essays on disordered eating

161 Eating Disorders Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best eating disorders topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 good essay topics on eating disorders, 💡 most interesting eating disorders topics to write about, 📃 simple & easy eating disorders essay titles, ⭐ good research topics about eating disorders, ❓ research questions about eating disorders.

Anorexia as Eating Disorder However, due to limitation in scope, the rest of the chapter will explore anorexia nervosa by tracing the historical background of the condition, reviewing prevalence of the disorder in terms of gender, culture and geographical […]
The Problem of Anorexia: “There Was a Girl” by Katy Waldman In her essay, the writer strives to embrace the concept of anorexia and explore the mindset that encourages the development of the specified disorder.
Minuchin Family Therapy of Eating Disorders It is for this reason that the family-based treatment was conceived and implemented to involve the family in the recovery of adolescents.
Anorexia Nervosa in Psychological Point of View Anorexia nervosa is more common in the industrialized countries, where being thin is considered to be more attractive, and is more frequent in Whites than the nonwhite populations. In the age group of 10-14 years, […]
Eating Disorders: Causes, Treatment, and Prevention An eating disorder is a mental illness that is primarily characterized by unhealthy eating habits. An individual either eats too much or too little.
Humanistic Therapy: Mental Disorder in Patient With Anorexia As the narration unravels, it becomes clear that the girl also shows signs of anorexia nervosa – a mental disorder distinguished by an unhealthy low weight and destructive dietary patterns. DSM-5 serves as the principal […]
Eating Disorders in Adolescent Girls This will involve making them appreciate their body the way they are and dispelling the idea that only thinness is a sign of beauty.
Bulimia Nervosa: A Literature Review With binging episodes being characterized by loss of control, some of the bulimic patients consume food they are not entitled to, worsening their relationship both with food and with their social circle. Purging behaviors lead […]
Eating Disorders in the Military Exposure to trauma is frequently linked to the emergence of eating disorders. As a result, soldiers develop an eating disorder due to external factors, which affect their mental and physical health, but it remains one […]
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Eating Disorders Thus, first of all, to assess John’s current condition, several questions were asked to form an appropriate image of the problem, such as: When and why did you first start thinking about your weight and […]
Bulimia Nervosa: The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Subsequently, the research hypothesis is the following: CBT is a more effective treatment intervention in terms of patient outcomes than psychoanalysis, DBT, and integrative therapy.
Treatment Interventions for Bulimia Nervosa: Case Analysis The essence of the approach is to combat the lack of self-care of the patient, where the responsibility for progress lies with Rita.
Anorexia as Social and Psychological Disease Many who were used to his weight knew, though Bob is not the most handsome, but a charming person, kind and friendly.
Bulimia Nervosa: Treatment and Safety Measures It is important to know about related safety measures, considerations and medications and therefore outcomes of bulimic patients are more likely to be optimistic.
Bulimia: A Severe Eating Disorder The main symptoms of bulimia include intermittent eating of enormous amounts of food to the point of stomach discomfort, abdominal pain, flatulence, constipation, and blood in the vomit due to irritation of the esophagus.
Eating Disorders Among Medical Students Ehab and Walaa point out that for one-third of medical students, there is a risk of developing ED. Consequently, the problem of ED among medical students is urgent and requires attention.
Adherence to Medical Advice in Patients With Bulimia Patients’ non-adherence to medical advice presents a common problem in the health care system. The use of health apps allows patients to overcome shame or guilt in eating disorder treatment, increasing adherence.
Eating Disorders: Diagnosis and Treatment The idealization of an extremely skinny body in the fashion world, television, press, and social media resulted in the rise in the number of individuals with eating disorders.
Bulimia in Teenagers: How to Make a Change This paper hypothesizes that to make a change a complex of psychological measures should be taken that includes the use of cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy, formation of the right attitude to food and body weight, and building […]
Binge-Eating Disorder: Diagnosis and Treatment The second part of the case focuses on the empirically tested treatments for the diagnosed problem, justifying the choice of treatment for Alice with available clinical data.
Eating Disorder Among Youth and Its Aspects It is due to the fact that often the above sociological factors cause the development of psychological issues, especially among young people.
Anorexia Nervosa and Its Treatment Anorexia nervosa is a treatable eating disorder when people significantly limit the number of calories and types of foods they eat, which leads to excessive weight loss. The objectives of anorexia treatment include weight recovery, […]
Predictors and Long-Term Health Outcomes of Eating Disorders The authors of the article Predictors and long-term health outcomes of eating disorders aimed to study this topic and bring new information into existing research.
Emotional Eating in Eating Disorders: A Comprehensive Study Eating concerning adverse emotions and ED psychopathology. Analysis of emotional eating concerning under- and overeating is important.
Mental Health Project: Binge-Eating Disorder The result was the start of the Binge-Eating Disorder Association, a non-profit organization. The main role of the organization was to advocate, support, and help the binge-eating disorder society.
Genetic Disorder: “A Genetic Link to Anorexia” The author effectively proves that the development of anorexia nervosa may occur not only due to the exposure to the social pressure of beauty standards, but also the presence of a genetic predisposition.
Eating Disorders in Adolescents Thus, the purpose of the present paper is to dwell on the specifics of external factors causing the disorder as well as the ways to deal with this issue.
Anorexia and Bulimia: Effects of Eating Disorders Anorexia is an eating disorder that is characterized by: an extreme fear of weight gain, and distorted view of one’s body weight.
Eating Disorders: Types, Signs and Treatments Eating disorders encompass a wide variety of illnesses that are characterized by abnormal eating habits, obsession with body image, and sudden weight fluctuations.
Lifestyle Impact on Eating Disorders In contemporary societies men have been socialized to believe they should have certain physical body structures that describe their masculinity; the fact is reinforced in the television and video programs, music, and the general societal.men […]
Acculturation and Eating Disorders in Western Countries In one of the studies, the relationship between acculturation and eating disorders was found to be non-existent. As evident in the table, most of the researchers have noted that acculturation and eating disorders are strongly […]
Eating Disorders in Male Adolescents: Understanding and Intervention The research indicates that the prevalence of eating disorders in the male population has increased in the recent years. This paper aims at reviewing available scientific literature on eating disorders in the male adolescent population […]
Bulimia: Causes and Treatment Bulimia is an eating disorder which is portrayed by binging on food and subsequently vomiting in several attempts of purging.”removal of nutrients in form of purging entails forced vomiting, excessive exercise, laxative use, or fasting […]
Controlling the Problem and the Treatment Anorexia Nervosa Finally, the paper will be looking at the possible measures of controlling the problem and the treatment of the victims. When female are in their teenage, most of them are affected by the problem of […]
Regulation of Metabolism and Eating Disorders When a person feels full, hormones, such as cholecystokinin and peptide YY3 36, are released to promote the feeling of satiety and suppress the appetite.
American Girls’ Eating Disorders and Change Action They will be also offered encouraging interviews with those who managed to overcome the problem of eating disorders including my sister.
Daily Patterns of Anxiety in Anorexia Nervosa The researchers failed to indicate the distinct and important sections such as the study objectives and the significance of the study.
Anorexia Nervosa and Life-Sustaining Treatment Therefore, the primary care for patients with anorexia nervosa requires administration of various dietary and mental medical interventions and a clear understanding of different concepts and ethical issues related to the treatment of the disorder.
Media’s Role in Influencing Eating Disorders The media has distorted the issue of beauty to a point where beauty is no longer “in the eyes of the beholder” but on people’s body size.
Anorexia Studies. “Thin” Documentary The nutrition of a single person has a strong cultural aspect, being influenced by traditions of a family circle and the whole nation.
Concepts of Eating Disorders On the other hand, the quantity of food consumed does not determine satiety; rather, it is the quantities of nutrient consumed. In addition, the moving of lipid components into the duodenum helps individuals to reduce […]
Eating Disorders: Anorexia and Bulimia Anorexia Nervosa is the disease in which the patient avoids eating because of the fear of getting fat. Bulimia Nervosa refers to the pattern of binge eating.
The Anorexia Nervosa as a Mental Illness While tracing the history of the disease, many authors have come to the conclusion that the disease is to some extent due to the living styles that people have adopted over the years and also […]
Impact of Advertising on Eating Disorders among University Students The study aimed at measured the self-image and the ideal self-image of the participants and correlated them with the participant’s tendency in associating with eating disorders, the exposure to media, and the desire of the […]
Anorexia Nervosa: Medical Issues In response to this, the writer wishes to state that the purpose of this paper is to present a brief outline of anorexia and its causes to the millions of Americans out there without knowledge […]
The Portrayal of Women With Anorexia Body image distortion, wherein the individual has an inaccurate perception of body shape and size is considered to be the cause of the intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat witnessed in individuals with […]
The Relationship Between Compulsive Binge Eating Disorder and Long Term Health The adult population of Afro-Americans was compared with that of children and it was found out that the disorder occurred in both of the extremes. Binge eating is a disorder that emerges due to the […]
Issue of Personal Concern: Eating Disorders Moreover, the lack of sufficient funding, insurance coverage, and outlets for people with eating disorders contribute to progressive development of anorexia, bulimia, and other health-related problems.
Binge Eating Disorder Treatment: A Grounded Theory This disorder can be a chronic problem and is associated with negative consequences that may reduce the quality of life for the individuals who struggle with it.
The Role of Family in Developing and Treating Anorexia The rest of the poem confused and inspired me as a reader because Smith, as well as millions of people around the globe, proved the impossibility to have one particular definition of anorexia in modern […]
Eating Disorders & Cancer Screening: Comprehensive Approach In this scenario, I would analyze the patient’s family history of breast cancer and past biopsies, as well as evaluate the level of breast density before deciding on the screening method.
Eating Disorders: Public Service Announcement Thus, seeking help and battling the disorder is a way to accept that all people were created by God and loved by Him regardless of how thin they are.
Visual Body Perception in Anorexia Nervosa by Urgesi et al. Because of this, in their research article, Urgesi et al.explored the issue of visual body perception as related to the manifestation of anorexia nervosa.
“Skinny Boy: A Young Man’s Battle and Triumph Over Anorexia” by Gary A. Grahl Grahl suffered from anorexia in his youth, and the book is a memoir-like account of the event, serving to open the door to the psychology of the disease in the male populace a vulnerable population […]
