| An eating disorder is an illness which affects all aspects of each sufferer's life, is triggered by various emotional factors and impacts, and has strong effects on the people suffering and their loved ones. In this article we will talk about Anorexia and Bulimia. Eating disorder sufferers are characterized as having a low self-esteem and often an enormous need to take stringent control over their emotions and surroundings.
Anorexia is a unique response to a variety of outer and inner conflicts, such as strain, anxiety, unhappiness and feeling as if life is out of control. An Anorexic may be abnormally sensitive about being overweight, or have a massive fear of becoming overweight - although not all Anorexics have this fear. They may be afraid of losing control over the amount of food they consume, combined with the desire to maintain stringent control over their emotions and reactions to their emotions. This makes them turn to obsessive dieting and starvation as a means to control not only their body weight, but their feelings and actions. Some also believe that they do not deserve the simple pleasures of life, and will stay away from situations related to pleasure (including eating).
Common behavioral signs are: calorie gram counting, starvation and limitation of food, obsessive physical exercise, self-induced vomiting, the use of weight loss pills, diuretics or laxatives to attempt controlling weight, and a persistent concern over the body image.
People who suffer from Bulimia seek episodes of binging and purging - they will consume too much in a comparatively short period of time and then use behaviors such as pickings laxatives or diuretics or self-induced vomiting - because they feel overwhelmed in managing their emotions, or to punish themselves. Bulimia sufferers may seek episodes of binging and purging to avoid and let out feelings of anger, depression, tension or concern.
Recurring episodes of quick food consumption followed by tremendous guilt and purging (laxatives or self-induced vomiting), a feeling of losing control over eating behaviors, regularly engaging in stringent diet plans and physical exercise, the misuse of laxatives or diuretics, and/or diet pills and a persistent concern over the body image can all be warnings somebody is having Bulimia.
There are many similarities in both illnesses, the most common being the trigger. They are very complex emotional problems. Though they may seem to be nothing more than a dangerously obsessive weight concern on the surface, for most sufferers there are deeper emotional conflicts to be resolved. |
Article Details
