The Eating Disorder Epidemic
Imagine sitting around the table
with your family, laughter and conversation fill the air. Your mother just made
her special roast and mashed potatoes for Sunday night dinner. You stare down
at your plate, disgusted by what you see. You have skipped the last four meals
and struggle to fake a smile as you convince your family that you’re not
hungry. Instead of eating dinner, you rush to the bathroom to weigh yourself
again. The number on the scale is never low enough. The smell of dinner carries
into your room as you begin your exercise routine, sit up’s distracting you
from the emptiness you feel in your stomach. Now, imagine waking up months
later in a hospital bed, your family sits around you with blank stares or
worried faces. Eating disorders are a serious epidemic effecting people of all
ages, genders, and races. According to ANAD, “every 62 minutes
at least one person dies as a direct result from an eating disorder” (“Eating
Disorder Statistics” 1). After a near death experience, you’ve been given a second
chance, what will you do to pick up the life you once threw away?
History
Eating disorders are perceived to be a
recent epidemic, one that started in the past several decades. However, the first known eating disorder
dates back to the 12th century when Saint Catherine and many other
women participated in spiritual fasting. They would deprive themselves of food
for long periods of time to show their devotion to God. (Deans 1). This form of
reduced eating and extreme dieting is known as anorexia. Another eating
disorder is called bulimia; this is where people binge eat food and purge
through vomiting, extreme exercise, or the use of laxatives. The first known
account of bulimia took place in the Middle Ages by the wealthy. In order to
consume more food, these people would purge via vomiting during meals (1). The
last common eating disorder is called binge eating disorder; unlike anorexia
and bulimia, binge eaters are overweight and often obese. People who fall under
this category consume thousands of calories each day without any form of
purging (1). Eating disorders, while they are relatively rare, in the “1970s
and 80s is when the rates of obesity in the United States began to increase at
an unprecedented rate, and low fat eating began its popular progression through
the mainstream” (1).
Children and adolescents today are exposed
to various sources of media including magazines, movies, videos, and apps such
as Instagram. Teenagers and young adults spend hours a day viewing these media
outlets. This constant exposure to models, actors, and entertainers all viewed
as “perfect” makes one question their own worth. A study by the University of
Pittsburg School of Medicine researched adults ages 19-32. They found that,
“the
subjects who spent the most time engaged with social media each day had 2.2
times the risk of developing eating disorders. Additionally, those who most
frequently checked their social media feeds weekly carried 2.6 times the risk”
(Kearns 1). Between the pictures of thin models and the body shaming comments
left on posts, social media is one of today’s major causes of the eating
disorder epidemic.
Social Effects
A family gathers on Christmas Eve,
the living room is full of aunts and uncles and grandparents. The sound of
Christmas songs and scents of candles fill the air. In the corner of the room a girl sits on the
couch on her phone scrolling through the Victoria Secret Instagram page. She
feels lonely and helpless like many other people with eating disorders. Her
mother and grandmother talk about her from across the room, as if she can’t
hear them. They talk about her weight loss and depression, how treatment is too
expensive. After a few minutes, the conversation turns into an argument and
tension fills the room. They point fingers, finding somebody to blame for why
their “sweet girl” decided to starve herself.
Eating disorders dramatically effect
individuals diagnosed with them, but they also effect friends, family members,
and other relationships. Eating disorders are life-threatening illnesses that
have physical and emotional effects on an individual. This illness effects
every organ in the body, including the most important one, the heart. The
National Eating Disorder Association states “Consuming fewer calories than you
need means that the body breaks down its own tissue to use for fuel…Pulse and
blood pressure begin to drop as the heart has less fuel to pump blood and fewer
cells to pump with. The risk for heart failure rises as the heart rate and
blood pressure levels sink lower and lower” (“Health Consequences” 1). As small
as the brain is, it consumes up to one fifth of the body’s calories (1). When
binging, purging, and skipping meals, the brain cannot get the fuel it needs to
stay concentrated and alert.
