Eating Disorders / Appetite Disorders

"Regain your Appetite and fight your Eating Disorder"

Many people think these affect mostly young white females but no segment of the population is exempt. Eating disorders are becoming more common, especially among teenage girls.

loss of appetite

As the media increasingly portrays beauty standard to be of underweight females, more and more young girls are becoming dissatisfied with their bodies. Most of the time they are at a healthy and attractive weight but see themselves as fat when they look at models and actresses. Boys too are affected by appetite disorders for the same reason; Hollywood and advertisers present unrealistic goals for young men who think they should be thin and muscular in order to be attractive. Boys who play sports where weight is an issue, such as football and wrestling, are also at risk for this illness.

Most children develop eating disorders between the ages of 11 and 13, when they are beginning to be interested in the opposite sex. Some become anorexic, refusing to eat or eating just enough to stay alive. Others may fall prey to bulimia, eating but later regurgitating their food in an effort to stay thin. Many bulimics develop stomach ulcers from gastric acid because of this. The third type of appetite disorders is called the binge, eating large amounts of food in a short period of time, unable to stop. This can result in obesity as well as other health problems and lead to personality disorders and low self-esteem.

Anorexics usually suffer from personality disorders, expecting perfection from themselves. When they fail to reach the impossibly high standards they set, they usually turn to food as a way of taking control of their life and proving to themselves that they do have the power to perfect their bodies. Six percent of such afflicted people die each year and half of those are suicides.

eating disorder

If you suspect a friend or relative has an eating disorder/appetite disorder, don’t be afraid to confront them and encourage them to get psychological help. Therapy has a good success rate but in-patient treatment may be needed in rare cases. Eating disorders take a terrible toll on the body, slowly destroying organs as well as causing irreversible heart damage.