Anorexia Nervosa and Its Perception by Patients In the control group, 80 laymen and women were selected randomly to participate in the study and they completed a modified IPQ-R questionnaire to elicit their perceptions towards AN.
Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and LGBTQ Suicide Awareness Concerning the format, the design of the poster is good and the words are readable. The colors and contrasts enhance the readability of the content and stress the key points, such as AN indicators, risk […]
Eating Disorder Patient’s Assessment and Treatment I should explain to the patient the severity of eating disorders and their possible adverse influence on the patient’s health and life.
Bulimia Nervosa and Antisocial Personality Disorder The patient said that his head is constantly aching, but the man avoids going to his doctor because he does not want to hear bad news about his health and does not want to cope […]
Social Media Impact on Depression and Eating Disorder When they turn to the social media, they are bombarded with a lot of information that they cannot properly comprehend. In the social media, they get to understand that beauty is associated with one’s body […]
Eating Disorder Screening and Treatment Plan The strong point of this article is the combination of the eating disorders and behavioral aspects of the problem as the mixture of the possible reasons for the psychological problem.
Understanding Eating Disorders: Impact of Social and Cultural Factors Assessing the role of social and cultural factors in the diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders involves the same processes as those used with other population disorders.
Differential Diagnosis in a Patient: Anorexia Nervosa The first step is to avoid malingering and make sure that a patient is not pretending to be sick. Julia’s and the roommate’s stories are not contradictory; hence, it is safe to say that Julia […]
Eating Disorders in Traditional and Social Media One can argue that traditional media, through the depiction of ED stories, started the discussion about mental health, introducing concepts of anorexia, bulimia, and other conditions, often described in a negative light due to the […]
Addressing Eating Disorders: Urgent Measures Needed for Public Health The initiators made a petition to the representatives of the Senate and also appealed to the former head of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Anthropology: Anorexia and Idiopathic Seizures Considering the relation between this disease and cultural issues, it is possible to refer to life of people in society. It is essential to consider anorexia and idiopathic epilepsy from the point of view of […]
Eating Disorders, Insomnia, and Schizophrenia Of course, this readiness does not exclude the necessity to identify such people and provide the necessary treatment to them, which is proved to be effective.
Anorexia Nervosa: Diagnosis and Treatment in Psychotherapy In the meantime, it is, likewise, vital to determine the cause of the condition’s appearance and point out the necessary alterations.
Controlling Eating Disorders It is important to manage these problems as they compromise the physical health of the individual. The individuals are usually disturbed by the size and shape of their body.
Influence of Media on Anorexia As the children grow, they disregard big-bodied people, and try as much as possible to maintain a slim figure, as they see from the magazines and televisions.
Psychological Factors Underlying Anorexia Nervosa The condition also occurs where individuals deny hunger as well as restrict energy and nutrients to levels that are minimal and inadequate to maintain the functioning of the normal body health and mass. In addition, […]
The Problem of Anorexia in Modern American Society However, in spite of frightening statistics, nowadays many sufferers have a good chance to recover due to increasing number of programs and campaigns aimed at overcoming this disease. 7% – Hispanic people, and the rest […]
Eating Disorder Prevention Programs Through the article, Stice and Shaw evaluated the current information on eating disorders based on risks and maintenance aspects rather than on a particular analysis.
Gender and Demographic Aspects of Eating Disorders In the situation involving African American women, body image is much more of several factors that include how others react to them, comparisons of their bodies with those of the others in the same environment, […]
Eating Disorders Among Teenage Girls According to recent research conducted, mass media has affected most teens negatively in the following ways: Media Version of physical beauty The teens are not mindful of the fact that the messages that they are […]
The Eating Disorder – Anorexia Nervosa It is noted that majority of the people that suffer from anorexia disorder are those that suffer from low-self esteem. The eating disorder makes bodies of people suffering from Anorexia nervosa struggle to manage insufficient […]
The Concept of Normality In Relation To Eating Disorders Among the dominant sociological understanding of normality that will be used to argue through the concept of eating disorders in this paper are the views such as; what is considered normal can be differentiated from […]
Healthy Lifestyles in the Context of Anorexia and Obesity In addition, a thorough evaluation of one’s lifestyle is imperative so as to rectify that which is causing the anorexia. As discussed in this paper, it is clear that physical activity and a healthy balanced […]
Mental Health & Culture on Weight and Eating Disorders The depressed and anxious mind sabotages one’s efforts to loosing weight thus leading to the weird feeling of hopelessness and the good efforts or intentions capsizes leaving one to the option of the detrimental food […]
Anorexia Nervosa: Signs, Effects and Therapies Nurses in the labor and delivery units need to be trained on the proper way of diagnosing and handling anorexia patients to reduce cases of infant mortality. A combination of medical attention and accommodating psychotherapy […]
Treatments of Anorexia Nervosa Because the mortality rates and co-morbidity incidence of aneroxia nervosa remains critically high despite the array of various intervention strategies that are currently available to health professionals, it is justifiable to have a reassessment of […]
Diagnosis and Reasons of the Bulimia Nervosa Bulimia is also evident in African countries even with the general notion that African women ought to be fat as a sign of beauty and fertility.
Eating Disorders: Assessment & Misconceptions The DSM-IV-TR criteria for Bulimia nervosa, according to Berg et al, “…include binge eating, defined as the consumption of an unusually large amount of food coupled with a subjective sense of loss of control, and […]
Body Fat and Eating Disorders Paper The only way of making this meat safe for consumption would be to cook it all the way through to kill the bacteria on the surface and inside the meat.
Anorexia in Teens: Media Impact This research focuses on the impact of the media as the ultimate key player for the development of the dangerous disorder among the contemporary young girls in the society.
The Prevalence of Eating Disorders According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are the main types of eating disorders. The trend of anorexia nervosa reached its peak in the 1980s and that is why […]
The Media’s Influence on Eating Disorders This gives people the impression that by eating the food they will be as beautiful as the model in the advert is. This shows that the media is capable of influencing our eating habits.
Body Image Issues and Eating Disorders in Sport and Exercise This is very crucial to the sports people as effects in their functionality leads to an automatic decline in performance of the sport.
Eating Disorders: Anorexia, Bulimia and Compulsive Overeating Anorexia is a both eating and psychological disorder that is initiated as a person begins to diet in order to lose weight.
Psychological Disorders: Bulimia Nervosa vs. Anorexia Nervosa Although people with the condition are able to recover if the disorder is properly managed, Eysenck states that the near starvation state that most anorexics live with during the period of the disorder can be […]
Eating Disorders: A Session With Sufferers of Obesity and Anorexia One of the myths that surrounds anorexia is that the only cause of this disorder is the wish to lose weight; some people even refer to the condition as the ‘slimmer’s disease’.
Eating Disorders: How the Media Have Influenced Their Development in Adolescent Girls
Eating Disorders and Mental Disorders
Addiction and Recovery Eating Disorders
Eating Disorders and the Influences of Culture
Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia: Common Eating Disorders in American Women
The Physical and Emotional Effects of Eating Disorders
Stress and Eating Disorders in Teenagers
Eating Disorders and Personality Disorders
Eating Disorders and Beauty Ideals in American Society
Eating Disorders and Ballet – Anorexia Nervosa Is Eating the Soul of Young Dancers
Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Eating Disorders; A Transdignostic Theory and Treatment
Association Between Depression and Eating Disorders
The Rising and Dangerous Trend of Eating Disorders: The Types and Causes
Eating Disorders and Reproduction
Behavioral Feeding and Eating Disorders
Eating Disorders: Genetics and Environmental Influences
Childhood Factors and Eating Disorders Symptoms
Various Eating Disorders – Compulsive Overeating
Hunger, Obesity, and Eating Disorders
Adolescent and Parent Experience of Care at a Family-Based Treatment Service for Eating Disorders
Childhood Sexual Abuse and Eating Disorders
Eating Disorders and Its Impact on Society
Anorexia, Bulimia, and Related Eating Disorders Treatment
Differences Between Anorexia, Bulimia, and Eating Disorders
Anxiety and Depression Profile and Eating Disorders in Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Psychological Treatment for Eating Disorders
Quantifying the Psychopathology of Eating Disorders From the Autonomic Nervous System Perspective: A Methodological Approach
Children With Eating Disorders – Therapy Issues
Eating Disorders Among Different Cultures
Causes, Treatment, and the Role of Media on the Battle Against Eating Disorders in the United States
Eating Disorders and Emotional Eating
Cognitive and Affective Empathy in Eating Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
When Parenting Fails: Alexithymia and Attachment States of Mind in Mothers of Female Patients With Eating Disorders
Parental Mental Illness and Eating Disorders
Structural and Functional Brain Connectivity Changes Between People With Abdominal and Non-abdominal Obesity and Their Association With Behaviors of Eating Disorders
Body Dissatisfaction and Eating Disorders
The Three Major Eating Disorders in the United States
Eating Disorders Among Children and Teens
Women, Weight and Eating Disorders a Socio-Cultural and Political-Economic Analysis
Eating Disorders and the Fashion Industry
Why Are Eating Disorders So Common?
Why Are Teens Plagued With Eating Disorders?
Why Do Binge Eating Disorders Affect More?
Whether the Fashion World Causes Eating Disorders?
Which Symptoms of the Gastrointestinal Tract Occur in Patients With Eating Disorders?
What Are Eating Disorders?
What Are the Challenges That Face a Psychotherapist Working With Self-Harm or Eating Disorders?
What Are the Major Causes of Eating Disorders in Young Women?
What Causes Eating Disorders?
What Role Does the Family Play in Developing, Maintaining, and Treating Eating Disorders?
How do American Society and Culture Influence Eating Disorders?
How Are Eating Disorders Affecting Our Health?
How Does Food Taste in Eating Disorders: Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa?
How Does the Perception of Beauty Impact the Development of Eating Disorders?
How do Eating Disorders Begin and What They Leave Behind?
How Can Eating Disorders Be Viewed as Multi-Determined Disorders?
How Do People Deal With Eating Disorders?
How Does Society Affect the Development of Eating Disorders?
How Has the Advertising Industry Caused an Increase in Eating Disorders?
How Does the Media Influence Eating Disorders?
How Can Widely Available Social Media Cause the Development of Eating Disorders?
Does Adolescent Media Use Cause Obesity and Eating Disorders?
Does Our Country Support Eating Disorders?
Does Social Media Contribute to the Development of Eating Disorders in Young Adults?
Does Social Pressure Influence Eating Disorders Among Adolescents?
Does the Media Influence the Development of Eating Disorders in Adolescents?
Does Depression Assist Eating Disorders?
Are Eating Disorders More Common Among Women Than Men?
Are Eating Disorders Psychological or Cultural Problems?
Are Eating Disorders Really about Food?
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Eating Disorders, Essay Example