Eating disorders also severely impact the
emotional wellbeing of an individual. Somebody diagnosed with anorexia,
bulimia, or binge-eating disorder will have low self-esteem and view themselves
as worthless. They also often have depression and as the illness worsens
anxiety may develop (“Anorexia and Effect” 1). Self-mutilation may result from
the depression, according to Mirror Mirror Eating Disorder Help, “they [eating
disorder victims] may cut or burn or otherwise harm themselves as a way of
coping with painful emotions” (1). Because of all these effects an eating
disorder has on an individual, they limit themselves from social interaction,
cutting friends and family out of their lives and in turn, they impact the
lives of others.
Eating Disorder Hope states, “eating disorders,
by nature, are a mental illness characterized by isolation and separation”
(Karges 1). Family members and friends of a person with an eating disorder are
often shut out, even the strongest relationships can be broken. Those who try
to offer help and encouraging words such as “just eat something” or “don’t
purge” can actually make the situation worse. Without being fully educated on
the complexity of an eating disorder, these words can make an individual feel
worse and even try harder to isolate themselves. Friends and family members
feel helpless in this situation, they don’t know how or why their loved one
developed an eating disorder and they don’t know how to stop it.
Professional treatment for eating
disorders is a reliable source for help, but it is not an option available to
everybody. According to the New York Times, “many [eating disorder patients] must
be seen on a weekly basis by a team of specialists, including a psychiatrist, a
physician and a nutritionist. A residential program costs $30,000 a month on
average. And many patients require three or more months of treatment”
(Parker-Pope 1). To add to this, most insurance companies do not cover any
portion of treatment of those with eating disorders. This epidemic places
stress and pressure on an individual with an eating disorder as well as loved
ones close to them struggling to provide help (1).
Eating disorders effect an individual’s
mental and physical health and takes over their lives. Family members and
friends are left in the dark feeling unable to provide help. The effects of an
eating disorder spread further than just the individual experiencing one, this
illness can take lives, tear apart relationships, and rob everybody involved of
happiness.
Examples
Sara is a twenty-five-year-old eating
disorder survivor; she shares her story and recovery process to people across
the country (‘Battling Bulimia” 1). Like many preteens, Sara began feeling
self-conscious about her appearance and weight in middle school. The age of
braces and acne is an awkward experience everybody goes through. For Sara
however, these emotions only worsened in high school. She began to binge and
purge as a coping mechanism for when she felt “fat” or sad. At the age of
twenty-two, bulimia completely took over her life; she had just graduated from
college and had the stress of the “real world” thrown upon her. Sara fell into
a depressed state and stopped eating, sleeping, and believing that she should
exist. She lost so much weight during this time that she now had to worry about
never gaining it back. Binging and purging became an obsession again and she
would compete with herself to see how long she could go without eating (1). Sara
continued on her downward spiral losing jobs and relationships until her mother
found out about her eating disorder. She gained the support of her family and
even met someone who would support her through everything and later become her
fiancé. Sara began to seek professional help with a nutritionist and a
therapist to face her problems and worries head on. She began prioritizing
self-care; she moved out of the city into a small, quiet town; she adopted a
pet cat, and found a supportive job (1). She now appreciates herself and has a
healthy relationship with food. She writes “Today I am entering my fourth month
of recovery. To some, that may not sound like a big deal. To me it is my
greatest accomplishment” (1). Sara shares her story to help others struggling
with her same experience and to prevent anyone else from indulging in an eating
disorder. Recovery is a long and grueling process but with motivation and
support, it is achievable.
Solutions
Eating disorders are curable
illnesses if an individual is willing to seek help. There are plenty of
treatment options and facilities that specialize in curing eating disorders. To
stop the epidemic as a whole however, eating disorders need to be prevented. According
to the National Eating Disorder Association, “Prevention efforts may involve
reducing negative risk factors, like body dissatisfaction, depression, or
basing self-esteem on appearance, or increasing protective factors, like a
non-appearance-oriented self-definition and replacing dieting and body snarking
with intuitive eating and appreciation for the body’s functionality”
(‘Prevention” 1). The Mental Health Intervention Spectrum, created by the
National Academy of Sciences, classifies three eating disorder prevention
programs (1). These prevention programs are separated by methods and audiences.
The broadest program is the universal or primary prevention program, it is
targeted towards a population of people such as everybody in a city or school.
