More than 25 millions are suffering from eating disorders. The most common type of disordered eating is binge eating. Less common types are bulimia and the life threatening anorexia. Eating disorders are mental illnesses and therefore complex and often difficult to treat. Young women and athletes are affected the most by eating disorders.
Binge eating describes the process of overeating. The person eats a large amount of food quickly, usually without having control over this habit. Afterwards the person feels guilty and tries to compensate with intentional vomiting or exercising to get rid of the calories. If a person suffers from binge eating more than twice a week then it is called bulimia. In severe cases the person vomits after each meal. Persons with bulimia usually are overweight but can also be of normal weight.
Nevertheless this behavior leads to sever malnutrition and illness. Are your friends and family always encouraging you to eat more? If others are concerned that you may have an eating disorder, you should be very honest with yourself and think about whether their feelings are unfounded. The people who care about you the most are the ones whose opinions you should value the most, as well.
Anorexia describes the behavior of an underweight person to lose even more weight in order to achieve the goal of the 'perfect body'. Unlike a bulimic person, the anorexic person willingly controls the eating habits but is driven by the ideal of the perfect body which can never be achieved. Anorexic persons have a distorted view of themselves, always believing to be too fat.
Anorexia has a mortality rate of up to 20% and with that the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. Treatment can be very difficult and expensive. Usually the insurance does not cover the costs for this type of treatment which can cost $30,000 per month with the necessity of a treatment that lasts up to 6 months or even longer.
A person with eating disorders often struggles with deep mental conflicts which make a recovery difficult. Treating an eating disorder means treating false beliefs and finding reasons for this behavior in the mentality of the patient. Many are ashamed to admit that they are suffering from an eating disorder and therefore are unwilling to accept treatment, trying to hide the problem from others.
The binge eating person usually discovers from alone that he or she has a problem because the lack of control over the habit. The anorexic person however believes to have control over eating habits and often does not believe in a problem therefore. If you find yourself compulsively looking in the mirror at your body or thinking about how much you weigh on a regular basis, you may have an eating disorder. Also, if you begin to restrict your diet severely, you can suffer from malnutrition, and you may need to seek professional help.
There are many different types of eating disorders. If you think that a person you know suffers from an eating disorder you should try to talk with him/her privately to make this person aware of a possible severe problem. If the person is believed to be anorexic, immediately contact a medical health care professional.
John Ola is experienced and writes articles on Bulimia Free Life, Bulimia Recovery, Bulimia Treatment, Bulimia Treatment Centers, Eating Disorders Bulimia, Life Coach, Treatment For Bulimia, Treatment Of Eating Disorders, Treatments For Bulimia etc.
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