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Introduction

Eating disorders affect men and women of all ages, although adolescents tend to be the age group that is more susceptible. This is because, as their bodies are changing, they may feel more pressure by society as well as peer groups to look attractive and fit in (Segal et al). Types of eating disorders include Anorexia, Bulimia and Compulsive Overeating, which can also be related to the first two. The reasons behind Eating Disorder usually stem from a reaction to low self-esteem and a negative means of coping with life and stress (Something Fishy). Eating disorders are also often associated with an underlying psychological disorder, which may be the reason behind the eating disorder or which may develop from the Eating Disorder itself. Mental health disorders that are often associated with Eating Disorder include Anxiety, Depression, Multiple Personality Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, BiPolar, BiPolar II, Borderline Personality Disorder, Panic Disorder and Dissociative Disorder. The longer a person suffers from ED, the more probable that they will be dealing with another mental illness, most likely Anxiety or Depression (Something Fishy). The eventual outcome of Eating Disorder can be deadly. “Some eating disorders are associated with a 10-15% mortality rate and a 20-25% suicide rate. Sometimes, anorexia, bulimia and compulsive eating may be perceived as slow suicide (Carruthers).” In order to prevent the deadly consequences of Eating Disorder and to prevent it from becoming more pervasive in society, it is necessary to recognize the correct treatment method for this disease. Traditional treatments have focused on providing risk information to raise awareness of the consequences of Eating Disorder (Lobera et al 263). However, since Eating Disorder is a mental illness, a more effective treatment is one that offers psychological evaluation, counseling and treatment. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is emerging as a more robust and effective method that can be used not only to treat Eating Disorder but the associated mental illnesses that may accompany it.

The Problem

Eating disorder is pervasive in society and can have deadly consequences on those that suffer from it. Many time Eating Disorder goes undetected by family members and friends because those suffering will go to great lengths to hide their problem. However, there are some signs and symptoms that can be clues that a person is suffering from some sort of eating disorder. According to Segal, these signs can include:

Restricting Food or Dieting: A change in eating habits that includes restricting food or excessive dieting. The person my frequently miss meals or not eat, complaining of an upset stomach or that they are not hungry. A use of diet pills or illegal drugs may also be noticed.
Bingeing: Sufferers may binge eat in secret, which can be hard to detect since they will usually do it late at night or in a private place. Signs of potential bingeing are empty food packages and wrappers and hidden stashes of high calorie junk food or desserts.
Purging: Those who suffer from bulimia will force themselves to throw up after meals to rid their body of added calories. A sign that this is occurring is when a person makes a trip to the bathroom right after eating on a regular basis, possible running water or a fan to hide the sound of their vomiting. They may also use perfume, mouthwash or breath mints regularly to disguise the smell. In addition to vomiting, laxatives or diuretics may also be used to flush unwanted calories from the body.
Distorted body image and altered appearance: People suffering from Eating Disorder often have a very distorted image of their own body. While they may appear thin to others, they may view themselves as fat and attempt to hide their body under loose clothing. They will also have an obsessive preoccupation with their weight, and complain of being fat even when it is obvious to others that this is not the case.

There are several possible side effects from Eating Disorders, both physical and psychological. Physical damage can be temporary or permanent, depending on the severity of the eating disorder and the length of time the person has been suffering from it. Psychological consequences can be the development of a mental illness, especially depression and anxiety. Some sufferers of Eating Disorder will also develop a coping mechanism such as harming themselves, through cutting, self-mutilation or self-inflicted violence, or SIV (Something Fishy).

Physical consequences of Eating Disorders depend on the type of eating disorder that the person has. Anorexia nervosa can lead to a slow heart rate and low blood pressure, putting the sufferer at risk for heart failure and permanent heart damage. Malnutrition can lead to osteoporosis and dry, brittle bones. Other common complications include kidney damage due to dehydration, overall weakness, hair loss and dry skin. Bulimia nervosa, where the person constantly purges through vomiting, can have similar consequences as Anorexia but with added complications and damage to the esophagus and gastric cavity due to the frequent vomiting. In addition, tooth decay can occur because of damage caused by gastric juices. If the person also uses laxatives to purge, irregular bowel movements and constipation can occur. Peptic ulcers and pancreatitis can also common negative heath effects (National Eating Disorders Association). If the Eating Disorder goes on for a prolonged time period, death is also a possible affect, which is why it is important to seek treatment for the individual as soon as it is determined that they are suffering from an Eating Disorder.

Once it is recognized that a loved one may be suffering from an Eating Disorder, the next step is coming up with an effective intervention in time to prevent any lasting physical damage or death. The most effective treatment to date is Cognitive-behavioral therapy, an active form of counseling that can be done in either a group or private setting (Curtis). Cognitive-behavioral therapy is used to help correct poor eating habits and prevent relapse as well as change the way the individual thinks about food, eating and their body image (Curtis).

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is considered to be one of the most effective treatments for eating disorders, but of course this depends on both the counselor administrating the therapy and the attitude of the person receiving it. According to Fairburn (3), while patients with eating disorders “have a reputation for being difficult to treat, the great majority can be helped and many, if not most, can make a full and lasting recovery.” In the study conducted by Lobera et al, it was determined that students that took part in group cognitive-behavioral therapy sessions showed a reduced dissatisfaction with their body and a reduction in their drive to thinness. Self esteem was also improved during the group therapy sessions and eating habits were significantly improved.

