Trauma Caused by Eating Disorders

It was estimated that about eight million people have an eating disorder in the United States. Eating disorders have become a growing problem as Hollywood becomes more extensive, and the standards for appearance greatly increase. Anorexia and bulimia are the most notorious eating disorders, and have the greatest impact on people today. Unfortunately, many women and men have had complications with this issue, and some of those difficulties have even resulted in death. Eating disorders can cause harm to your health, mental stabilization, and affect others around you.

Many people have problems with eating disorders, and a good amount of these people have had experience with neglect and variations of abuse as a child. A number of experts believe that some cases of anorexia and bulimia come to being by harsh life as a child. After reading many stories of certain people that have come into conflict with eating disorders, I would agree with those opinions. In almost every story I read, there was something about that person’s childhood and how it related to the starting of their eating disorder. Take Kathy’s story for example. Kathy is a mother with three children and had a 35- year battle with an eating disorder. She would rise before her husband and children to go on a ten mile run. Kathy limited her food intake and aggressively pushed herself to exercise non-stop. However, she was a daughter of an alcoholic father in her childhood. She was pushed constantly by her parents to be the best at whatever she did. Although she doesn’t blame them for her eating disorder, she feels that her family environment taught her to meet everyone else’s expectations and standards, but not her own. You can see how childhood played a role in Kathy’s struggle with an eating disorder.

Some cases of anorexia and bulimia are deeply impacted by childhood, and it is proven that eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of all mental illnesses. A study conducted by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders stated that five to ten percent of anorexics die within ten years after having this disease. It also reported that only thirty to forty percent of anorexics ever fully recover. There are many different ways to get treatment to these awful diseases including therapy, support groups, and medical monitoring. However, it is not always easy getting that help because of the high prices associated with those treatments. This is part of the reason why the majority of anorexics don’t always fully recover. Everyone needs to be fully aware of how calamitous these eating disorders are and how they can ruin your life.

It isn’t always easy dealing with these afflictions, and it could quickly turn your life in the wrong direction. Eating disorders are atrocious; and they are most definitely preventable. Everyone that is struggling with an eating disorder needs to realize they are not alone, that they are one of the eight million who constantly battle against a disease, and that they can survive with treatment and support.

Bibliography
"DMH." South Carolina Department of Mental Health. 17 Nov. 2010 .
Joerger, Teresa. "Eating Disorder Stories." 2010. www.caringonline.com. 17 Nov. 2010 .