Eating disorders have become a social epidemic in the developed world (Giordano 2010).Eating disorders affect 24 million people in the united states alone, and 70 million people worldwide (www.renfrew.org). What causes so many people to develop an eating disorder? and what treatments are available?

“I just need to lose a couple more pounds”, “ I’m so fat”, and “Why can’t I just look like that?” are some of the most common thoughts that cross the minds of people suffering from an eating disorder. We will be discussing not only the different types of eating disorders, but also what are believed to be some of the causes of the disorder and some of the newest treatments that have become available to people who are suffering from these disorders.

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that is characterized by a reluctance to maintain the minimal normal body weight, a fear of becoming obese and a distorted idea of the body image. “Although this disorder can appear at any age, the peak age of onset is 14 to 18 years APA 2000). It is not hard to see why this would be the peak onset age taking into consideration that at 14 girls start high school, which bring on the added pressure to look a certain way in order to fit in. As time has progressed it has become more apparent that this same pressure to fit inhas been affecting more and more males. Women account for about 90 to 95 percent of people affected by anorexia nervosa, but men and boys account for the other 5 to 10 percent. Anorexia nervosa is a life threatening disorder which if left untreated can lead to serious medical problems down the road. For women, one of the main problems that might be encountered is the development of amenorrhea (which is the absence of menstrual cycles). Other problems can include, low blood pressure, and reduced bone mineral density. “Although most victims recover, between 2 and 6 percent of them become so seriously ill that they die, usually from medical problems brought by starvation or from suicide”(Comer 2008) . Anorexia nervosa is only one of the different eating disorders, let’s talk about bulimia.

Although people who suffer from bulimia nervosa are also driven by a fear of gaining weight and becoming obese, they carry out their fear in a different way. Rather than starving they’re bodies, people who suffer from bulimia nervosa will suppress they’re appetite until they give into they’re cravings and have what is called a binge. A binge is an episode in which large amounts of food are consumed often up to 2500 calories in a short period of time upwards to an hour. Followed by this episode are extreme feelings of guilt and shame which in terms is whatdrives people suffering from bulimia to engage in compensatory behaviors such a making themselves vomit, or consume laxatives or diuretics. “Like anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa usually occurs in females, again 90 to 95 percent of the cases Freeman, 2005).

A third disorder is called binge-eating disorder which is still not listed in the DSM. This disorder affects people that are usually overweight, and people who suffer from a binge-eating disorder will indulge in binges like in bulimia nervosa where large amounts of food will be consumed in short periods of time with the difference that people who suffer from binge-eating disorder will not engage in compensatory behaviors after a binge. Anywhere from 2 to 5 percent of the American population will experience binge eating disorder (NIMH). This is the disorder in which males are more prone to be affected by, 40 percent of people with this eating disorder are men.

There are believed to be four main causes of eating disorders: biological factors, family environment, psychological problems, and society. Let’s begin with the later one, society, something as simple as opening a magazine or turning on the television can explain why societal pressure might drive someone to develop an eating disorder. “One study that tracked the height, weight and age of contestants in the Miss America Pageant from1959 from 1978 found an average decline of 0.28 pound per year among the contestants and 0.37 pound per year among winners”(Comer 2008). Not only are the messages by the media that to be pretty you must be skinny and perfect, they also make sure to let the public know that plastic surgery is available to make ourselves more desirable, and that plastic surgery is also acceptable. The second believed cause of eating disorders is family. “Research suggests that as many as half of the families of people with eating disorders have a long history of emphasizing thinness, physical fitness, physical appearance, and dieting (Comer, 2008). Many parents will unknowingly instill in their children the idea that they can’t gain weight, and they do so when children are as young as 8 or 9 years old. It is at this age that most children get rid of their “baby fat” and when some don’t, the parents put them on a diet, it is not that uncommon nowadays for children to experience dieting at such an early age. The third cause is psychological, or a mood disorder. Some people who suffer from an eating disorder, also experience some of the same symptoms as those who suffer from depression. “This finding has led some theorists to believe that mood disorders set the stage for an eating disorder” (Comer, 2008).But, some argue that just like a mood disorder can set thestage for an eating disorder that it can also be the other way around, someone who has an eating disorder can develop an mood disorder such as depression. It is also believed that biology may play a role in eating disorders. Some theorists believe that people may be born with a predisposition to either three of the eating disorders discussed earlier. Research that has been performed with sets of twins in which the results are as follows: in identical twins if one has an eating disorder there is a 23 percent chance that the other twin will develop one as well, whereas, on fraternal twins the chances of both of them developing an eating disorder is only a 9 percent (Comer 2008). More research is still being conducted on the genetic factors of an eating disorder. Since scientist and researchers have been able to study this disorder for many years now, there are many treatment options that can customized for each individual case.

There are different treatment options for each of the eating disorders. For anorexia nervosa, treatment used to be available mainly while in a hospital, and now it is also offered an as outpatient treatment. Whether, it be in the hospital or at home the first goal in treating someone with anorexia nervosa is to have the regain all the lost weight. Only in life threatening cases where the person refuses to eat will someonebe hospitalized and force fed through intravenous feedings (Tyre, 2005). The most used recent technique is called supportive nursing care, in which the person suffering from the disorder will receive nutritional counseling and a high calorie diet Comer 2008) . In this program nurses get the chance to encourage and educate the patients so that they can understand that they what they are consuming will not make them obese. After the weight is regained then they can move on to finding what the psychological cause is for the disorder, finding this cause can be the key for long term success. One of the approaches used by therapists is building independence and self awareness in which patients can recognize their need for independence . The second approach is to change the perception the patients have about food and weight, during this step they will try to correct thoughts such as “I need to be thin”. The third is family therapy, “family therapists may try to help the person with anorexia nervosa separate his/her feelings and needs from those of other family members” (Comer, 2008).
For bulimia nervosa the treatment is quite different. The treatment is usually done in an eating disorder facility. The primary goal for treatments geared towards patients with bulimia nervosa is to eliminate the binge-purge cycles. As with the treatment for anorexianervosa, several strategies are combined to assure the highest success rate in treatment for bulimia nervosa. The first is therapy, which is used to open the eyes of patients and try to change their thoughts towards food and weight. Antidepressants are also used in treatment for bulimia nervosa. “According to research, the drugs help as many as 40 percent of patients reducing their binges by an average of 67 percent and vomiting by 56 percent” (Comer, 2008). Group therapies and self help groups are a great new thing in the treatment for bulimia nervosa, in group therapy is where patients are able to relate to other people who went through similar experiences without feeling shame, and therefore, improving from hearing about other success stories.

In conclusion, although so many people are affected worldwide by these disorders, today more than ever there is a lot of information on the disorders and a lot of available help for those who are in need of it.

References
Additional Information retrieved from: www.eatingdisorderinfo.org
Comer, Ronald (2008). Fundamentals of Abnormal Psychology
New York, Worth Publishers
DeAngelis, T. (March 2002). Further Gene Studies Show Promise
www.apa.org/monitor/ Volume 33, No. 3
Giardino, Simona (2010) Exercise and Eating Disorders
Statistics retrieved from : www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/