“The overall effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy can depend on the duration of the sessions. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is considered effective for the treatment of eating disorders. But because eating disorder behaviors can endure for a long period of time, ongoing psychological treatment is usually required for at least a year and may be needed for several years (Curtis).”

Alternative solutions

Traditional treatments for Eating Disorders rely on educating potential sufferers, especially school aged children, of the potential damage, both psychological and physical, that can be caused by the various eating disorders .

“ Research conducted to date into the primary prevention of eating disorders (ED) has mainly considered the provision of information regarding risk factors. Consequently, there is a need to develop new methods that go a step further, promoting a change in attitudes and behavior in the target population (Lobera et al).”

The current research has not shown that passive techniques, such as providing information, reduces the prevalence of eating disorders or improves the condition in existing patients. While education about eating disorders, the signs and symptoms and the potential health affects, is an important part of providing information to both the those that may know someone who is suffering from an eating disorder and those that are suffering from one, it is not an effective treatment by itself. It must be integrated with a deeper level of therapy that helps to improve the self-esteem and psychological issues from which the eating disorder stems.

Hospitalization has also been a treatment for those suffering from an eating disorder, especially when a complication, such as kidney failure or extreme weakness, occurs. However, treating the symptom of the eating disorder will not treat the underlying problem. Hospitalization can effectively treat the symptom only when it is combined with a psychological therapy that treats the underlying psychological problem that is causing the physical health problem.

Effectively treating eating disorders is possible using cognitive-behavioral therapy. However, the sooner a person who is suffering from an eating disorder begins treatment the more effective the treatment is likely to be. The longer a person suffers from an eating disorder, the more problems that may arise because of it, both physically and psychologically. While the deeper underlying issue may differ from patient to patient, it must be addressed in order for an eating disorder treatment to be effective. If not, the eating disorder is likely to continue. By becoming better educated about the underlying mental health issues that are typically the cause of eating disorder, both family members and friends of loved ones suffering from eating disorders and the sufferers themselves can take the steps necessary to overcome Eating Disorder and begin the road to recovery.

Works Cited

“Associated Mental Health Conditions and Addictions.” Something Fishy, 2010. Web. 19 November2010.

Carruthers, Martyn. Who Has Eating Disorders? Soulwork Solutions, 2010. Web. 19 November 2010.

Curtis, Jeanette. “Cognitive-behavioral Therapy for Eating Disorders.” WebMD (September 16, 2009). Web. 19 November 2010.

Fairburn, Christopher G. Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Eating Disorders. New York: The Guilford Press, 2008. Print.

“Health Consequences of Eating Disorders” National Eating Disorders Association (2005). Web. 21 November 2010.

Lobera, I.J., Lozano, P.L., Rios, P.B., Candau, J.R., Villar y Lebreros, Gregorio Sanchez, Millan, M.T.M., Gonzalez, M.T.M., Martin, L.A., Villalobos, I.J. and Sanchez, N.V. “Traditional and New Strategies in the Primary Prevention of Eating Disorders: A Comparative Study in Spanish Adolescents.” International Journal of General Medicine 3 (October 5, 2010): 263-272. Dovepress.Web. 19 November 2010.

Segal, Jeanne, Smith, Melinda, Barston, Suzanne. Helping Someone with an Eating Disorder: Advice for Parents, Family Members and Friends , 2010. Web. 19 November 2010.

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Eating Disorder - Free Essay Examples And Topic Ideas

Eating disorders, severe conditions related to persistent eating behaviors negatively impacting health, emotions, and the ability to function, encompass various types including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. Essays on eating disorders could explore the psychological, biological, and societal factors contributing to these conditions, and delve into the experiences of those affected. Discussions might also focus on prevention strategies, treatment options, and the societal perception and stigma surrounding eating disorders. Through a comprehensive exploration of eating disorders, essays can shed light on the multifaceted aspects of these serious health conditions and the importance of awareness, understanding, and support. We have collected a large number of free essay examples about Eating Disorder you can find in Papersowl database. You can use our samples for inspiration to write your own essay, research paper, or just to explore a new topic for yourself.

Eating Disorder is a Growing Problem in Modern Society

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Anorexia Nervosa is a very Serious Eating Disorder

Anorexia Nervosa is classified as an eating disorder and a disease where individuals go through extreme measures to lose weight such as excessive workouts or extreme food diets in hopes to change their perspective on themselves. Individuals that embody this disease have a distorted body image of oneself and will still feel fat even after taking drastic measures to lose weight. These individuals think poorly and see themselves as overweight even if the individual is underweight. This has a lot […]

Effects of Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia nervosa is one of the most commonly known eating disorder. It can occur in women and men including adults, kids, and teenagers. Anorexia is a ""mental disorder that is caused by the unsound terror of gaining weight. Anorexia nervosa is an ""emotional disorder characterized by an obsessive desire to lose weight by refusing food, commonly known as anorexia. Experts believe anorexia is caused by ""personality, genetics, environment, biochemistry, and overall emotional health. There are many horrific effects of anorexia […]

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There are Two Types of Eating Disorder

After reviewing Carly’s case and comparing it to the criterion in the DSM-5 it was determined that she has Anorexia Nervosa. Anorexia is an eating disorder that is classified by extreme weight loss and difficulty in maintaining an appropriate weight (Anorexia Nervosa, 2018). There are two subtypes of anorexia. The subtypes are the restricting type and the binge eating/ purging type. The restricting type is characterized by episodes of weight loss through dieting, fasting, or excessive exercise. The binge eating/ […]

Eating Disorders Body Dissatisfaction and Self-Esteem Among South Korean Women

Abstract The Asian culture has be heavily influenced by Western Values, Asian women value thinness, which has led to a rise in eating disorders among them. Over the past 20 years eating disorders have increased. Body dissatisfaction is usually associated with body image (how you feel about the way your body looks). The dislikeness of one's body is more common with women than it is common with men. Today, Korean women have greater body dissatisfaction than the U.S. women have. […]

Thin Models: Fashion Forward

In every magazine you open, you will see skeletal models sprawled on almost every page. Dangerously thin fashion models posing in advertisements for clothing brands. While some people might see these models and think nothing of them, other people could see them and think they are hazardous to young women’s self esteem. Not only do these fashion models promote the idea that a healthy or bigger body is not desirable, the health risks that come with trying to achieve that […]

An Eating Disorder Doesn’t Come out of Nowhere

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Impact Media on Eating Disorders

With all of our current understanding so far we can see how much of an impact media has on triggering eating disorders. Research has only just begun to analyze the relationship between social media outlets such as facebook, body image and symptoms of eating disorders. Facebook is available at the fingertips of most adolescents today which allows them easy access to seek social comparison and negative feedback. Therefore it is an essential area to examine in relation to eating disordered […]

Is there too Much Pressure on Females to have Perfect Bodies?

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Anorexia Nervosa: Serious Eating Disorder

Anorexia Nervosa is a very serious eating disorder that many people suffer from. People with Anorexia Nervosa go days without eating. People who suffer from Anorexia Nervosa have an intense fear of gaining weight. “The core psychological feature of anorexia nervosa is extreme overation of shape and weight”(“Anorexia”1). Even the people who suffer from Anorexia are very thin they still fear gaining weight. ¨The word ¨Anorexia¨ literally means ¨loss of appetite¨ (Watson, 7). Anorexia Nervosa is a coping mechanism for […]

Anorexia Nervosa: Common, Widespread Eating Disorder

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Eating Disorder Behaviors Among Adolescents

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Argumentative Essay on Eating Disorders

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Are Diets Dangerous? These Essays Delve Into a Culture of Disordered Eating

illustration of a woman who has no mouth and is sitting in front of a plate with one pea on it

Dead Weight: Essays on Hunger and Harm will make you second guess Western beauty standards.

