Facts

• The annual death rate associated with anorexia is more than 12 times higher than the annual death rate due to all other causes combined for females between 15 and 24 years old.
• Eating disorders are now the third most common chronic illness in adolescent girls.
• It is estimated that 3% of women will be affected by eating disorders in their lifetime.
• Among female athletes, the prevalence of eating disorders is reported to be between 15% and 62%.
• 37% of Canadian females age 11, 42% of Canadian females age 13 and 48% of Canadian females age 15 say they need to lose weight.
• 71% of adolescent girls want to be thinner despite only a small proportion being over a healthy weight.

(National Eating Disorder Information Centre)

Causes

Eating disorders are caused by a wide variety of factors. What may cause one person to develop an eating disorder may not be the same for someone else. Some common factors that lead to the development of an eating disorder include:

• Psychological Factors: People who are perfectionists, have unrealistic expectations of themselves, have low self-esteem and/or have struggled with depression and anxiety.
• Family Factors: Parents who place too much pressure on their child to be thin and attractive, have struggled with eating disorders themselves, and have general high expectations of their children.
• Pressure from the Media and Society: The media and pop culture convey that “thin is in” and frequently covers stories on how to lose weight and slim down.
• Social Factors: Friends that are appearance-obsessed, dance groups, theatre companies, school cliques and other peer pressure situations.
• Triggers and/or Traumatic Events: Events, some as small as teasing or as big as rape, can cause eating disorders. Since individuals can’t handle the traumatic event, they turn to eating disorders to gain a sense of control.

Symptoms

Symptoms for specific eating disorders can vary, but common ones include:

• Dramatic weight loss in a short period of time
• Sudden obsession with weight, calories, fat and food in general
• Wearing big or baggy clothing to conceal body shape
• Frequent trips to the bathroom following meals
• Unusual food rituals such as chewing food and spitting it out, eating away from the rest of the family, cutting food into tiny pieces or hiding food in strange places such as closets and cabinets
• Vague, strange and secretive eating habits
• Keeping a close watch on food intake, exercise and calories (in a food diary)
• Physical symptoms such as hair loss, pale or grey appearance, complaints of feeling cold, dizziness and headaches, bruised knuckles and bloodshot eyes
• Mental and emotional symptoms such as feelings of depression, poor sleeping habits and loss of sexual desire

Physical Dangers

There are many physical dangers. Some are unique to certain eating disorders; others are common with all eating disorders. The major physical dangers include:

• malnutrition
• electrolyte imbalances
• tearing of the esophagus
• throat and voice box cancer
• insomnia and chronic fatigue syndrome
• high or low blood pressure
• dental problems
• liver failure
• infertility
• depression
• death

Diagnosis

Eating disorders are diagnosed by your family doctor who will refer you to the proper professionals. Often, eating disorders are only diagnosed once the person has been “caught” and family and friends have forced him or her to get help.

Treatment

There are several different treatment methods. The patient should discuss them with his or her doctor to decide which is best for him or her. Options include:

• One-on-one psychological counseling
• Outpatient therapy which includes individual, group, and family therapy
• In-patient hospital care, which is used in extreme cases where the eating disorder had led to life threatening physical problems

The first step in any recovery process is realizing that certain food and weight-related behaviours are hurting you, rather than helping. This disease will not magically disappear. You may want to begin by talking to someone you trust about your eating disorder. Recovery usually requires trained professionals and a lot of work over a long time. By confiding in someone about your condition, you are drastically improving the chances of having and healthy and happy quality of life in the future.

Once you are ready, you can find help from the National Eating Disorder Information center, women’s clinics, Canadian mental health associations, your family doctor and community service organizations in your area. It may also help you emotionally to listen and read up on true life stories of those who have battled an eating disorder and who now lead a healthy life.

What you can do

If you think someone you know has an eating disorder:

• Talk to the person but be calm and non-judgmental. The person is probably ashamed and fears criticism and rejection.
• Be a supportive person. Be there to listen if he/she wants to talk.
• Suggest that he/she gets professional help. You could even offer to take him/her there.
• Talk about the advantages of recovery. Agree that recovery is hard but point out that many people do actually recover.

