National Eating Disorders Awareness Week: It's time to talk about it

Photos courtesy of USA.gov

February 21st to the 27th is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, and the theme this year is "It's time to talk about it." The reason that it is time to talk about it is that while many people have heard the term "eating disorder," the sad fact is that the problem does not get as much attention and monetary commitment that it deserves.

According to the psychology website and blog PsychCentral.com, eating disorders get short shrift in the minds and dollars of American society. They go on to say that eating disorders affect "five times as many people as schizophrenia, and twice as many people who have alzheimer's disease." Despite this fact, much more money and medical research is devoted to these conditions than is devoted to eating disorders.

According to the National Institutes of Health, eating disorders are "frustrating and difficult to treat" and that they can affect anybody regardless of age, race, social class, or gender. What's makes the conditions even more difficult to encompass is the fact that many, if not most, of the people suffering from the condition are undiagnosed and untreated. Even those who realize that they may suffer from an eating disorder are reluctant to seek help because the "stigma and misperceptions" associated with eating disorders.

The most common eating disorders are binge eating disorder, anorexia nervosa, and bulimia nervosa. All three of these can be life threatening if not treated.

 Ignorance on the part of the fhe  general population is likely the cause of the stigma and misconceptions about eating disorders. The US National Library of Medicine's Medline Plus website has a vast amount of information about eating disorders. The information ranges from descriptions of the conditions to causes and treatment, and also has information for families and friends trying to help those suffering from eating disorders.

One of the most important things to take from the information available is the fact that eating disorders are real, life threatening, mental health conditions. People do not choose to suffer from a life-threatening eating disorder any more than they choose to suffer from alzheimer's disease or schizophrenia. Unfortunately, the causes of eating disorders are just beginning to be understood. The National Eating Disorders Association says that eating disorders are very complex because of the "combination of long-standing behavioral, biological, emotional, psychological, interpersonal, and social factors."

The range of these causes is vast. They can be biological factors that affect brain chemistry. Some research is beginning to show that propensity toward eating disorders may be an inherited trait. Environmental causes can run from physical or sexual abuse to troubled family or interpersonal relationships, or even a history of verbal abuse, particularly about weight or other physical characteristics.

According to EDReferral.com, a short list of celebrities who have spoken publicly about suffering from eating disorders inlcudes Diana, Princess of Wales, Victoria Beckham, Kelly Clarkson, Calista Flockhart, Elton John, Janet Jackson, Mary-Kate Olsen, Thandie Newton, Paula Abdul, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Richard Simmons, Kate Winslet, and Oprah Winfrey.

Celebrities whose deaths were caused by or exacerbated by eating disorders include singer Karen Carpenter, model Ana Carolina Reston, Israeli model Hila Elmalich, Brazilian model Luisel Ramos, her younger sister and fellow model  Eliana Ramos, and Michael Jackson.

The pressure put on fashion models to be unreasonably thin helps create an atmosphere that encourages eating disorders not only among models but also among girls who look to them for inspiration. Indeed, they even have a name for it -- THINSPIRATION! Some designers, like Ralph Lauren, go even further by altering photos of ultra-thin models to make them look even thinner.

Check out the excellent video from YouTube below to get a multi-media look at the problem of eating disorders. Warning: The video can be shocking and provoke a strong emotional response.