Many of you might know from reading my memoir that I suffered from an eating disorder in my late teens and early 20s. But let’s face it: So many of us have an unhealthy relationship with food . Dead Weight: Essays on Hunger and Harm by Emmeline Clein, is one of the smartest, most well-reported books I’ve ever read on the root causes of our culture’s disordered eating . Emmeline examines how our obsession with food and body image has permeated literature, history, and pop culture and how the weight loss industrial complex has exploited our fears and insecurities. While she writes about anorexia, bulimia, and EDNOS (eating disorders not otherwise specified), she also tackles something even more prevalent: binge eating disorder, or BED. I found her book fascinating and insightful. I was also really excited to record a podcast with Emmeline along with my special plus one, my daughter Carrie who has struggled with some of the same issues I faced when I was young. Look for that episode to drop next week. For now, here’s an excerpt of Dead Weight, but the entire book is worth reading. – Katie

The 18-year-old girl only ate in the dark. In daylight, she swallowed little more than scraps. But with her family asleep and the sun down, she sat in the shadows and shoved food in her mouth. She went to see her doctor for an unrelated issue, seeking treatment for migraines. The doctor saw her size and referred her to the hospital’s nascent obesity department. In 1955, she confessed her habit to Dr. Albert Stunkard, a specialist in the newly formed field of obesity studies. He told her to adopt a calorie-restricted diet, as he told most of his patients, but found himself unable to forget her strange story. Soon, more women seeking weight loss treatment showed up in his office, tearful and telling secrets eerily similar to that teenager’s.

They nearly starved themselves all day long, but once the moon rose, they followed the electric hum and fluorescent glow of refrigerators and microwaves and found themselves in their kitchens in the moonlight. With no one watching, they couldn’t stop eating. The doctor was startled by the patients shifting in their seats as they spoke softly, words spilling into each other once the listing began. He scribbled notes, nodding. Name brands and numbers, cuts of meat and quarts of sauces, cereal brands. In the light of day, these women didn’t just diet; they often restricted their intake to levels Stunkard called “morning anorexia.” These women were also fat at a time when obesity was still a small medical field and a semi-rare phenomenon, with only 9 percent of the U.S. population officially deemed overweight. During those brightly lit hours of hunger, many of his patients thought about food constantly, distracted by dreams of what they might eat, even as they promised themselves they wouldn’t.

Night fell, they couldn’t rest, and hours later, full and finally falling asleep, they promised themselves, the universe, and any god that might be listening that they would turn over a new leaf the next day. They saw their binges as crimes not only against their diets, but also against morality, understanding themselves as sinners. One compared their behavior to a murderer’s. Ashamed and afraid of weight gain, the next morning they wouldn’t eat, planning to go to bed hungry in the hopes of reversing what they’d done the prior night. By nightfall, their growling stomachs sowed fantasies of food, and they found themselves back in the kitchen.

Stunkard called this problem night eating syndrome in a 1955 paper. He laid out the symptoms: “morning anorexia, evening hyperphagia [pathological overconsumption of food], and insomnia.” His patients had come in seeking weight loss, so he referred them to diet clinics, where they were taught calorie restriction, the prevailing approach (then and now) to the treatment of obesity, which (then and now) usually resulted in little to no long-term weight loss. Instead, patients attempting to follow restrictive diets often started bingeing more frequently, or experienced initial success followed by a return to intensified bingeing. Both groups developed what Stunkard termed “the dieting depression”: “emotional disturbances during efforts at weight reduction,” usually also accompanied by post-diet weight gain.

Soon, Stunkard hypothesized a “relation between the eating pattern and life stress” — perhaps this “night-eating syndrome” was a stress response to patients’ “failures” in weight loss treatment, or to the fact that if successful, such “weight loss was accompanied by disabling emotional illness.” A body rejecting a diet, not indicating its need for one. Stunkard also observed binges occurring during the day that provoked shame and secrecy, just like night eating. His patients experienced “awesome distress” and “bitter self-condemnation” post-binge, committing themselves in its wake to “quixotically austere diets, usually of very short duration,” followed by another binge. Neither binge eaters nor night eaters responded to weight loss treatment, leaving him “convinced that weight-reduction programs were not nearly as effective as was generally believed” and that they “might not be harmless,” but instead emotionally destructive and physically dangerous.

It wasn’t just binge eaters and night eaters who didn’t respond to weight loss plans based on calorie restriction. A vast majority of Stunkard’s overweight and obese patients didn’t lose weight on diets. Those who did often regained the lost pounds (and more) following treatment. Stunkard was one of the first scientists to notice and admit that dieting didn’t work and often triggered depression. Without using eating disorder terminology, he effectively acknowledged that dieting could cause eating disorders, noting extreme emotional problems, gastrointestinal issues, and dangerous eating habits in the wake of diets.

In a 1959 paper, he used thirty years of data to show that 95 percent of restriction-based diets failed to cause long-term weight loss in obese patients. Today, studies have repeatedly found that around 80 percent of dieters do not maintain their weight loss for even a year, and up to two-thirds regain more weight than they originally lost. The chances of long-term weight loss are lower for larger people—a 2015 study reported that the likelihood of “attaining normal body weight was 1 in 210 for men and 1 in 124 for women” deemed obese, or less than a single percent chance. Stunkard emphasized that periods of calorie restriction were often followed by, and perhaps even induced, compulsive binges.

Earlier that same decade, a famous 1950 experiment had demonstrated the direct correlation between periods of starvation and periods of extreme overeating. As World War II drew to a close, Western governments were faced with a civilian population that had endured semi-starvation due to wartime conditions, so they wanted to know what semi-starvation’s psychological effects might be.

Ancel Keys directed what would become known as the Minnesota Starvation Experiment to answer this question by subjecting 36 conscientious objectors to a semi-starvation diet of half their normal intake. The starving subjects “ruminated obsessively about meals and foods” and “reported relentless hunger.” They experienced cognitive declines, gastrointestinal issues, and depression — symptoms doctors have pointed out are also associated with eating disorders. Some subjects even developed body dysmorphia, reporting anxiety about regaining weight during the experiment’s refeeding phase, despite reporting no negative feelings around their body size before the experiment.

During refeeding, when the men were allowed an “unrestricted” diet, they didn’t readopt their prior relationship to food, instead “succumb[ing] to eating binges” that caused “feelings of self-reproach” admitted in “hysterical, half-crazed confessions” and even followed by vomiting in some cases. The extreme hunger developed during semi-starvation lasted much longer than researchers had expected; it did not abate even after large meals. One subject was hospitalized after a severe binge. Subjects were still bingeing regularly and reporting extreme hunger five months after the starvation phase ended. Some admitted to scrounging in garbage cans for food.

The midcentury medical establishment did not see a connection between the semi-starvation in the experiment and the self-induced semi-starvation afflicting, say, a dieting woman, or the doctor-prescribed semi-starvation occurring in weight loss clinics. Perhaps it seems specious to compare an experiment explicitly focused on starvation to the experience of the average dieter or person in weight loss treatment, but in reality the conditions of Keys’s experiment were alarmingly similar to the diet regimens patients were inducted into by weight loss doctors back then, and are extraordinarily, alarmingly similar to diet plans prescribed to fat people today and those suggested in mainstream publications for people of any size. Keys’s subjects ate approximately 1,600 to 1,800 calories a day during the “starvation” phase, which is actually hundreds of calories higher than the daily total weight loss clinics commonly prescribed.

Those numbers are also hundreds of calories higher than the daily intake often suggested by popular programs like Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, and MyFitnessPal today — for both people deemed overweight and those considered “normal.” A popular spa in California offers multiple daily calorie plan options, the largest of which reportedly clocks in at around Keys’s rations. As Naomi Wolf noted in The Beauty Myth , prisoners at the concentration camp Treblinka were given the same total daily calories prescribed at top American weight loss clinics when she was writing, which was also a higher total than the daily allotment during multiple stages of the ProLon Cleanse, a diet system sold by Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop. A 2020 study concluded that disordered eaters and chronic dieters (a Venn diagram I’d argue looks more like a circle) experience “psychological deprivation akin to those who starve.”

Yet binge-eating disorder (BED) is still too often considered a willpower issue associated with fat people, who are often directed to programs like Weight Watchers by doctors. One woman recalled visiting her physician multiple times seeking treatment for BED. Instead of a referral to a mental health provider, she was made to feel “like I was lazy, that I had no willpower, that I just needed to lose weight.” Telling this story to Refinery29, she said, “I left doctors’ offices in tears, with discounted Weight Watchers memberships.”

Despite the vast evidence base proving that diets don’t work, often cause eating disorders, and especially exacerbate binge eating, many doctors still disbelieve the psychological and physical underpinnings of bingeing. By and large, fat people with BED are still prescribed weight loss before they are prescribed eating disorder treatment. As the fat activist Deb Burgard has said, “We prescribe for fat people what we diagnose as eating disordered in thin people.” And what we prescribe is perversely likely to make them larger— as we’ve seen, dieting is correlated with long-term weight gain — and endanger their lives in ways then blamed on their size. All of this entraps larger people in a never-ending cycle of shame, blame, and pain in service of flawed diagnostic regimes and a profitable, fatphobic beauty standard.

Dead Weight is available in bookstores now. Excerpt courtesy of Clein/Penguin Random House

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With Dead Weight , Emmeline Clein Cracks Open the Myths of a ‘Culture of Disordered Eating’

The essay collection grants empathy to those with eating disorders—and skewers the systems that perpetuate their illness.

