespread in the industrialized nations, where there is an overabundance of food and an obsession with thinness. It has been estimated that 15% of women have substantially disordered eating attitudes and behaviors. In many modern societies, one sure sign of success is thinness, and most men, women and children have suffered at one time or another with the issues of weight, body shape and selfv/s image. Eating disorders are usually categorized into three main groups: Bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa and eating disorders not otherwise specified. These are not new disorders; anorexia nervosa was first defined as a medical problem in 1873, but never before has there been such an abundance of cases.
Eating disorders are psychiatric illnesses. Although anorexia and bulimia effect such large numbers and stories are so regularly reported in the media, there is very little real understanding of these disorders. There is still a general belief among the general public that the problem lies solely in a desire to be slim and there is a lack of understanding of the depth and complexity of the issues. People who develop eating disorders do want to be thinner, but not simply to be thin. They often believe that every aspect of their life is affected by their body size. This often becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy as they lose all self-confidence and self respect as time goes on.
