The Miss-conception of Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are elusive illnesses. More than half of all cases are not diagnosed or even recognized. Over 30 million people suffer from eating disorders worldwide, and approximately 1 person dies every 62 minutes from one. As researchers, students, and family members of eating disorder victims, Cole, Oliver, and Noah have spotted an issue.
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Eating disorders are commonly mixed up with loss of appetite, sickness or binge eating (BED-the act of eating subconsciously while completing another activity like watching television or reading). Most people have trouble understanding when they’ve acquired an eating disorder, but they still suffer from it. The problem here is people do not know if they have an eating disorder. What is even harder to tell is if a friend or family member has an eating disorder. As a team, we are working together to tackle the elusiveness of eating disorders.
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For example: One eating disorder case involved a 14 year old boy who had lost 87 pounds in two years. This had begun as an attempt to be healthier, but then developed into a severe eating disorder. He had lost nearly half his body weight! Even then, his family members couldn’t tell it was an eating disorder until he was given an evaluation.
Similarly: An 18 year old girl lost 83 pounds in three years. An alarming rate considering she wasn’t too overweight to begin with. She had suffered mental issues and dizziness but blamed it solely on dehydration and even doctors were fooled, thinking she might have had polycystic ovary syndrome (a hormone related syndrome).
The S.C.O.F.F Questionnaire pictured to the left is a simple evaluation to determine if one has an eating disorder. The test is not in-depth because eating disorders aren't black and white, there is a full spectrum of the severity of ones eating disorder. Regardless, any level or type of eating disorder should be properly recognized and cared for. This is a common miss-conception. Many people think, "Oh I don't have an eating disorder because I'm not fat and I don't make myself throw up after eating!". This is a FALSE statement. There are many different levels of severity when it comes to eating disorders and all have negative ramifications and should be dealt with through proper caution, research, support, professional advice, therapy, medical consultation, and various other methods.
The Effect of Eating Disorders Within Families
It is always hard to watch a family member, friend, or anyone you hold dear, go through a painful experience. It is even more difficult to have a loved one experience an eating disorder. Simply because it is hard to understand why it isn’t easy for the affected person to get better. On the outside, it appears to be so facile to cope with an eating disorder when the inside says otherwise.
If you know someone with an eating disorder, it is important to not underestimate your role in helping them recover from a mental state of that kind. It is crucial to react immediately if someone you know is showing signs of an eating disorder. Being hesitant with asking for help or consulting professionals, could be damaging to ones healing process.
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To sum up, eating disorders can be prevalent among anyone. If one is experiencing: low self esteem, anxiety, binge eating, stress, fear of food, excessive love of food, etc. They may have an eating disorder. Eating disorders are often overlooked, disregarded, or undiagnosed and it is a HUGE issue that can be solved!