The Secret World of Eating Disorders: Part 1
Disclaimer: The information appearing in this article is to provide readers with a sense of urgency and understanding around the seriousness of eating disorders as a disease. It in no way promotes eating disorders for weight loss, and it will not provide specific details into ED behaviors or numbers. Eating disorders are fatal and require professional expertise and treatment. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.
Anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, night eating, hoarding, chew and spit, orthorexia, over exercising, fasting, laxatives, lying, stealing, hopelessness, emptiness, and death.
An eating disorder is not something you try for weight loss. It is not something that one wishes upon themselves or anyone else. It is a serious and life-threatening disease that affects your friend, your neighbor, cousin, brother or other. Eating disorders are psychological diseases that present themselves in a physical way. However, this doesn’t just mean that the ones who struggle are the ones who resemble skeletons walking around with a diet soda. People come in all different colors, shapes and sizes, and so do eating disorders.
In this part 1, I want to share some statistics, and some basic information to reflect the seriousness of this disease.
It is estimated that 1 in 5 women struggle with an eating disorder of some kind, whether it is anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder, or somewhere in between.
10% of female college students suffer with eating disorders or disordered eating, of which, over half struggle with bulimia nervosa.
10-15% of people with anorexia or bulimia are males. And those are just the ones that have actually admitted they struggle with an eating disorder; as it has a reputation to be a disease that only affects women. When in fact, there are thousands of males that struggle in secrecy every day.
80% of 13 year old girls have attempted to lose weight.
A study by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders reported that 5 – 10% of people with anorexia die within 10 years after contracting the disease; 18-20% will be dead after 20 years and only 30 – 40% ever fully recover.
Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric illness.
Outpatient treatment for eating disorders costs about $8000 per week, if not more.
The statistic for deaths per year from eating disorders would be inaccurate because on death certificates, cause of death will not be noted as "Anorexia Nervosa" or another disorder. Instead it will say "Multiple Bilateral Pulmonary Thromboemboli" for multiple blood clots in the lungs, or "Myocardial Infarction" for a heart attack. Eating disorders are a fatal disease, it is not a matter of if you will die, it is when you will die. Eating disorders are a form of slow suicide.
An eating disorder can effect each organ system to the point of failure. Cardiovascular system is stressed and heart rate can slow to the point of stopping beating. The heart muscle itself can also shrink, causing huge danger due to the same large volume of blood now pumping through a smaller heart. Electrolytes are thrown out of balance from continued bingeing and purging behaviors which can effect cell function throughout the entire body. Tears in the esophagus can require surgery and rotting of the teeth cause many patients to have many or all of their teeth removed and replaced with expensive vaneers. Hair loss, bone degradation, loss of intestinal function, and damage to the reproductive system are all possible with an eating disorder. It is possible that you will not be able to have children, or that you may require a colostomy bag (a bag that is permanently attached to your lower abdomen to catch feces being moved out of your GI tract) because your intestines shut down long enough to require them to be surgically removed.
And remember, and eating disorder is not something "to try" for weight loss. An eating disorder is a psychiatric illness. The human body actually responds to restriction of food (which includes not eating, or eating and then purging) by storing nutrients. Yes, it holds on to the nutrients you eat rather than using it for fuel and burning it. The weight loss you see is due to the body living off of fuel from not only fat cells, but muscle cells, tissue and organ cells. This damage can be irreversible.
If you, or someone you know, struggle with an eating disorder or display behaviors that may sound like that of an eating disorder, please reach out and ask for help. I am happy to help, or to set you up with another practitioner in your area that can also help.
Disclaimer: The information appearing in this article is to provide readers with a sense of urgency and understanding around the seriousness of eating disorders as a disease. It in no way promotes eating disorders for weight loss, and it will not provide specific details into ED behaviors or numbers. Eating disorders are fatal and require professional expertise and treatment. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.
Anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, night eating, hoarding, chew and spit, orthorexia, over exercising, fasting, laxatives, lying, stealing, hopelessness, emptiness, and death.
An eating disorder is not something you try for weight loss. It is not something that one wishes upon themselves or anyone else. It is a serious and life-threatening disease that affects your friend, your neighbor, cousin, brother or other. Eating disorders are psychological diseases that present themselves in a physical way. However, this doesn’t just mean that the ones who struggle are the ones who resemble skeletons walking around with a diet soda. People come in all different colors, shapes and sizes, and so do eating disorders.
