Anorexia and Eating Disorders

In this video we are going to cover eating disorders, and in particular, anorexia. You may not be aware of this, but four out of 10 people have either personally experienced an eating disorder or know somebody who has. So what exactly is an eating disorder, you may ask? An eating disorder is a psychological disorder, so mental disorder, that causes somebody to adopt an unnatural attitude and approach towards food and their way of eating. The individual usually then develops an obsession about their weight and body shape, which in turn causes them to hurt their health as they make unhealthy choices about food. Even though there are many eating disorders, anorexia is probably the most well known. Actually called Anorexia Nervosa, but usually referred to as simply Anorexia, it is an intense fear of being fat that leads to restrictions in both the amount and / or the type of food that the person consumes. This particular eating disorder usually entails that the person is unable to see the reality of their body shape and situation, and sees their self worth as being heavily linked to their body image. Eating disorders and anorexia may not seem too serious and you may be thinking that not a lot of harm can come out of this. However, anorexia is the psychiatric disorder that causes the most amount of deaths and in fact, every 62 minutes one person dies as a direct result from an eating disorder[3]. Death is usually caused either by suicide, or as a result of organ failure, typically the heart, as the body lacks vital nutrients. So, who can get it? Anyone can develop anorexia, but it is not, however, entirely clear why some people are more susceptible to it than others. There are, however, a number of factors that make a person more prone to falling into it. There are certain personalities (such as perfectionists) and character traits that a person may have that can increase their chances of becoming anorexic. If a family member has suffered from anorexia, then a person has a higher likelihood of developing it themselves. Furthermore, during times of stress, damaging family dynamics or periods of time when a person may be experiencing social, cultural and peer pressure, an individual is much more likely to have an onset of anorexia. Moreover, women and teenagers are more susceptible to developing eating disorders, which is why it is estimated that the average age in which people start to suffer from anorexia is from 16 to 17 years old. However, it is not time or gender restricted. Anyone can be affected, at any age. Anorexia is also not limited to certain countries or cultures. Anyone can be affected by this psychological disorder. If you or anyone you know is affected by this, remember that there are always resources available, and people willing to provide support. If you do need help, want to find out how you can help others affected or simply want to learn more about what anorexia is, there are numerous websites such as https://www.b-eat.co.uk/ https://www.eatingdisorderhope.com http://www.anad.org