Eating disorders

Essay
Eating disorders are illnesses with a biological basis modified and influenced by emotional and cultural factors. . Eating disorders are a way of coping with deeper problems that a person finds too painful or difficult to deal with directly. They are complex conditions that signal difficulties with identity, self-concept and self-esteem.
Eating disorders can be difficult to detect. The media glamourization of so-called ideal bodies, coupled with the view that dieting is a normal activity, can obscure a person's eating problems. It can be difficult for a person with an eating disorder to admit they have a problem.
Three chronic eating disorders have been identified. Anorexia nervosa is characterized by severe weight loss due to extreme food reduction. Symptoms include:
• refusal to keep body weight at or above the normal weight for one's body type
• dieting to extremes, usually coupled with excessive exercise
• feeling overweight despite dramatic weight loss
• loss of menstrual periods
• extreme preoccupation with body weight and shape
Bulimia nervosa results in frequent fluctuations in weight, due to periods of uncontrollable binge eating, followed by purging. As well as a preoccupation with body image, symptoms include:
• repeated episodes of bingeing and purging, usually by self-induced vomiting, abuse of laxatives, diet pills and/or diuretics - methods which are both ineffective and harmful
• eating beyond the point of fullness
Binge-eating disorder, or compulsive eating, is often triggered by chronic dieting and involves periods of overeating, often in secret and often carried out as a means of deriving comfort. Symptoms include:
• periods of uncontrolled, impulsive or continuous eating
• sporadic fasts or repetitive diets
Other eating disorders can include some combination of the signs and symptoms of anorexia, bulimia, and/or binge eating disorder. While these behaviors may not be clinically considered a full syndrome eating disorder, they can still be physically dangerous and emotionally draining.
Eating disorders can be difficult to detect. Someone suffering from bulimia can have a normal weight, but the activities they are engaging in can be deadly. Here are some warning signs:
• low self-esteem
• social withdrawal
• claims of feeling fat when weight is normal or low
• preoccupation with food, weight, counting calories and with what people think
• denial that there is a problem
• wanting to be perfect
• intolerance of others
• inability to concentrate
In conclusion, I would like to say that all eating disorders require professional help. Social workers also can help these people. A clinical social worker often will provide psychotherapy while acting as a bridge to connect to additional resources for a medical evaluation and nutritional assessment/counseling, both of which are also critical arenas for intervention.