Early Warning Signs
Understanding Anorexia and Bulimia
What are the Danger Signs?
Eating Disorders are Hazardous to Your Health!
How do Eating Disorders Develop?
Eating Disorders are a Form of Substance Abuse

Eating disorers affect the quality of life, health, and well being of millions of Americans. As devastating as these conditions are, symptoms may be difficult to recognize. Early detection and treatment are the best indicators for successful recovery.

Some early warning signs of an eating disorder are:

• Significant decrease in weight which is not related to a medical condition
• Development of abnormal eating habits such as severe dieting and withdrawn or ritualized eating
• Intense preoccupation with food, weight, or body image
• Compulsive or excessive exercising
• Periods of fasting, self-induced vomiting, laxative, diet pill or diuretic abuse
• Feelings of increased isolation, depression, or irritability

Understanding Anorexia and Bulimia

Anorexia Nervosa: Anorectics restrict their caloric intake for long periods of time and deliberately starve themelves, resulting in loss of body weight of at least 15 percent. Weight loss is achieved by avoiding food, frenzied exercise, vomiting, laxatives and other means. An intense fear of becoming obese as well as disorted body image are other characteristics of anorexia nervosa.

Bulimia Nervosa: A cyclic pattern of binge eating associated with some type of purging describes BULIMIA NERVOSA. Purging takes on several different forms: fasting, self-induced vomiting, excessive exercising or use of cathartics or diuretics.

Bulima Nervosa and Anorexia Nervosa are often present together. These disorders are prevalent among women, especially between the ages of 12 and 30. One in 150 females suffers from Anorexia Nervosa, and recent sudies on college campuses show that almost 20 percent of college females have Bulimia Nervosa.

What are some danger signs indicating an eating disorder?

• Caloric restriction, binge eating and secretive eating.
• Extreme preoccupation with food (preparing food for others, shopping for others, reading recipes and food magazines, thinking and dreamng about food or binge eating).
• Disorted body image (claiming to feel fat when one is emaciated).
• Abuse of laxatives, diuretics, enemas and diet pills.
• Inordinate amounts of exercise.

Eating disorders are hazardous to your health

Eating Disorders can be extremely dangerous. Serious medical complications have been noted in connection with Annorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa. Sore throats and painful swelling of the cheeks have been found in individuals who vomit frquently as well as tooth decay, loss of enamel and gum disease.

In serious cases the body suffers from heart and kidney damage the stomach can rupture, one can contract frequent urinary infections and suffer osteoporosis (the thinning of bones). Finally, menstrual irregularities and difficulties are also common in women with eating disorders.

How does an eating disorder develop?

Most researchers agree that eating-disorders are an expression of unresolved psychological conflict. The psychogical conflict an individual is experiencing may be a result of traumatic life experiences such as physical or sexual abuse or any other life experiences that leave the individual feeling flawed and defective.

Eating disorders are a form of substance abuse

Eating disorders are a form of substance abuse and individuals who struggle with an eating disorder appear to go through similar addictive cycles as those who suffer with alcohol and other forms of drug abuse. An obsession with food and dieting often becomes a way in which eating-disorder victims alleviate inner distress. In other words, their eating disorder becomes a diversion from negative thoughts or negative life experiences. By subordinating their actions to the goal of weight loss, victims believe (consciously or unconsciously) that they can bring structure and meaning to a world that they feel to be otherwise chaotic and beyond their control. Ironically, by pouring their talents and energies into dieting, some eating-disorder victims do become totally out of control.