In this part 1, I want to share some statistics, and some basic information to reflect the seriousness of this disease.
It is estimated that 1 in 5 women struggle with an eating disorder of some kind, whether it is anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder, or somewhere in between.
10% of female college students suffer with eating disorders or disordered eating, of which, over half struggle with bulimia nervosa.
10-15% of people with anorexia or bulimia are males. And those are just the ones that have actually admitted they struggle with an eating disorder; as it has a reputation to be a disease that only affects women. When in fact, there are thousands of males that struggle in secrecy every day.
80% of 13 year old girls have attempted to lose weight.
A study by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders reported that 5 – 10% of people with anorexia die within 10 years after contracting the disease; 18-20% will be dead after 20 years and only 30 – 40% ever fully recover.
Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric illness.
Outpatient treatment for eating disorders costs about $8000 per week, if not more.
The statistic for deaths per year from eating disorders would be inaccurate because on death certificates, cause of death will not be noted as "Anorexia Nervosa" or another disorder. Instead it will say "Multiple Bilateral Pulmonary Thromboemboli" for multiple blood clots in the lungs, or "Myocardial Infarction" for a heart attack. Eating disorders are a fatal disease, it is not a matter of if you will die, it is when you will die. Eating disorders are a form of slow suicide.
An eating disorder can effect each organ system to the point of failure. Cardiovascular system is stressed and heart rate can slow to the point of stopping beating. The heart muscle itself can also shrink, causing huge danger due to the same large volume of blood now pumping through a smaller heart. Electrolytes are thrown out of balance from continued bingeing and purging behaviors which can effect cell function throughout the entire body. Tears in the esophagus can require surgery and rotting of the teeth cause many patients to have many or all of their teeth removed and replaced with expensive vaneers. Hair loss, bone degradation, loss of intestinal function, and damage to the reproductive system are all possible with an eating disorder. It is possible that you will not be able to have children, or that you may require a colostomy bag (a bag that is permanently attached to your lower abdomen to catch feces being moved out of your GI tract) because your intestines shut down long enough to require them to be surgically removed.
And remember, and eating disorder is not something "to try" for weight loss. An eating disorder is a psychiatric illness. The human body actually responds to restriction of food (which includes not eating, or eating and then purging) by storing nutrients. Yes, it holds on to the nutrients you eat rather than using it for fuel and burning it. The weight loss you see is due to the body living off of fuel from not only fat cells, but muscle cells, tissue and organ cells. This damage can be irreversible.
If you, or someone you know, struggle with an eating disorder or display behaviors that may sound like that of an eating disorder, please reach out and ask for help. I am happy to help, or to set you up with another practitioner in your area that can also help.
(2060 491-8188
Blessings,
Ashley
Blessings,
Ashley
Sources:
Culberg,J., & Engstrom-Lindberg,M. Prevalence and incidence of eating disorders in a suburban area. Acta Pyschiatricia Scandinavica, 1998, 78, 314-319.
Fisher M, Golden NH, Katzman DK, et al. Eating disorders in adolescents: A background paper. Journal of Adolescent Health, Vol. 16, 1995.
Garner, DM, Garfinkel, PE (Eds). Handbook for treatment of eating disorders. 1997. New York: Guilford Press.
Hoek, HW. Review of the epidemiological studies of eating disorders. International Review of Psychiatry, 1991, 5, 61-74.
The US Dept. of Health & Human Service's Office on Women's Health,
Yager J, Andersen A, Devin M, Mitchell J, Powers P, Yates A. American Psychiatric Association practice guidelines for eating disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry 1993; 150:207-28.
www.4women.gov & The US Dept. of Health & Human Service's National Institute of Health www.nimh.nih.gov
Fisher M, Golden NH, Katzman DK, et al. Eating disorders in adolescents: A background paper. Journal of Adolescent Health, Vol. 16, 1995.
Garner, DM, Garfinkel, PE (Eds). Handbook for treatment of eating disorders. 1997. New York: Guilford Press.
Hoek, HW. Review of the epidemiological studies of eating disorders. International Review of Psychiatry, 1991, 5, 61-74.
The US Dept. of Health & Human Service's Office on Women's Health,
Yager J, Andersen A, Devin M, Mitchell J, Powers P, Yates A. American Psychiatric Association practice guidelines for eating disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry 1993; 150:207-28.
www.4women.gov & The US Dept. of Health & Human Service's National Institute of Health www.nimh.nih.gov
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar