Eating disorders have drawn in a lot of attention over the last half century, where this topic has brought in a lot of articles and talks on the awareness of this condition. A lot of attention has been given to the female section of the society regarding eating disorders because there is a general myth that these issues only affect the female gender. Studies have over the years shown that there is a higher incidence with the adolescent women.
There are numerous studies and research to prove that there is a message in the media running to the beat of a certain type of body image being the favoured one and its correlation to the development of eating disorders in women.Over the years, there is however a greater emphasis on men and their body image of wanting to be fit and toned.
In order to understand this, let us first of all look at when these cases have first emerged in history. Cases of eating disorder first emerged in the 11th century where the meaning of starvation had a religious tone to it. This starvation for a religious purpose was often referred to as “fasting saints”.
There has been reports from Freud’s notes of a prevalence of eating disorders where both conditions of bulimia as well as anorexia were detected. However, a greater significance and note was seen in the late 1970s with the diagnosis of bulimia nervosa for patients who binge eat and purge. Research has laid out enough understanding on these conditions with proper clinical features and treatment outcomes for all those who are going through these eating disorders to better understand their situation.
In society generally, men are celebrated and looked at their quality to be brave and conquer whereas with women, it was more on their ability to be efficient as a home maker, and their outward appearance. However, with the advancements with media and the progressive nature of society, so much emphasis is given to the outward appearance over any other accomplishments. If this is not mastered, then there is ostracization that happens especially with a group of people with similar interests. This gives rise to immense pressure to look a certain way. Being a certain shape than being healthy has taken so much more significance than ever before. Cosmetic surgeries are at a significant rise in the recent years. Addressing what are some triggers that lead to eating disorders is note-worthy:
1. Being bullied or criticised for being overweight. When an individual is growing up, they are more sensitive about their appearance, especially during the adolescent years. When the individual is made fun off, it will affect their self – esteem and self – worth.
2. Illness and death of a loved one can be another trigger for the development of an eating disorder. There will be some amount of hopelessness and loss of control that will set in which will give rise to not being able to control the amount of food that is consumed or not consumed.
3. A relationship breakdown is another reason that will trigger a change in eating habits. The sadness of the break up will sometimes eat up the person from within. If all the reasons for being in a relationship was to have some sort of identity through that relationship, then when the relationship breaks, so will their sense of identity fall through.
4. If there is a lot of pressure like exams or work, this too can lead to eating disorders. Not being able to manage the process, this can prove to be difficult to wade through. The pressure can make one eat more or not eat at all.
5. Difficulty at work or relationship issues with co-workers can be a reason for a dysfunction in the eating habits of a person. When the stress gets too much for an individual to endure, it will affect the food intake.
Individuals who are going through difficult situations with relation to their eating habits must first be given the opportunity to be heard and understood. It is important to ascertain whether this disorder is coming from a place of hurt and brokenness. Allowing them to speak about past hurts and reasons that are causing them to behave this way, will help the individual process these unspoken emotions, and with proper therapy goals, this condition can be worked on, leading to healthy eating habits.
To read about Anorexia Nervosa, click here!
Comments