Mesa Legend - NEWS - Eating Disorders: Obsessed with being considered “thin” has many young men and women trapped in a potentially deadly illness

January 17, 2006
NEWS
Eating Disorders:
Obsessed with being considered “thin” has many young men and women trapped in a potentially deadly illness

Shan’e Jenkins
Mesa Legend

Are women so obsessed with the way that they look that they will do anything to be thin?
The problem with the word thin is that the term is relative. Thin to one may be obese to another.
Women are not alone. According to Aribella, a women’s health magazine, women and men are permanently damaging, or at times losing their lives, in an extreme quest to be a size zero. About 10 percent of the people who suffer from eating disorders are men.
“There are probably more males with eating disorders, but they rarely get any treatment, so it is hard to gauge the percentage,” said Darren Schwartz, a therapist at Remuda Ranch.
The two most common eating disorders are anorexia and bulimia. Schwartz explains that in cases of anorexia, people suffer from a loss of appetite. Derived from the term anorexia nervosa, it is a psychological disorder marked by a fear of becoming obese. Anorexia is characterized by a severe food restriction, often to the point of literal starvation.
According to Aribella, in most cases of anorexia, a person will be underweight for their height and deny that they are thin. The person views themselves as fat in spite of being malnourished to the point of endangering their health.
Aribella further explained that in situations of bulimia, a person will overeat by consuming much larger amounts than normal. After a binge, the person will feel panicky and guilty. They will then purge themself by vomiting, using laxatives or diuretics, fasting, or over-exercising.
Most people who suffer from bulimia find it hard to stop. It becomes an ingrained habit. The person with bulimia feels ashamed by their behavior but feels unable to stop.
“My girlfriend suffered from bulimia but I did not notice at first,” said Brian Guthrie, a sophomore at MCC. “Every time we ate she would disappear. I found out that she would throw up her food after we ate. I never understood why because she was always looked thin to me,”
A more recent eating disorder that is currently being researched is Binge Eating Disorder.
“A person who suffers from BED will have symptoms similar to a person who suffers from bulimia,” explained Schwartz,
“They will eat a large amount of food in a short period of time. However, unlike people with bulimia, they will not workout excessively afterwards. The result is obesity in most cases.”
According to the American Psychiatric Association, 85 percent of patients reported that their eating disorder began at the age of 20. Roughly 10 percent of patients reported having an eating disorder by the age of 10. Few patients started an eating disorder after the age of 40. However, patients could begin earlier in life and it could last into their 40’s.
Anorexia is the most prevalent of the eating disorders.
“Anorexia is more excepted than bulimia,” Schwartz said. “Patients who suffer from anorexia feel that they do not have a problem. They feel that they are better for not having that extra piece of chocolate cake,”
“Patients with bulimia are more ashamed and realize that what they are doing is unhealthy,” Schwartz said.
There are extreme, and at time detrimental, hazards that are associated with eating disorders. According to Schwartz, in cases of anorexia, muscle wasting occurs because the body begins to feed on itself. Osteoporosis, heart failure, kidney failure, and other complications can occur when there are insufficient calories to maintain normal organ function. An average of 6 percent of people with anorexia will die. Anorexia will kill 10 percent more people than any other mental illness including depression.
People who suffer from bulimia experience erosion of teeth enamel and tooth decay, dehydration, vitamin and mineral deficiencies and inflammation of the esophagus. Vomiting causes these symptoms. Stomach and gastrointestinal track problems, chronic sore throat, and lymph nodes are also frequent symptoms.
MCC has counseling services for those who suffer from eating disorders as well as any other matters. These services are confidential and are available to all students.

Know the Facts:

One in four teen girls suffer from some kind of eating disoder.
One in 10 Americans suffer from some kind of eating disorder.
Many binge eaters say being angry, bored, sad, or worried causes them to binge eat.
Over 50% of people diagnosed with eating disorders suffer from severe mental depression.
People who are obese and suffer from binge eating disorder are at higher risk of developing diabetes, gallbladder disease, and heart disease.
Bulimics suffer from teeth erosion, cavities, and irritation, inflammation, and ruptured esophagus due to vomiting.
At least 90% of people with eating disorders are female.
Eating disorders are increasing in younger age groups with patients as young as seven.
Anorexia has a mortality rate as high as 20%.
4.5% of females and 0.4% of males report bulimia in the first year of college.

Information obtained from www.webmd.com, www.eatingdisorderscoalition.org, and www.wikipedia.org.