DON’T…Nag, criticize, plead, or force the person to eat, DON’T give advice unless you are asked for it, DON’T try to control the person and force them to eat, and DON’T comment on if they’re too thin or if they have gained weight. It will only make matters worse.

Outlook

Eating disorders are very complicated and often require long-term treatment. With proper treatment and care, a patient can recover and move on. Full recovery from an eating disorder can take months, years or even a lifetime.

Types of Eating Disorders

Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia nervosa is a condition in which people are obsessively anxious over their weight and starve themselves to the point of extreme thinness. This disease can be deadly. Anorexics often have a distorted view of their body: they still feel that they need to lose weight, even when they are very thin. They are very afraid of gaining weight and often feel that their self-worth is linked to their body weight. In most cases, anorexia develops during puberty.

For statistics visit this website, and more information on anorexia, click here.

Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by uncontrollable eating for a period of time followed by self-induced vomiting or purging. The uncontrollable eating is called binge eating. It is characterized by eating much larger amounts of food than most people would eat in a similar period of time. Binges can be anywhere from a few to several thousand calories consumed within a short period of time. This feeling of uncontrollable and unstoppable eating is followed by physical and psychological distress. Feelings of fear and guilt over binge eating and possibly putting on weight lead the person to purge. To be defined as bulimic, the binging and purging must occur at least twice a week for 3 months (Healthy Place). Bulimia sufferers feel very shameful about their behavior. This makes seeking treatment and talking about their condition very difficult. Bulimics overall associate their self worth with their weight and shape. For many, bulimia is a sequel to persistent anorexia nervosa (although the reverse may also occur). (Internet Mental Health). Unlike anorexia, bulimics can look perfectly normal. Most of them are of normal weight and some are overweight.

For more information on bulimia, please click here.

Compulsive Overeating

Compulsive overeating is characterized by chronic (constant) uncontrollable eating followed by guilt and depression. Compulsive eating occurs when a person eats for reasons other than hunger. Everyone does this at times, but compulsive overeaters use food to deal with stress, emotional conflicts and daily problems. Compulsive overeaters usually feel that their eating habits are abnormal and out of control. They often feel like they can’t stop what or how much they are eating. Compulsive overeaters usually do not purge (i.e. by throwing up or using laxatives) after eating too much.

For more information on compulsive overeating, please click here.

Binge Eating

Binge eating can be quite similar to compulsive overeating, but binge eating is the periodic over-consumption of food, due to an emotional trigger. In other words, binge eaters consume a large amount of calories in a very short amount of time. Afterwards they have a feeling of guilt and shame. Some people binge eat as a way to escape from their problems and deal with the stressors in their life. Binge eaters tend to be above average weight or overweight. They are at risk for serious health risks such as heart attacks, stroke, high cholesterol and blood pressure, as well as organ failure.

For more information on Binge eating disorder, click here.

Other

Obesity

When a person has a high excess of body fat in relation to body mass and height, they are obese. The body mass index is what indicates if a person is obese. When a BMI is over 25 they are said to be at risk and above 30 means the person is obese. To calculate your BMI: (weight (lbs) / height (in) squared) x 704.5 = BMI (Health Canada).

Staying active is important to maintaining a healthy body weight. Canadian girls are less active than boys, with only 38 percent of girls and 48 percent of boys considered active enough. Thirty percent of adolescent girls and 40 percent of adolescent boys are considered active enough (Public Health Agency of Canada).

For more information on Obesity, click here.

Muscle Dysmorphia

Muscle Dysmorphia is the disorder where an individuals’ distorted body image makes them feel they are not muscular enough, yet they are generally in good physical stature or are above average in muscle proportion. This disorder is more common in men and causes individuals to exercise excessively to achieve the muscular body type they desire.

For more information on Muscle Dysmorphia, click here.

Links