The Internet is riddled with ads, articles, and sites devoted to creating, and sculpting, the new and loveable you. Newsstands have become veritable mirrors to perfection—all touted with taglines like “Lose 10 pounds in 10 days” and “Become a better version of you.” You know, upgrade; think version 2.0. This, of course, is in response to the ever rising obesity rates in America. However, while the obesity epidemic tends to take center stage in modern day America, there is another rising trend waiting just off in the wings—eating disorders. And, in fact, as contrary as the two seem, they have more in common than one may initially think. In part one of this ongoing expose, I focused on body image and the role it plays in America's great weight debate. In this second feature, I am going to explore, in depth, the various eating disorders that plague our culture.
First and foremost, we must explore the question of what, exactly, is an eating disorder? According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), an eating disorder is any eating habit[s] " marked by extremes. It is present when a person experiences severe disturbances in eating behavior, such as extreme reduction of food intake or extreme overeating, or feelings of extreme distress or concern about body weight or shape." The NIMH recognizes "two main types of eating disorders [they] are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. [However, there is] a third category "eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS)," which includes several variations of eating disorders," including the increasingly common binge eating disorder. In the following paragraphs, I will attempt to highlight each disorder, albeit briefly, in order to show how, regardless of the disorder, society itself is feeding on the unhealthy habits of eating disorders.
Anorexia Nervosa
According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, "anorexia nervosa is a serious disorder that occurs in about 1 in 200 women in developed countries...[the disease itself is often] characterized by emaciation, a relentless pursuit of thinness and unwillingness to maintain a normal or healthy weight, a distortion of body image and intense fear of gaining weight, a lack of menstruation among girls and women, and extremely disturbed eating behavior. Some people with anorexia lose weight by dieting and exercising excessively; others lose weight by self-induced vomiting, or misusing laxatives, diuretics or enemas." Furthermore, those suffering from anorexia nervosa often have a distorted body image and, as a result, they often "see themselves as overweight, even when they are starved or are clearly malnourished." (NIMH).
Bulimia Nervosa
As noted by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), much like anorexia nervosa, those suffering from bulimia nervosa often have an immense "fear [of] gaining weight, want desperately to lose weight, and are intensely unhappy with their body size and shape." However, unlike those suffering from anorexia nervosa, people with bulimia often appear "normal", as they fall within a so-called healthy range for their age and weight. However, they, like anyone suffering from any eating disorder, are far from healthy. Specifically, the NIMH notes that "bulimia nervosa is characterized by recurrent and frequent episodes of eating unusually large amounts of food (e.g., binge-eating), and feeling a lack of control over the eating. This binge-eating is followed by a type of behavior that compensates for the binge, such as purging (e.g., vomiting, excessive use of laxatives or diuretics), fasting and/or excessive exercise...[and] the binging and purging cycle usually repeats several times a week." Consequently, while many of these individuals appear to fit the social norm, they are certainly not what one would call healthy.
Binge Eating Disorder
Binge-eating disorder has only come into light, as a diagnosable eating disorder that is, in the last decade. Similar, in a sense, to bulimia, binge-eating disorder (BED) "is characterized by recurrent binge-eating episodes during which a person feels a loss of control over his or her eating. [However] unlike bulimia, binge-eating episodes are not followed by purging, excessive exercise or fasting. As a result, people with binge-eating disorder often are overweight or obese" (NIMH). Like their bulimic counterparts, many "also experience guilt, shame and/or distress about the binge-eating, which can lead to more binge-eating" (NIMH).
EDNOS
CREDS, the Central Region Eating Disorder Service, explains that EDNOS (Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified) is a categorical classification "for disorders of eating that do not meet the criteria for any specific Eating Disorder." This particular type of eating disorder, as classified by the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), provides a diagnosis
As is true with all eating disorders, be it anorexia, bulimia, binge eating or EDNOS, food itself becomes both an entity and obsession. Moreover, as noted by the National Institute of Mental Health, regardless of the disorder, most who suffer from an eating disorder "have coexisting psychological illnesses, such as depression, anxiety and/or substance abuse problems." With that said, is the cause and effect relationship as simple as a pre-existing mental disorder; or, is there more influence to our mentality than can possibly be defined in medical texts--i.e., can all the shame and distortion really be placed the shoulders of psychiatry? The third part of this expose will attempt to delve further into these disorders, disordered eating (in general), and distorted body images amongst individuals and how they are impacted by nature (i.e. the media) versus nurture.
For more info:
Bent on body image: America's obsession with the Great Weight Debate
National Institute of Mental Heath: Eating Disorders
National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Eating Disorders
Bent on body image: America's obsession with the Great Weight Debate
CREDS: Central Region Eating Disorder Service
Finding Balance
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