Essay, Research Paper: Eating Disorders

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.