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Eating
Disorders
Am I fat?
This is the worst fear of the new
generation, specially the teenage girl. While the older generation looks
at weight control from the health point of view, this is a worry that plagues
the average teenager from a more cosmetic viewpoint. Senior citizens reminisce
nostalgically about the good old days when women had some flesh on their
bones. Grandmothers are horrified by their scrawny grandchildren who say
that “thin is in.”
First Twiggy and then Kate Moss brought
in the era of the waif – a being so ethereal, that she is almost non-existent.
Although, fashion does not take such an extreme standpoint any more, the
average fashion model still resembles a clothes hanger. What the average
teenager must be made to understand is that these women are the exception
rather than the norm. Every person is born with a particular body framework
and bone structure that is determined genetically. Every person must learn
to be comfortable with his or her body instead of blindly following fashion
trends. It is a fact that some people look better with a little flesh on
them. That does not mean that you should go to the other extreme and be
complacent about being overweight. You have to find your own happy medium.
Worry about being fit not fat.
This modern obsession with body weight
when taken to an extreme can lead to the development of eating disorders
like anorexia nervosa, bulimia and compulsive over-eating.
Anorexia: Starvation
is not the answer
Anorexia nervosa has been described
as “the willful pursuit of thinness through self-starvation.” Adolescents
are most often affected by this disorder. People who have this disorder
are really prisoners of their mind. They have a distorted perception of
their body, seeing themselves as obese while in reality they are quite
thin. The fear of putting on weight gnaws at them constantly. They are
obsessive about losing weight, starving themselves to the point of emaciation.
Anorexics are fixated on food. While they do not eat themselves, they will
prepare elaborate gourmet meals for others and collect recipes. Besides
unnatural weight loss, anorexia can result in the cessation of menstruation,
constipation, discolouration of skin and the growth of fine body hair.
Anorexics are usually perfectionists and tend to have low self-esteem.
They are often depressed because they cannot meet the high standards that
they set for themselves.
Bulimia: The binge-purge
syndrome
This is the phrase that describes
the eating disorder known as bulimia. One of the most famous bulimics was
Princess Diana. Bulimia is often the response to stress and depression.
Bulimics derive comfort from food. When such people feel low or angry for
some reason, food is their “pick-me-up.” They gorge themselves, preferably
on high-calorie junk food. This gives them a “high” helping them to forget
their troubles for a little while. Bulimics tend to be closet eaters. They
gormandize secretly and then feel ashamed of their gluttony. They then
induce themselves to vomit or take laxatives to purge themselves of the
feeling of guilt. They have no control over their eating so they treat
the effect rather than the cause by vomiting or taking laxatives. After
a point bulimics can derive pleasure from the act of vomiting itself.
The pattern of binge and purge can
result in ulcers, gastric and dental problems, acute disturbances in the
chemical balances of the blood which could lead to heart attacks, sore
throats, aching joints, and feelings of weakness, dizziness and apathy.
Compulsive overeating:
Food is my best friend
This is the refrain of a compulsive
over-eater. This person is a food addict. The consequence of this addiction
is usually obesity. A person who overeats compulsively sees food as the
panacea for loneliness, isolation, boredom, depression, feelings of inadequacy.
Food is a source of comfort when this person is feeling depressed, guilty
or unattractive. Like most addictions, this is a vicious cycle. The more
you eat, the more unattractive, helpless and out of control you feel. This
makes you eat even more. And so it goes on.
There is a way
out
Anorexics, bulimics and compulsive
overeaters should seek help. They will probably be hospitalized initially
to normalize their body functions. They should visit a psychologist or
a counsellor to help them deal with their feelings of inadequacy and low
self-esteem. People who suffer from an eating disorder need to be handled
gently. Their self-esteem is at a rock-bottom level. They need to feel
that they are in control of their lives and to be told that they are accepted
and attractive just the way they are. The counsellor will probably recommend
behaviour modification therapy whereby the person is rewarded every time
they reach a weight gain or weight loss target. Compulsive overeaters should
try not to be alone for too long as far as possible. They should keep low
calorie snacks around the house and try to distract themselves with physical
activity every time they feel a craving for food.
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