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Low self esteem and eating disorders essay
Low self esteem and eating disorders essay
Effects of eating disorders on society
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Much like most other physical or mental illnesses, eating disorders can bring consequences that have costly and lasting effects. A person might develop depression or anxiety, or other mental disorder, as a result of the eating disorder. Especially because of the secretive nature of their activities, they might feel isolated, lonely, or hated. They also face the social impact, as there is an emotional toll to the individual and even their families and friends. The individual might feel guilt and shame for what they’re doing and the families/friends might feel the same way for not being able to prevent or help the individual. There’s an economic burden because disordered eating can cause rising costs of healthcare and insurance. Eating disorders were found related to higher unemployment rates. This not only impacts the individual, …show more content…
Most people are resilient to these issues, even though they’re being exposed to similar tactics and situations. Research shows that there are “protective factors,” factors that reduce the likelihood of developing an eating disorder. An increase in research and study of these factors could significantly decrease the existence of eating disorders. People who have high self-esteem, confidence, and a positive body image are less at risk to develop an eating disorder. These positive attributes can be because of many circumstances in a person’s life. Positive childhood learning, i.e. raising children to be confident and happy with their abilities and character, has a big impact because much of a person’s core beliefs and attitudes can be traced back to childhood. A good family and/or support system allow the child to have positive self-image and mental and physical health. Throughout numerous years of reassurance and love, the child can learn how to rightly handle and talk through their emotions, feelings, and
The National Institute of Mental Health: Eating Disorders: Facts About Eating Disorders and the Search for Solutions. Pub No. 01-4901. Accessed Feb. 2002.
(Thesis Statement)Eating disorders are something that are very common among all people. However, they are not often talked about or understood and this is something we need to fix as a society.
Look in the mirror. Do you like what you see? Most of us have come to appreciate ourselves for who we are. While other’s struggle to achieve the perfect body. They strive to be what is depicted in fashion magazines and movies. The never ending obsession to be the perfect size zero. This inevitably can lead to eating disorders. Eating disorders can cause someone to have an unhealthy image of themselves and food is the enemy. In a national survey at the Mclean Hospital in Massachusetts it was estimated that over 9 million people suffer with eating disorders. They can struggle with anorexia, bulimia or binge eating. A study conducted by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders states that most of these diseases start before the age of twenty. Another growing problem in the United States is obesity. Over 60 million Americans suffer from this disease, this according to the American Obesity Association (gale opposing viewpoints: eating disorders 2010).
Eating Disorders (EDs) are a series of often life-threatening mental health disorders which are commonly used as coping mechanisms or as ways to mask one’s problems. The causes of these illnesses are still being researched, and the effects they have on a person’s physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing can often be as long as the sufferer’s life.
Researchers and doctors find eating disorders to be very complicated to figure out due to the many different factors leading to eating disorders. The majority of these issues derive from media images portraying the “perfect” bodies bringing people to believe that they need to change their eating habits to become that “perfect” image. On average, people waste around 31 hours a week on the internet and spend anywhere from two to four hours a day looking up cosmetic surgery procedures and investigating dietary and weight loss plans in an attempt to get that model worthy body (The Telegraph). Men and women should be proud of whom they are and not be envious of others so much as to want to change their entire appearance; God made us all perfect through his eyes; why would anyone want to change that uniqueness about them?
Meanwhile the individual’s state of mind is also being psychologically damaged. The person becomes depressed because the image that the individual sees in the mirror does not match the image seen on television. This causes a decrease in self-esteem and confidence. The guilt, shame and low self-esteem causes binge eating and the cycle begins all over again. These eating disorders are highly addictive causing Americans a high state of panic. The treatments used for every one of the disorders are different. Anorexia depends on hospitalization while on the other hand over eating doesn’t require it at all. All three disorders require some sort of therapy to deal with the psychological damages and to prevent further complications. These three illnesses are affecting a lot of America’s adolescence as well as the adults. Despite the caution and awareness people have to exercise when dealing with such addictive disorders there are treatment facilities that can help. In any case, it cannot be overemphasized how important treatment is, the sooner, the better. The longer the behavior exits the harder it is to overcome.
