Eating Disorders
Remember the time someone teased you for your body size and you got so nervous you tried changing your eating habits entirely(until, maybe, the embarrassment hurt you less)? We, as humans, constantly want the approval of others. We forget that we're not born out of a printer and we all are bound to have different features, sizes, colours. And it's very common for us to blame our diet for how we look.
Eating disorders are a range of psychological conditions that cause unhealthy eating habits to develop. These disorders can range anywhere from not eating at all to binge-eating.
What causes Eating Disorders?
Just like stated above, body image insecurities can be a cause of developing eating disorders. A person might get conscious about their weight and in hopes to increase or decrease it, start dieting extensively. People who want to be seen as "perfect" or feel like they're going unnoticed or not have the beauty standards their culture has set, are very likely to get these disorders as well.
To some extent, even Genetics plays a role. Twins adopted to different families showed that if one of the twins developed an eating disorder, there was a 50% chance for the other one to develop it too. More recently, experts have proposed that differences in brain structure (levels of Serotonin and dopamine) and biology may also play a role in the development of eating disorders.
There are six types of Eating Disorders:
1. Anorexia nervosa
This type of eating disorders is most commonly seen in adolescents and dominates in girls more than boys. The affected person constantly monitors their weight, they start seeing themselves as overweight.
Anorexia can be of two types — the restricting type or the binge eating type. In restricting type, individuals try to lose weight by excessive fasting and intense exercise. In the binge-eating type, individuals may either eat large amounts of food at one time or eat very little. In both cases, they will try to expel out the food through vomiting or undergo a hard workout session.
Symptoms of Anorexia nervosa:
1. Funnily enough, the affected teenagers are seriously underweight but are in denial of it.
2. They have very restricted eating patterns, keep measuring their calorie intakes
3. They refuse to maintain a healthy diet or a healthy weight in the fear of putting on a lot.
Anorexia can be very damaging to the body. Over time, individuals living with it may experience the thinning of their bones, infertility, brittle hair and nails, and the growth of a layer of fine hair all over their body. In some cases, it may also lead to multi-organ failure or death.
2. Bulimia nervosa
Individuals with bulimia nervosa may find it difficult to stop eating once they've started. They cannot control themselves while eating and as a result, consume large amounts of food in a specific period. Like anorexia, bulimia is commonly found in adolescents and young adults and more frequently in females.
Individuals with bulimia continue to binge on food until they physically cannot take it anymore. After an episode of binge eating, they either vomit the food out, take laxatives or perform a vigorous exercise in their worries of gaining weight.
Symptoms of bulimia:
1. Recurrent episodes of beings eating with a lack of self-control
2. Purging behaviour to maintain weight
3. Their Self-esteem depends upon their body image, and they're in constant worry about gaining weight even if they're having a normal weight.
Bulimia may cause other problems such as inflamed and sore throat, swollen salivary glands, acid reflux, irritation of the gut, severe dehydration. Bulimia can also create an imbalance in levels of electrolytes, such as sodium, potassium, and calcium. This can cause a stroke or heart attack.
3. Binge eating disorder
Binge eating disorder is similar to bulimia or binge-eating anorexia in such a way that, the individuals affected, consume large quantities of food without having control over how much they eat. The difference, however, lies in the fact that they do not resort to any purging methods (such as vomiting) or exercising to lose weight.
4. Pica
Individuals affected with Pica have cravings to eat non-food substances such as ice, soil, chalk, detergent pebbles et cetera. Pica can appear in people of all age groups but is commonly found in young children, pregnant women and people with mental disorders.
Individuals with pica may be at an increased risk of poisoning, infections, gut injuries, and nutritional deficiencies. Depending on the substances ingested, pica may be fatal.
5. Rumination Disorder
It describes a condition in which a person regurgitates food they have previously chewed and swallowed, re-chews it, and then either re-swallows it or spits it out. This usually happens within 30 minutes of consuming food and is voluntary.
It may occur in people from all age groups. It is found among children of ages 3-12 months but often disappears on its own. If this conditions persists and is not resolved, the adult may be seriously malnourished and underweight.
6. Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID)
Although ARFID generally develops during infancy or early childhood, it can persist into adulthood and is equally common among men and women. Individuals with this disorder experience disturbed eating either due to a lack of interest in eating or distaste for certain smells, tastes, colours, textures, or temperatures.
Symptoms of this include:
1. Avoidance or restriction of food intake that prevents the person from eating sufficient calories or nutrients
2. Eating habits that interfere with normal social functions, such as eating with others
3. Weight loss or poor development for age and height
Calories solely do not define your health. Your food habits and choices may vary from others and that is nothing to be ashamed about. Our bodies are built differently and have all rights to look different from one another. If you suffer from body image issues remember that weight does not matter as long as you are healthy in all ways—mentally, emotionally and physically. If you self diagnose yourself or a loved one with any of these conditions, please attend or ask your loved one to take up therapy and get over their problems.
By Ketki K
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