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In 2019, author Emmeline Clein began a daunting project: Synthesize decades worth of memoirs and magazine articles, academic studies and statistics, TV shows and movies, Tumblr blogs and Reddit forums, novels and medical texts—all to point the beam of scrutiny not on individuals living with eating disorders (ED), but on the systems that mobilize and monetize their suffering. Doing so, Clein understood, would require writing essays that did not condemn the voices of the women it referenced. As such, her own voice would join them.

The result is a dense, complex collection, outright scathing in its assessment of systemic failures; generous in its compassion for those experiencing ED; familiar in its textual and pop-cultural references; and earnest in its pursuit of a healthier society. (Not a more optimized society, Clein urges. Not a more economic society. Not a thinner society. A healthier one.) Dead Weight is not without its flaws, but Clein seems all too aware of them, and views the book itself as an invitation to study her choir a bit closer: “If somebody wants to feel like I was doing too much, then I hope that makes them want to read the book that comes after this one by the girl who figures it out even more than I do,” she says.

Ahead, Clein takes ELLE.com deeper into the urgency and ethos behind Dead Weight .

Dead Weight: Essays on Hunger and Harm by Emmeline Clein

Tell me a bit about the impetus for this book. i’d love to know not only when you decided you wanted to write a book about eating disorders, but specifically a book in this form..

I really found recovery from my own eating disorder only through a vast amount of self-education on the weight-loss industry, the history of eating disorder treatment, as well as the history of disordered eating as a feminized disease class that has existed for much longer than we generally imagine it has. I found that pretty much all of that type of education—that I found both cathartic and liberating in my own odd journey toward recovery—hadn’t been present in any of my own treatment experiences, nor had I been able to find it on a bookshelf in one place.

I’d had to find it through an array of reading medical studies; reading books that were about beauty standards but not really eating disorders—about female hysteria, et cetera; realizing that I had been a pawn to an incredibly profitable racist and misogynistic and longstanding weight-loss industry that itself is motored by a beauty standard that is only really possible via a lot of self-harm for the vast majority of people. [That research] helped me realize I didn’t want to keep upholding that beauty standard in the way I live my own life.

These are diseases that [approximately] one in 10 Americans will be diagnosed with in their lives, and that’s a massive under count because the diagnostic demands mean that most people don’t actually get diagnosed that suffer from eating disorders. So this is affecting so many people, and it’s also killing so many. More than 10,000 people die of eating disorders a year in this country, and any other type of mental illness with those types of statistics—opioid addiction, alcoholism, depression—is treated this way in a nonfiction book contextualization, which recognizes these diseases as both clinical diseases and central microcosms of our political and economic system. I really felt that eating disorders deserved that type of treatment, rather than the kind of literary treatment that individualizes the disease in the way most eating disorder books do.

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Your own experiences and recovery give the book not only credibility, but a real sense of urgency and intimacy. Yet Dead Weight is not a memoir. Why was it so important to you to not write a memoir?

Honestly, eating disorders for so long have been pretty much exclusively addressed through memoirs within literature. There are so many eating disorder memoirs that have been so formative to me, both as a writer and as a person in eating disorder recovery. But I also think that exclusively addressing the issue from that perspective really plays into this individualization of it, and this artificial narrative that people have to recover alone and along a linear path.

But I also think that, in addition to the education I did for myself in my recovery, speaking to other people who had struggled with the same issues was truly the most cathartic and healing part of my process. Some of those were strangers online. Some of those were characters in the memoirs that I was reading. Some of them were fictional characters I saw on TV and in fiction books. I also found a much more diverse array of stories , both of sickness and of recovery—in terms of who was suffering from these diseases and in what size, shape, and color of body, as well as gender—both online and in my real life. I wanted to hand the mic to this ghost choir, or create a collage that allowed a lot of the stories that have historically been silenced by the prevalence of the memoir genre that centers one specific stereotypical eating disorder patient to finally be heard. I also wanted it to combine a cultural criticism angle with a medical history and a sociopolitical history angle.

As a young girl growing up in this country, you really are receiving messages that prize thinness from all sides, from the way that thinness is prized in your general practitioner’s office, to the way you see it prized in the television shows you watch, to the way you see it talked about by celebrities that you idolize. And I wanted to both show that those lessons are ones we need to unlearn to save each other, but also not demonize any of the fictional characters or real-life celebrities who themselves were pawns to this system and had just received those messages themselves. I was trying to walk this fine line between demonizing and glamorizing, because I think sometimes the impulse to demonize something like a pro-eating disorder forum obscures the larger issue, which is where the girls on that forum learn the lessons they are simply repeating.

This topic is a difficult one to tackle for an obvious number of reasons, not the least of which is that it’s inherently triggering. You’ve written before about your concerns that the book might be read as triggering or instructional. I wonder how you actually went about trying to avoid those reactions.

I have spent so much time thinking about and agonizing over just this question. Ultimately, it was very important to me for the book to not be instructional in the way that so many eating disorder memoirs end up being, despite their author’s best intentions. I know I’ve misread many a cautionary tale as a manual, and I know that that was not the intention of the author. I say that not to demonize the authors because, again, a big part of this project is ... I think so much of the literature around eating disorders pits women who are victims in different ways against each other, rather than allowing us to commune about the way we’ve been indoctrinated in the same cult of self-harm. By pitting us against each other, it obscures the actual system that is benefiting.

Still, I didn’t want [the book] to be capable of being read that way. But I also knew it’s almost impossible, because people with eating disorders are incredibly smart and they’re reading between the lines. They’re going to read things how they want to and from the vantage point of where their illness is at that point. So one thing that was very important to me was to redact as much numerical information as I could. Unless it was incredibly specifically necessary to a scientific point I was making, I don’t have calorie numbers or weight numbers, even though those are constantly used in diagnostic regimes and in treatment often. That’s because this isn’t a story about calories or weight loss; it’s a story about lies and love and community and care and capital and hunger.

By pitting us against each other, it obscures the actual system that is benefiting.”

In treatment centers, often, the speech of eating disorder patients is heavily policed and censored. You’re not allowed to talk about things that led you into your eating disorder out of a fear of triggering each other and worsening each other’s illnesses. Yes, that type of conversation can sometimes be triggering, but it can also spark a moment of catharsis and community that you never saw coming, and that allows you to realize you—and someone very unlike you—can help each other no longer engage in a coping mechanism that’s also a form of self-harm that you didn’t even realize you were doing in the same way as someone else.

All of which is to say, I think young girls in pain are far smarter and stronger than we give them credit for. I think that part of the fear of triggering each other is an effort to censor us and to blind us to the ways in which we are being used as pawns and can drag each other out of this quicksand rather than mire each other deep in it. I trust that the readers who the book can help are strong enough to handle it. I understand if they don’t feel ready right now, and if somebody wants to read it later. A girl who reads the jacket copy will be able to tell whether the book is right for her at this point in her journey or if it’s going to be later.

Who did you write this book for? Was there an intended group in mind as you were putting this together?

There were a few audiences in mind, but the primary one that’s most important to me is: anyone who has ever blamed themselves for the ways in which they’ve engaged in self-harm in order to manage existence in a society that wants them to [self-harm], in order to bring themselves closer into alignment with a beauty standard that that person does not believe in politically. It is so easy to understand yourself as someone who wasn’t “strong enough” to resist these forces, or someone who artificially overvalued fitness and, therefore, is “crazy” in a certain way.

I just want to say to that community of people: You aren’t crazy. You read between the lines of a message society was sending you and developed a coping mechanism that is also a disease, enthralled to a beauty standard that you’ve been being bombarded with from all sides.

I want us to unlearn the myth that props up a culture of disordered eating, which is that if we want to satisfy our hunger for affection and attention, we have to repress this hunger for nourishment. Maybe we can find a feminism of care and acceptance of our appetites that is a form of solidarity to replace the sorrow and sickness we’ve all been sharing.

I want us to unlearn the myth that props up a culture of disordered eating, which is that if we want to satisfy our hunger for affection and attention, we have to repress this hunger for nourishment.”

That’s the core audience. But I also deeply want it to reach—and I don’t know if it will—a literary and scholarly establishment that does not believe eating disorders are as effective a microcosm through which to understand our economic systems in this country, our healthcare industry at large, and a lot of our social issues. I think it is in, fact, a better microcosm than many of the diseases we often use as a metaphor for those issues. But we haven’t been willing to look at eating disorders that way because they historically have primarily afflicted women.

In other interviews, you’ve discussed how part of your instinct for writing this book was to combat the nihilism inherent in how, culturally, we talk about women and ED and disordered eating: “Well, that’s just how it is, lol. Aren’t we all a little messed-up?” You’ve said you wanted a kinder, maybe even more optimistic approach. Do you feel as if the book ultimately accomplishes that?

