Do You Know Somebody With An Eating Disorder?

Shriveled pin-like girls that sip on coke all day or those that burn the last of their life's fats away feverishly on a treadmill or still those that throw up every meal they 'accidentally' ingest are not all that a rare sight these days. They are everywhere. Young women that have Anorexia or Bulimia are on the rise. Unfortunately, most women have nothing on their minds but how to get rid of a couple of more pounds. They work up strategies, follow them religiously and make it a matter of life and death for themselves- quite literally so!

To most of us, it seems hilariously insane; to yet others, the strangest of the strange phenomenon. However, what most of us fail to recognize is that Anorexics and Bulimics are nothing but people who require a good psychological treatment. It has been shown by recent research that eating disorders are a result of underlying psychological inadequacies or pressures. The cultural idealization, or rather 'idolization', of slim, youthful body-types has led to increased peer pressure. Propagation of this ideology via social media has had no beneficial effect on the scenario either. These sufferers tend to refuse having a normal healthy body weight, obsessively fear over gaining pounds and consider themselves to be, unrealistically so, over-weight; when all they truly are is under-weight.

Anorexia can cause menstruation to stop, eat away at the bones, lead to disintegration of the skin and stress the heart muscles out. In the worst cases, it can also lead to death. Bulimia, on the other hand, is the name given to a recurrent cycle of binge eating and purging. The patient nibbles away at food all through the day, taking in more than they should and purges it away through self-induced vomiting, fasting or excessive exercise. It is not to be forgotten that apart from all this, these patients are in a constant state of turmoil where they have to deal with conflicting thoughts and feelings of guilt. It shows how an eating disorder can turn your life upside down and throw you into depression.

The bitter reality? Such eating disorders are only just on the rise. That day is not far when each of us will know someone who has an eating disorder; be it someone who runs away from food or someone who maintains an obsessive relationship with it. So, do you know someone with an eating disorder?

Irteza R is an expert online author and an internet marketing specialist. He enjoys reading novels as much as he enjoys writing articles.

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