Did you know that 90% of women dislike the way they look? And

it s all because

of the media and their emphasis on the ideal figure of a woman. Super

models like Kate

Moss and other Barbie-doll-figure-inspired women grace the cover of magazines

all over

the world promoting a perfect shape. Girls of all ages think that this is

what people

want to see. They think that this is what they should look like and try to

set impossible

goals for themselves to look like cover girls. As a result, many women in

North America

suffer from psychological illnesses. Among the most common are eating

disorders are

Anorexia , Bulimia Nervosa and compulsive overeating.

Anorexia and Bulimia generally arise in young women, but may also occur in

older females and occasionally in men. People suffering from any of these

sicknesses

usually suffer from low self esteem. Victims may think things such as, my

life would be

better if I lost weight, or they may think that people would like them

better if they were

thinner. They may feel incapable and tell themselves, I never do anything

right, or feel

that nothing I ever do is enough. When they look in the mirror, victims

see fat staring at

them, no matter how thin and bony they may look to others. When shown

pictures of

themselves, Anorexia and Bulimia patients realize how thin they are but still

are

dissatisfied with their shape when they go to look in the mirror.

Sufferers may lie about how much, how little, or when and where they have

eaten

so as not to admit to themselves or to others that they have a problem. They

may also lie

about vomiting and the use of laxatives. Depression or mood swings may also be

symptoms of eating disorders. Lack of motivation, feeling isolated and alone,

and having

the feeling of no self-worth can lead to suicide.

Eating disorders are commonly caused by a chemical imbalance in the

victim s

brain. Everyone has a chemical in their brain called Seratonin. This is what

controls your

appetite. In Bulimia patients, this chemical is deficient and so they keep

eating and eating.

At that point they feel guilty and have the urge to dispose of the consumed

food either by

vomiting or having a bowel movement promptly after eating. Subsequently, their

Vasopressin level increases and eventually takes over, making the disposal of

food the

norm. The opposite occurs in Anorexia patients. The Norepinephrine chemical

in their

brain is deficient. Norepinephrine is the appetite stimulant. In their case,

they have no

desire to swallow anything for fear of becoming obese.

Compulsive Overeating is another eating disorder although not as common as

Anorexia or Bulimia Nervosa. Patients eat uncontrollably and gain a

considerable amount

of weight. And unlike Anorexia and Bulimia patients, Compulsive Overeaters

are mostly

male. Compulsive Overeaters eat mainly to cope with stress and anything that

may be

disturbing them. They, like Bulimic s, understand that they have a problem.

Most

overeaters are people who were not taught how to deal with stressful

situations. As

Compulsive Overeating is not yet taken as seriously as other eating

disorders, patients are

directed to diet centers and health spas, but in the end, Compulsive

Overeating can have

the same consequences as Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa. The most serious

consequence

being death. Nevertheless, it can be conquered with therapy and counseling.

If they knew what eating disorders do to their bodies, patients would

seek help

much sooner. In Anorexia patients, fatigue, lack of energy, and Amenorrhea

are very

common physical problems, as are hair loss, infertility, osteoporosis (caused

by lack of

calcium) and depression. The same goes for those who suffer from Bulimia.

Also,

Bulimia patients may have rotted teeth (caused by excessive vomiting),

cathartic colon

(caused by laxative abuse), and inflammation of the pancreas. There are many

more

physical consequences that victims may encounter upon suffering from these

afflictions.

People who suffer from Anorexia and Bulimia are silently killing

themselves.

These sufferers are mostly women, but a growing percentage of men are

beginning to

catch on to this terrible disorder. They try to convince themselves that

there is nothing

wrong, but deep down they know that what they are doing is hurting their

bodies. Some

people eventually realize that they need help and ask for it. These people

usually end up

in hospital beds if not until they die, for months and even years.

Unfortunately, many

people don t report their illness and don t get help. Eventually, they die.

To give you a better view on how uninformed BC s ministry of health

is

regarding this subject, here are three things that it does not know: 1. The

number of eating

disorder patients there are in the province 2. How much money they spend on

eating

disorder patients. 3. The number of patients hospitalized in one year.

Patients should be

treated in hospitals where they can be monitored but, unfortunately, not many

patients

have medical insurance and without it, a hospital bed is expensive. It costs

the BC

government $775 a day for only one bed. If the patient hasn t any insurance,

financial

problems for the family could emerge. Even if they were able to afford to be

treated in a

hospital, there are long waiting lists. At St. Paul s hospital in Vancouver,

eating disorder

patients must wait 3 years to be assessed. Unfortunately, this is too late.

In 1992, four

young women died within a 4 month period on Vancouver Island alone. This may

have

been because the waiting lists were too long and they didn t receive adequate

help in

time. Fortunately, provincial funding for eating disorder patients has

increased, but not

nearly enough. Consequently, groups have set up support homes such as Safe

house in

Vancouver. Safe house is a temporary home for patients to turn to. There,

patients receive

a bed and therapy, are convinced to eat and most importantly are given love

all at half the

cost of a day in the hospital. At Safe house, most of the volunteers have

experience

dealing with eating disorder patients and know how to help them recover.

Therefore,

many Anorexia and Bulimia sufferers turn to Safe house for help. Sadly, many

doctors,

when turned to for help, are not very understanding. Some tell their patients

that they will

have to live with the conditions and that there is nothing they can do. Some

tell their

patients that they will die and some doctors even have the nerve to tell

their patient that

they should feel responsible because it is their fault. On the other hand,

some doctors give

all the help they can but still just give up hope in the end. All of this is

unacceptable and

it only happens because not enough people are adequately informed about the

consequences that the patient and their family members have to suffer.

Dealing with a

sick family member can be awfully stressful. In that case, the family needs

support. They

have to find out all there is to know about eating disorders and related

psychological

illnesses.

If possible, family members should gather information on what they can do

to

help. But most importantly, they can never give up hope. Their sick family

member needs

all the help and motivation possible to get well again. Someday, scientists

hope to

develop a pill or medication for Anorexia and Bulimia victims. This would

control the

Vasopressin levels of the patient s brain but until then, psychological help

is all they can

be given.