I hope so, but it’s a delicate operation, and it is extremely dark out there, especially with the rise of Ozempic and the re-entrenchment that we’re seeing right now of a beauty standard that we were at least beginning to, maybe, try to deconstruct a few years ago . When I talk to women about this book, they’re often nodding and chuckling and being like, “Well, of course, what woman hasn’t had an eating disorder?” I think that’s an important question. I think the only way to survive finding out the answer to that question is balancing an approach that allows for gallows humor, when the time calls for it, while also forcing ourselves to engage in a much more earnest and even “cringe” investigation of these hungers and our pain.

I think that it’s impossible in our era of the internet—with such a demand on self-surveillance and such a cruel attitude from anons—often not to have this impulse toward making self-awareness our prized virtue and being like, “Well, previous feminists tried getting out in the streets and they tried doing body positivity. Look where it got us, so let’s just give up and get our bag by fitting the beauty standard.” That ethos of, “We’ll play by your rules, but we’ll let you know we think they’re fucked up.”

I wanted to be deeply compassionate to that perspective, because I completely understand why you would have it, and I don’t want to demonize anyone who’s been taught to have it. But I also want to reach those people in a kinder voice and a softer voice and basically say, “We can do the sarcasm when it’s called for and when we need a laugh, but also, I don’t think that approach is going to save you in the way you think it is.” I think that once you achieve that beauty standard and are making the jokes about it while embodying it ... I’ve been there, and I haven’t felt as free as I thought I would.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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Essay on Eating Disorder

Essay generator.

Eating disorders represent a complex intersection of psychological, physical, and social issues. They are not just about food but are serious mental health conditions. This essay aims to delve into the various aspects of eating disorders, exploring their types, causes, effects, and treatments, providing a comprehensive understanding for students and individuals keen on understanding this intricate topic.

Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are serious mental health conditions characterized by an unhealthy preoccupation with eating, exercise, and body weight or shape. They can have devastating physical and psychological consequences. The most common eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder.

Anorexia Nervosa: Anorexia is characterized by an intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted body image, leading individuals to restrict their food intake drastically. This can result in severe malnutrition, physical health issues, and even life-threatening conditions.
Bulimia Nervosa: Bulimia involves recurrent episodes of binge eating, followed by behaviors aimed at compensating for the excessive calorie intake, such as purging through vomiting, excessive exercise, or laxative use. This cycle of overeating and purging can have serious health consequences.
Binge-Eating Disorder: Binge-eating disorder is marked by recurrent episodes of consuming large quantities of food in a short period, often without control. Unlike bulimia, individuals with this disorder do not engage in purging behaviors, which can lead to obesity and related health issues.
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID): ARFID is characterized by highly selective eating patterns, avoiding certain foods or food groups based on sensory issues, aversions, or limited interest in food. This disorder can result in nutritional deficiencies and impaired growth in children.
Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorders (OSFED): OSFED, previously known as EDNOS (Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified), includes a range of eating disorders that do not fit the strict criteria for anorexia, bulimia, or binge-eating disorder. It encompasses various disordered eating patterns.
Night Eating Syndrome: Individuals with night eating syndrome consume a significant portion of their daily caloric intake during the nighttime. They may wake up to eat, often experiencing insomnia and emotional distress.
Muscle Dysmorphia (Bigorexia): Muscle dysmorphia primarily affects men and is characterized by an obsessive desire to gain muscle mass and an intense fear of being inadequately muscular. It can lead to excessive exercise and supplement use.

Causes of Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are caused by a complex interplay of genetic, biological, behavioral, psychological, and social factors.

Genetic Factors : Family and twin studies suggest a genetic predisposition to eating disorders.
Psychological Factors : Low self-esteem, perfectionism, and impulsive behavior are commonly associated with eating disorders.
Social Factors : Cultural pressures that glorify thinness and body shaming can trigger eating disorders.

Effects of Eating Disorders

The effects of eating disorders can be severe and far-reaching.

Malnutrition: Eating disorders often lead to severe malnutrition, resulting in vitamin and mineral deficiencies, weakened immune system, and fragile bones.
Gastrointestinal Issues: Individuals with eating disorders may experience digestive problems such as constipation, bloating, and acid reflux.
Cardiovascular Problems: Heart complications, such as irregular heart rhythms, low blood pressure, and increased risk of heart attack, can occur.
Dental Issues: Frequent vomiting associated with some eating disorders can lead to dental problems, including tooth decay and erosion.
Hair and Skin Problems: Hair loss, brittle nails, and dry, discolored skin are common physical effects.
Anxiety and Depression: Eating disorders are often co-occurring with anxiety and depression, exacerbating these mental health conditions.
Obsessive Thoughts: Individuals with eating disorders may become obsessed with food, body size, and weight, leading to distressing and intrusive thoughts.
Low Self-esteem: Persistent body dissatisfaction and distorted body image contribute to low self-esteem and poor self-worth.
Social Isolation: Eating disorders can lead to social withdrawal, isolation, and strained relationships with friends and family.
Emotional Instability: Mood swings, irritability, and emotional instability are common effects of eating disorders.
Secrecy and Deception: Many individuals with eating disorders engage in secretive behaviors related to eating, hiding their disordered eating habits.
Ritualistic Eating: Rigid food rituals and routines, such as eating specific foods in specific orders, are common among those with eating disorders.
Excessive Exercise: Over-exercising is often seen in individuals with certain eating disorders, leading to physical strain and potential injuries.
Food Hoarding or Bingeing: Some may hoard food or engage in secretive binge-eating episodes, followed by guilt and shame.
Electrolyte Imbalance: Frequent purging behaviors (vomiting, laxative use) can disrupt electrolyte balance, leading to potentially life-threatening conditions like cardiac arrhythmias.
Osteoporosis: Malnutrition can result in bone density loss, increasing the risk of fractures and osteoporosis.
Lanugo Hair: Fine, downy hair growth on the body, known as lanugo, may develop in response to malnutrition.
Organ Damage: Long-term consequences of eating disorders can include damage to vital organs, such as the liver and kidneys.
Menstrual Irregularities: In females, eating disorders can lead to amenorrhea (absence of menstruation) or irregular menstrual cycles.
Fertility Problems: Reduced fertility and complications during pregnancy may occur due to hormonal imbalances and nutritional deficiencies.

Treatment of Eating Disorders

Treating eating disorders generally involves a multidisciplinary approach, including medical care, nutritional counseling, and therapy.

Medical Treatment : Focuses on addressing any immediate health risks.
Nutritional Counseling : Helps in developing a healthy relationship with food.
Psychotherapy : Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is particularly effective in treating eating disorders.

Coping Strategies and Support

Support Groups : Sharing experiences with others facing similar challenges can be comforting.
Healthy Lifestyle Choices : Engaging in regular physical activity and eating a balanced diet can improve mood and health.
Professional Help : Seeking timely professional help is crucial for recovery.

In conclusion, Eating disorders are complex conditions that require a comprehensive understanding of their causes, effects, and treatment options. Awareness and education are key in preventing these disorders and encouraging those affected to seek help. As a community, it is vital to foster an environment where body positivity is embraced, and mental health is taken seriously.

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The Reality of an Eating Disorder

A medical student's award-winning piece on her battles with an eating disorder.

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Ms Cursor’s essay was honored as part of the 2023 Gerald F. Berlin Creative Writing Contest for its thoughtfulness. Psychiatric Times ’ resident poet of 26 years, Richard M. Berlin, MD, established the Gerald F. Berlin Creative Writing Award at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School in 2005 to honor the poetry, fiction, and reflective essays of medical students, physicians in training, graduate students, and nursing students from the medical school. Psychiatric Times is delighted to share her work and insights and hopes it serves as reminder of the importance of self-care for medical professionals, including students, as well as a better understanding of the struggles experienced by those with eating disorders.

I stare at the ceiling, having lost track of time. I roll over in the hospital gurney, entangled within a pair of cheap scrubs that are much too big for me. I’m trying hard to sleep but it’s impossible. I’m also hungry; I only had Jello and saltines for dinner because the vegetarian options are sparse here, at least according to the ER nurse whose empathy I am finding increasingly attractive. Inside my room is the gurney, a TV built into the wall, a blanket, and my snack wrappers neatly consolidated on the floor inside a Styrofoam cup. There is no light and nothing on the walls except the TV. The remote is even a keypad built into the wall outside of my room. I want to change the channel, but I am too scared to venture outside, into the common area clustered with other psych patients, all of us waiting for a bed to open in the hospital. I don’t want to be here, but I am not well enough for any alternative.

