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Eating Disorders: Recognizing Them and Helping
The Signs
Although the reasons for eating disorders are diverse, the
symptoms are quite common. Some of the symptoms of an eating
disorder are obsessive exercise, calorie counting, fat gram
counting, starvation or restriction, a compulsive interest in health
and food issues, self-induced vomiting, and the use of diet pills,
laxatives or diuretics. Another symptom is a persistently negative
body image expressed constantly with statements like "I am so
fat," "I hate my body," and "If I was thin everything would be better."
People with eating disorders may express some of the above
listed symptoms in patterns, fluctuating between what seems like
healthy eating patterns and harmful ones.
When to Worry
What's the difference between someone who watches their weight
and someone who has an eating disorder? Well, the difference
really is the compulsive nature of the dieting. If a woman is
constantly on diets, or always follows periods of normal food intake
with periods of extreme guilt and dieting she may be suffering from
an eating disorder. Anorexics will use elaborate excuses to avoid
eating, such as "I already ate," "I'm not hungry," or "I have the flu." In
their efforts to exert extreme control over their lives, they may
become secretive about what they eat and when they eat. This is
especially true when a woman who suffers from an eating disorder
begins to feel that the people around her disapprove of her
behavior.
How to Help
It is important when trying to help a person fight an eating disorder
that you not narrowly focus on the eating habits, as they are really
only her expression of an underlying emotional problem. This
seems clear when you think about trying to convince someone who
weighs 80 pounds that they are not fat. It just isn't all about being
fat, otherwise she could see that she is starving; it is about what
she needs and what meaning food has to her. There are many
treatment options available, ranging from one-on-one therapy to
support groups to hospitalization in the most severe cases. Of
course, the first and most essential step will have to be hers.
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