Essay, Research Paper: Bulemia

Not All Black And White
Christmas is a time of joy, but the Christmas of 1988 was one of
revelation for me. My best friend of 15 years unveiled her deepest,
darkest, most private secret; she was bulimic. I was unfamiliar with the
disorder at the time, but when she told me of her 7 year struggle with
anorexia and bulimia, I had to know more, to understand the what, why,
and how. The first article I found on eating disorders was in a glossy
covered periodical, Parents' Magazine. It briefly outlined the mechanics of
both eating disorders, and stated that the majority of anorectics and a large
percentage of bulimics develop the disorders because of sexual repression
in childhood. Dissatisfied with the magazines explanation, I decided to
investigate the topic further. I went to Palmer College of Chiropractic's
library hoping to consume as much information as possible to prove
Parents' Magazine wrong. I found several medical journals, psychiatric
journals, and books on the topic of eating disorders that could affirm my
feelings.
As I tried to rationalize my friend's behavior, I decided that social
acceptability had to have played a large part in her illness. I also took into
account that her mother had passed away about 7 years before she broke
her news to me, and she had also given up her crown as Miss Iowa, so
depression could have been a factor as well. Another aspect of eating
disorders that I discovered is a lack of self-esteem, something I never
imagined.
The first source I found to dispute the sexual repression hypothesis
was in Psychology Today. Dr. Sarah Leibowitz theorized that sexual
maturity is a consequence of the disorder, not the raison d'etre. She
contends that a lack of self-esteem is a major cause of eating disorders in
teenage girls and young women according to the studies she has
participated in.
Depression and stress also play a major role in the development of
eating disorders, not just anorexia and bulimia, but obesity as well. Major
life events can be attributed to both depression and stress, leaving the
patient feeling lack of control in their life. The anorectic and bulimic turn
to starvation and weight loss as a way of taking charge of one aspect of
their life. Studies show that 32% of young women between 16 and 30
years of age who suffer from anorexia or bulimia experienced a severe
bout of depression or had a major life crisis just prior to the onset of her
eating disorder. Unfortunately, this feeling of control is a false one, since
the illness is actually more powerful.
The most common aim of the anorectic and bulimic is to achieve
social acceptance. Anorectics and bulimics are looking for approval from
friends, family, and they use their appearance as a means of that approval.
The national chapter of Anorexia and Related Eating Disorders reports
that an estimated minimum of 20% of American women between the ages
of 16 and 30 can be diagnosed with an eating disorder of one type or
another. They believe that this is due to the fact that, in the past 10 years,
there has been a steady increase in diet-related articles and advertisements
in women's magazines. Although a small percentage of American men
also suffer from eating disorders, articles and advertisements that promote
weight control are 10 times more prevalent in publications targeted toward
women than in similar ones targeted toward men. The same is true in
television and other types of media.
Overall, I believe that sexual repression has little, if anything, to do
with eating disorders, and have not found any tangible or reputable
evidence to dispute this viewpoint. In my vast search for knowledge, I
uncovered several facts to collaborate with my dissatisfaction of the
explanation that Parents' Magazine had to offer. I discovered that anorexia
and bulimia often are the result of severe stress or depression, lack of self-
esteem, and, foremost, an need for social acceptance.