This program is designed to change cultural attitudes and public policy; the
aim is to prevent eating disorders through the use of education, legal action,
and larger social actions (1). The selective prevention program is specified to
a certain group of people. It is designed for those who do not have symptoms of
an eating disorder, but are at a high risk of developing one due to
sociocultural, biological, or psychological factors. This group would include
people such as young girls going through puberty. The pressures to be thin are
high at this stage and its important to prevent an eating disorder before it is
too late. This program uses interactive curriculum and multiple sessions to
achieve eating disorder prevention (1). The final program is indicated or
targeted prevention, this program is designed for people who do not have an
eating disorder but they do have clear risk factors. Individuals with high
levels of body dissatisfaction are included in this prevention program. This
method involves working with an individual alone rather than a group; treatment
often follows traditional clinical practices (1).
According to the National Eating
Disorder Association, prevention programs do alter knowledge and attitudes
toward eating disorders and they have successfully discouraged eating issues
developing in children and adults (“Prevention” 1). More research is needed
with prevention programs especially the universal/primary programs, it is
difficult to measure their impact on such large groups of society (1). NEDA
states “much more research is needed concerning prevention. We are particularly
lacking information about prevention programs that work with children, with
males, and with people from a variety of ethnic groups” (1). Though the Mental
Health Intervention Spectrum needs more research, it is a successful way to
prevent eating disorders. Prevention programs give individuals the information
they need to stay away from an eating disorder, and change the way the world
views body image and social acceptance.
Camus and Absurdity
Albert Camus argues that seeking
meaning in life is absurd, that no meaning exists, and that there is no way to
understand the world. However, he also argues that suicide is absurd, that one
must live through this absurd life. He states “there is only one really serious
philosophical problem and that is suicide. Deciding whether or not a life is
worth living is to answer the fundamental question in philosophy. All other
questions follow from that” (Aronson 1). Camus also states in The Rebel “the absurd is an experience
that must be lived through, a point of departure, the equivalent, in existence,
of Descartes’s methodical doubt” (1). Camus would argue that eating disorders
are stepping stones to suicide and therefore absurd. A person who decides that
their life is not worth living and lets themselves starve to death would be
avoiding the absurd experience everybody must go through. He would also believe
that purposely depriving yourself of proper nutrients and fuel for the body is
just plain ridiculous. Lastly, Camus believes that everyday routines are
absurd, therefore, a person measuring and weighing themselves everyday as a
part of their routine would surely be seen as absurd by Camus.
Conclusion
Eating disorders are an epidemic that
cannot be ignored. This tragic mental illness started centuries ago and
continued to escalate through time. It effects the mental, emotional, and
physical health of thousands of individuals. This epidemic can be treated;
through the use of medical treatment and prevention programs, there is hope to
end eating disorders. The spread of education about the causes and prevention
of eating disorders are vital to solving this epidemic. Ending this epidemic
and treating people with this illness, would save lives, relationships, and end
the life long struggle these individuals would face.
Works
Cited
“Anorexia and
Effect.” Mirror Mirror Eating Disorder Help, https://www.mirror-mirror.org/anorexia-and-effect.htm
Aronson, Ronald. “Albert Camus.” Stanford
Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 10 Apr. 2017,
plato.stanford.edu/entries/camus
“Battling Bulimia.” National Eating
Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC), nedic.ca/node/856.
Deans, Emily. “A History of Eating
Disorders.” Psychology Today, Sussex
Publishers, 11 Dec. 2011, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evolutionary-psychiatry/201112/history-eating-disorders
“Eating Disorder Statistics • National
Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders.” National
Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, anad.org/education-and-awareness/about-eating-disorders/eating-disorders-statistics/.
“Health Consequences.” National
Eating Disorders Association, 22 Feb. 2018, www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/health-consequences.
Karges, Crystal. “Eating Disorders
Eat Away at Loving Relationships.” Eating Disorder Hope, 25 Feb. 2017, www.eatingdisorderhope.com/treatment-for-eating-disorders/family-role/how-eating-disorders-can-affect-relationships.
Kearns, Claire. “Social Media and
Eating Disorders.” Mirror Mirror Eating Disorder Help, 2017, www.mirror-mirror.org/social-media.htm.
Parker-Pope, Tara. “The Cost of an
Eating Disorder.” The New York Times,
3 Dec. 2010, well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/03/the-cost-of-an-eating-disorder/.
“Prevention.”
National Eating Disorders Association, 22 Feb. 2018, www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/general-information/prevention.
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