Sometime within the past twenty-four hours I was admitted to the hospital from McCallum Place Eating Disorder Center. I had been in eating disorder treatment for around a month, and, unable to use my eating disorder to cope for such an extended period of time, my suicidal thoughts grew too loud for me to handle on my own.

I have lived with anorexia nervosa for the past thirteen years. You might look at me and wonder how that’s possible.

I am not emaciated; I do not look sick. This is not to say that there weren’t periods of time when I did appear unwell; however my lowest weight did not correlate with my lowest point mentally. Anorexia—in fact, all eating disorders—are deadly, regardless of weight. The body and mind shrivel while the soul deflates as your sole focus in life becomes food. Eating disorders have the second highest mortality rate of any mental illness. One of the leading causes of death of people with anorexia nervosa is suicide.

While I do not look sick, I still battle daily urges to restrict my food, to run “x” number of miles to allow myself to eat “x” amount, to relish in the feeling of size zero pants slipping from my hips, to retreat back to behaviors like these that brought me so much comfort when inside I feel chaos. My eating disorder is deeply engrained, as are the years of depression, anxiety, and obsessive thoughts it has buried.

A year and a half ago, I started my first year of medical school. If you had asked me then to predict how the year were to unfold, I would not have forecasted any of it. I had taken three GAP years prior to medical school, in part to focus on recovering from my eating disorder. I wasn’t supposed to still be struggling with this, let alone need a leave of absence from medical school to admit myself to eating disorder treatment, nor end up in the hospital as a patient myself.

The first few weeks of medical school were the first time in my life I experienced panic attacks. At first I didn’t know what they were, and I judged myself for having them. How could everyone around me be so calm? Why was I so anxious that I was on the verge of passing out? Well, I wasn’t eating enough. My eating disorder hung on as a coping mechanism to manage all the change that was happening as I transitioned to medical school. It was a way to make me feel safe when I otherwise felt like an imposter. I felt insignificant among my classmates and colleagues, and controlling my body size somehow made me feel better. Restriction provided me with the bursts of serotonin I needed when I was otherwise lonely, overwhelmed, or feeling inadequate. But when you are starving, you become hypoglycemic, diaphoretic, light-headed, anxious.

Two months into medical school, my cousin died suddenly. My family still does not disclose the details, but I do know that his death was from some form of self-harm. I didn’t see my cousin very often, but when our paths did cross, I understood he was struggling. And I struggled, too. My cousin’s death overwhelmed me. I felt as though I could have prevented it somehow, and it precipitated a deep emptiness inside of me. I reached out to one of my mentors in medical school. Her response was to make sure that I was safe with myself. Safe with myself? It had never occurred to me that I could be unsafe with myself. Until that moment.

This became a very sticky thought, and throughout my first year of medical school, it grew more persistent. As its persistence grew, so did its ability to influence my emotions. For the first time, I experienced bouts of depression. And they were scary. I was grieving the loss of my cousin, while also juggling a significant injury to my femur that forced me to drop out of a marathon three days before the race, and still battling my eating disorder. Furthermore, I didn’t just have depression; these thoughts about harming myself were obsessive in nature, and I felt anxiety about having them, further perpetuating their power.

Fast forward to April 2022. My dietitian and therapist suspect that my anxiety is the result of not eating enough, so I try to eat more to alleviate it. But when I stop using my eating disorder to cope, the thoughts that remain are quite grim. I am sitting in my room, fighting back tears as I confess to my therapist over Zoom the thoughts I’ve been having. When I take my antidepressants, I think about taking the whole bottle. When I’m driving, I’m afraid I might drive my car off the road. Questioning my purpose in this world overwhelms me with sadness and confusion. My therapist reassures me: it’s okay, I can get help for this. I can? It doesn’t have to be this way? Later that day, I make the call to McCallum Place Eating Disorder Center and schedule an intake assessment. They can and will help me with my eating disorder, depression, OCD, and anxiety.

At the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical school, there is ongoing construction of a new research building. Excitement has been circulating about this project; as a student, I receive updates at least monthly on the building’s progress. I was even invited to sign the ultimate beam that was placed as part of the scaffolding. I chose not to sign it, as this project serves as a reminder to me of my good friend’s suicide involving a school construction site in college. He was just one of so many people whose life could have been saved if he knew it was okay to get help when he needed it. Each day, as I walk past the building, I make a promise to my friend to see its completion, and make sure that others do, too. Depression and suicide are common among medical providers, even more so in the last decade. It was important that I sought out treatment when I did, even if it meant taking a medical leave with only a month left in my first year of medical school. I am so grateful that my therapist recognized the signs that I needed more support and helped me take the steps to pause my school obligations and put my life first. Treatment helped me immensely to develop coping skills outside of my eating disorder to manage my depression, anxiety, and OCD. It also helped me pharmacologically to experiment with medications in a safe setting to begin to find what works best for me. I met so many people of all different backgrounds who struggled in similar ways that I did, and this helped me feel so much less alone.

I hope that by sharing my story, I can help others recognize when they themselves or their loved ones are struggling. And that no matter who you are, it is more than okay to ask for help. Getting help for mental health should be no different than seeing a doctor for a physical ailment. Let’s keep having these conversations, destigmatize mental illness, and start saving lives.

Ms Cursor is a pseudonym for the author, who chose to use such to prevent future prejudice. She is a medical student, anticipating graduation with the class of 2026.

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Eating Disorders Essay Examples

Unrealistic influences: social media and body image.

Too fat, too skinny, too short, too tall. Am I pretty enough? Why did my friend get more likes on her picture than mine? Nothing is ever good enough. In this generation, media has become a huge influence in our youth and the way we...

Tell Me About Yourself Essay: My Eating Disorder

I never realised how much an eating disorder could control your life, until I had one. I want you to envision a time where you really, truly felt ashamed of who you were. A moment where the people surrounding you didn't get it, and more...

An Overview of Bulimia, Its Symptoms, Causes, Effects, and Treatment Options

Mental disorders consist of a range of ailments that usually have different symptoms. Mental disorders are generally characterized by an expression of abnormal behavior, thoughts, relationship, and emotions with others. There are several mental disorders attributed to general medical conditions, such as catatonia, acquired agraphia,...

Overview of the Causes of Bulimia

There are diverse foundations for bulimia. Ordinarily, when an individual gets a dietary issue a couple of causes are capable in the meantime. It is never only one reason. How about we take a gander at the most widely recognized reasons for bulimia. In opposition...

Eating Disorder: Types, Symptoms and Causes

An eating disorder is a serious and fatal illness that will affect in thoughts and eating behavior. It involves ether eating too little that the person will be thin or eating too much in the same time which will lead to weight gain. Eating disorder...

Eating Disorders in Athletes

Athletes are not immune to mental illness. They suffer from a variety of psychiatric conditions. Ranging from depression and anxiety to eating disorders. Disordered eating in athletes is quite common, especially in female athletes. Many female athletes feel pressured into fitting into the stereotypical appearance...

Eating Disorders and Sweets: Getting Through Halloween

For those with an eating disorder, Halloween is a challenging time. Eating disorders and sweets do not typically go together easily, so all that holiday candy can increase stress and hamper recovery. However, it is possible to enjoy Halloween while in recovery from an eating...

Eating Disorders: Your School Isn’t Safe

On a common Monday of December, with 31 years, Kate Chilver lost the fight against anorexia. The British girl died after suffering almost 20 years of the disease. Her case has been described by the doctors of the United Kingdom as the worst seen ever....

Malnutrition – One of the Urgent Problems Nowadays

Malnutrition is a common Health problem. It is the unhealthy condition that results from not eating enough food or not eating enough healthy food. Also, it is the general term for the medical condition caused by an improper insufficient diet. This is a serious condition...

The Public Health Issue of Malnutrition, and Its Solutions

Malnutrition is a significant public health issue facing the world today. It is seen in every country. Worldwide, nearly 2 billion people are overweight and nearly half a million are underweight (WHO, 2016). Generally defined as “deficiencies, excesses or imbalances in energy intake or nutrients”...

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About Eating Disorders

An eating disorder are behavioral conditions characterized by severe and persistent disturbance in eating behaviors and associated distressing thoughts and emotions.

Types of eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, avoidant restrictive food intake disorder, other specified feeding and eating disorder, pica and rumination disorder.

Genetics, psychological issues, personality traits, celiac disease, environmental influences, food insecurity, trauma, heterosexism.

Serious health problems, depression and anxiety, suicidal thoughts or behavior, problems with growth and development, social and relationship problems, substance use disorders, work/education issues, death.

30 million people in the U.S. have an eating disorder and 95 percent of people with eating disorders are between the ages 12 and 25. Eating disorders have the HIGHEST risk of death of any mental illness, they affect all genders, all races, and every ethnic group. Genetics, environmental factors, and personality traits all contribute to the risk of developing an eating disorder.

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