Anorexia nervosa is a disorder typically shown in the media as a teenage girl whose bones show through her skin, picking and prodding at her body in the mirror. This is the image that comes to mind for most people when they think of anorexia. However, this image only scratches the surface of a disorder as complex as anorexia. Anorexia can be understood by looking at a few different things: its definition, its causes and prevalence, its resulting complications, and its treatment.
intro- Ninety percent of teenage girls have been on a diet. Some take it too far and starve themselves to be thin. Over one million people in just the US are afflicted with anorexia. If what is on the inside matters, then why are does society and the media constantly promote being thin? The influence of society’s promotion of a thin body plays a significant role in the development of such eating disorders as anorexia.
Anorexia has many negative effects as well. According to the University of Maryland Medical Centers article Eating Disorders, “Anorexia nervosa can increase the risk for serious health problems such as: hormonal changes including reproductive, thyroid, stress, and growth hormones, heart problems such as abnormal heart rhythm, electrolyte imbalance, fertility problems, bone density loss, anemia, and neurological problems.” Anorexia can severely affect a person internally. The continuous lack of nutrients can leave an anorexic person extremely frail. The heart in particular can grow so weak, that heart failure occurs. Eating disorders can lead too permanent health damages can stay with a person for the rest of their life.
Binge-eating disorder is defined as an eating disorder in which a person frequently consumes large amounts of food while feeling out of control and unable to stop. Almost everyone overeats every once in a while but for some people overeating crosses the line to binge-eating disorder and it becomes a regular occurrence. Many people who have this disorder may feel embarrassed about eating large amounts of food in front of others however the urge and compulsiveness of this disorder continues to affect their eating habits. Binge-eating disorder is estimated to affect approximately 1-5% of the general population and also tends to affect women slightly more often than men. Binge-eating disorder is often associated with symptoms of depression and people diagnosed with this may often express distress, shame, and guilt over their eating behaviors.
A number of studies show that sexual abuse, trauma, and even bullying can bring you to eating disorders. (“Case”) Such a genetic make-up is a time bomb for distorted thinking about body image. Then the person will dislike there body image and will stop eating.(“Case”) Laura was diagnosed with anorexia as a teen. She only was 65 recovered by 20, relapsed at 48.and then recovered again. Laura has an identical twin. Her sister never had anorexia and is in fact obese. (“Case”) Where two women share exactly the same genes but only one gets anorexia? Same genetic makeup, different life experiences. (“Case”) There is TV, Magazine articles, and unfortunate high-profile deaths to put eating disorders on most high level. Whenever you open a magazine all you see is models and lots of skinny people, some of aware hung people want to be like that model or skinny person just because they think they look good or maybe there will feel good about them self’s. (“Eller”)
In civilized societies, there are continuous prizing of thinness than ever before. Occasionally, almost everyone is watchful of their weight. Individuals with an eating disorder take extreme measures to concern where they ultimately shift their mode of eating, this abnormal eating pattern threatens their lives and their well-being. According to Reel (2013), eating disorders are continually misapprehended as all about food and eating. However, there is more to that as the dysfunction bears from emotion concealing a flawed relationship with food, physical exercise and oneself. Persons with eating disorders convey fault-finding, poor self- esteem and intense body discontent. This can lead to extreme distress of gaining weight,
There may be murmurs about that girl who only fixes herself a salad with only vinegar at dining services or suspicious glances at someone who spends 45 minutes on the treadmill and then switches to the stair stepper at the rec. On-campus eating disorders are talked about everywhere and yet are not really talked about at all. There is observation, concern, and gossip, but hushed conversation and larger scale efforts to help and change never seem to earn public attention.
Eating disorders can be altered by many things including bullying. One way that an eating disorder can come about into someone's life if is low self-esteem. Negative body images can make someone want to become skinnier. When someone has a low self-esteem it means a person who has a very low image of themselves. They think that they are nothing and aren’t worthy of life. When someone thinks this they could exercise excessively thinking that it will make them skinnier.
Compared to Alzheimer, which receives $88 per affected individual and Schizophrenia, which receives $81 per individual, eating disorder only receives $0.93 per affected individual. Despite it having one of the highest mortality rates, it is extremely underfunded. People do not view it as a serious problem because the effects are not always visible to the naked eye. However, those who do try to get help are most of the time are pushed away. Eating disorders are treated with more than just medication. They need medical care, monitoring, nutritional counseling, and some type of group or individual psychotherapy. Although people believe that patients who are diagnosed with an eating disorder should not receive the same healthcare as any other person