i thought i would make a page that explained what eating disorders are, and what category different people's habits would fall into. here goes, and agian i'm sorry if it's no help.
Eating disorders are a group of conditions characterized by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insufficient or excessive food intake to the detriment of an individual's physical and emotional health, binge eating disorder, bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa being the most common specific forms in the United States, Though primarily thought of as affecting females (an estimated 5–10 million being affected in the U.S.), eating disorders affect males as well (an estimated 1 million U.S. males being affected).
Specific eating disorders
- Anorexia nervosa (AN), characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight
- Bulimia nervosa (BN), characterized by recurrent binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors such as purging (self-induced vomiting or excessive use of laxatives)
- Binge eating disorder (BED), binge eating without compensatory behavior (Considered to be in the eating disorders not otherwise specified category)
- Purging disorder, characterized by recurrent purging to control weight or shape in the absence of binge eating episodes
- Rumination syndrome, involving the repeated painless regurgitation of food following a meal which is then either re-chewed and re-swallowed, or discarded.
- Diabulimia is the deliberate manipulation of insulin levels by diabetics in an effort to control their weight.
- Food maintenance syndrome is characterized by a set of aberrant eating behaviors of children in foster care.
- Female athlete triad is a syndrome in which disordered eating behavior, amenorrhea and/or oligomenorrhea, and decreased bone mineral density (osteoporosis and osteopenia) are present (though not all patients exhibit all three components).
- Eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS) can refer to a number of disorders. It can refer to a female individual who suffers from anorexia but still has her period; it can refer to someone who may still be an "average healthy weight" but who has anorexic thought patterns and behaviors; it can mean the sufferer equally participates in some anorexic as well as bulimic behaviors (sometimes referred to as purge-type anorexia).
- Pica is defined as a compulsive craving for eating, chewing or licking non-food items or foods containing no nutrition. These can include such things as chalk, plaster, paint chips, baking soda, starch, glue, rust, ice, coffee grounds, and cigarette ashes.
- Night eating syndrome consists of morning anorexia, evening polyphagia (abnormally increased appetite for consumption of food frequently associated with injury to the hypothalamus) and insomnia.
- Orthorexia nervosa is an obsession with a "pure" diet, where it interferes with a person's life. It becomes a way of life filled with chronic concern for the quality of food being consumed. When the person suffering with orthorexia slips up from wavering from their "perfect" diet, they may resort to extreme acts of further self-discipline, including even stricter regimens and fasting.
Causes
It is not known with certainty what causes eating disorders. It can be due to a combination of biological, psychological or environmental causes. It is often said "Genetics loads the gun, environment pulls the trigger." In other words, some people are born with a predisposition to have an ED, and it is brought to the surface pending on their environment and reactions to it. Most people with eating disorders suffer also from body dysmorphic disorder, altering the way a person sees themselves.
Biological
- Genetic
- Epigenetics
- Biochemical
- lesions
- tumors
- brain calcification
- somatosensory homunculus
Psychological
- Personality traits
- Environmental
- Child maltreatment
- Social isolation
- Parental influence
- Peer pressure
- Cultural pressure
It is estimated that 8 million people in the United States are suffering from an Eating Disorder, and of that number 10% are men. Professionals suggest that the percentage suffering that are men is much higher, but because of the old fashioned idea that this illness strikes only women, few men come forward to find the help they deserve.
To date, the evidence suggests that the gender bias of clinicians means that diagnosing either bulimia or anorexia in men is less likely despite identical behavior. Men are more likely to be diagnosed as suffering depression with associated appetite changes than receive a primary diagnosis of an eating disorder.
In addition, there may often be shrouds of secrecy because of the lack of therapy groups and treatment centers offering groups specifically designed for men. They may feel very alone at the thought of having to sit in a group of women, to be part of a program designed for women, and even at the prospect that a treatment facility will turn them down because of their sex.
Men who participate in low-weight oriented sports such as jockeys, wrestlers and runners are at an increased risk of developing an Eating Disorder such as Anorexia or Bulimia. The pressure to succeed, to be the best, to be competitive and to win at all costs, combined with any non-athletic pressures in their lives (relationship issues, family problems, abuse, etc.) can help to contribute the onset of their disordered eating.
It is not uncommon for men suffering with an Eating Disorder to also suffer with alcohol abuse and/or substance abuse simultaneously (though many women also suffer both disordered eating and substance abuse problems, combined). This may be due to the addictive nature of their psychological health, combined with the strong images put out by society of men's overindulgence in alcohol.
It is important to remember is that most of the underlying psychological factors that lead to an Eating Disorder are the same for both men and women; low self-esteem, a need to be accepted, depression, anxiety, an inability to cope with emotions & personal issues, and other existing psychological illnesses. All of the physical dangers and complications associated with being the sufferer of an Eating Disorder are the same. A great number of the causes are the same or very similar (family problems, relationship issues, alcoholic/addictive parent, abuse, societal pressure).
Most of all, it is important to remember that all people with eating disorders deserve to find recovery, happiness, and self-love on the other side.
