Eating disorders are serious and sometimes fatal
ISLAMABAD: Eating disorders are serious and sometimes fatal. It is categorised as an illness that causes severe disturbances to a person’s eating behaviour. The two most common types of eating disorders are anorexia and bulimia nervosa. Eating disorder is not a fad, a passing phase or a lifestyle choice. They are real complex conditions, which if left untreated can have serious consequences for physical and mental health, productivity and relationships. Potentially, they may also be life threatening.
Anorexia nervosa refers to an unhealthy obsession to stay thin and the sufferers go to the extremes to lose and maintain dangerously low body weight. The person’s body image is so distorted that it resembles a skeleton-like body. There is a big difference between being anorexic and going on a diet. A healthy person goes on a diet in an attempt to control weight; an anorexic does so in an attempt to control their life and emotions.
Another common disorder is bulimia nervosa. This is a condition in which, instead of starving, the individual stuffs himself with food and then forces it out via induced vomiting or the use of laxatives. However, unlike those suffering from anorexia, bulimics eat enough to maintain a healthy body weight and at times can be overweight.
Body dissatisfaction remains the best-known contributor to the development of eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Contrary to popular belief, eating disorders are not restricted to females only. An estimated 10-15% of people with eating disorders are male and they are less likely to seek treatment for it because of the perception that these are “women’s diseases”. The media has an important role play to divert people’s perspectives of being beautiful. Awareness must be given to everyone from the start.
Hadia Aziz
Published in The Express Tribune, March 8th, 2020.
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