Eating disorders affect millions
According to Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders Inc., or ANRED, an estimated 10 million U.S. females have anorexia nervosa, also known just as anorexia. It is one of several eating disorders classified as mental disorders by medical and mental-health professionals.
Characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss, 40 percent of newly identified cases of anorexia are females ages 15-19, according to the National Eating Disorders Association.
People with anorexia “are almost always perfectionists,” said Linda Smith, a clinical social worker and marriage and family therapist with certification in treatment of eating disorders.
In her practice with Consulting and Counseling Associates of Fort Wayne, about 50 percent of her clients have an eating disorder.
Pressures placed on young women today, including magazine and TV ads and movies featuring pencil-thin models and actresses are much to blame, she said, noting, “With girls we are so focused on their physical appearance. With boys, we comment on their behavior.”
Males currently represent 10 percent of people with anorexia and bulimia, but research is showing the rate is increasing.
“I get really tired of parents being accused of (causing) eating disorders,” said Smith. Sometimes a controlling parent can be a key reason, but that is a common misperception, she said.
Often a girl is afraid of growing up. “There are all kinds of evidence of separation anxiety,” Smith said.
The other two most commonly known eating disorders are bulimia and binge eating:
♦Bulimia: It is characterized by first restricting intake of food, then eating large amounts of food in a short time to satisfy the hunger. Forced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, fasting or heavy exercising are then used to get rid of calories.
♦Binge eating: The individual eats large amounts of food often and usually rapidly, with a feeling of being unable to stop eating. Guilt feelings force the person to sometimes eat in secret. Then deep guilt over the large amounts of food eaten leads to dieting. Hunger sets in again and the cycle is repeated.
Among a group of eating disorders that are variations of the three mentioned above is anorexia athletica. Although it is not a formal diagnosis, Smith said those with the disorder are often cross-country and track participants.
“There is a particular high that is associated with this (type of) anorexia,” Smith said.
But as they repeatedly exercise beyond what is needed to maintain good health, what was once fun becomes a compulsion with no enjoyment.
Judy Tillapaugh, a registered dietitian and wellness coordinator at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, said she hears concerns about eating disorders from student-housing resident assistants, professors and coaches in the athletic department.
Additionally, there is need for education for people who are the first-line support system for someone with or suspected of having an eating disorder, Tillapaugh said. That is why the university is sponsoring an eating disorders awareness week beginning Feb. 27.
“One thing that makes these eating disorders so scary is that there is also that physical component,” Smith said. Indeed, without treatment, up to 20 percent of people with serious eating disorders die. That figure drops to 2 percent to 3 percent with treatment. Some studies suggest the mortality rate for untreated anorexia may be closer to 25 percent, according to ANRED.
Copyright © 2012 CRC Health Group