Blog Post #5: Pro-ana and Pro-mia in Social Media

  

“I don’t want to be fat anymore… I just want to be skinny forever… I feel guilty whenever I eat… If I eat a lot I want to purge them… I don’t want to eat that it will just make me fat…” 

If you have a friend who is already suffering from anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, do you usually hear those phrases from her? What do you feel when she utter those words? Do you feel happy or sad? Do you pity or just support her? If you ever tried to tell her to stop because anorexia nervosa/bulimia is really bad for her health, what was her reaction? Girls who have anorexia nervosa always have the thinking that if they eat something, it will make them fat already, so they are scared to eat, they know to themselves that they should be skinny now and forever and being skinny is their basis for the perfect body. On the other side, girls with bulimia nervosa are also scared to put weights in their bodies so after they eat a lot of foods, it would just be normal for them to go to the toilet and purge the food they ate.

 

Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are well-known eating disorders especially to girls but boys can also develop these illness. Having anorexia and bulimia can be developed from some reasons. If a girl is being teased or bullied because she was fat or obese when she was young, she could start being body-conscious when she becomes a teen, she would realize that being fat is embarrassing and people will just always tease you. It can also be developed if a girl always sees or watches models, actresses, and celebrities in televisions, magazines, newspapers, and in social media. They will admire those models that have svelte bodies. Since they admire and idolize models, they also want to have a body like theirs. A body with no fats, very thin, and any clothes will fit and look good on them. In order to be thin, these girls start to eat less and search in the Internet some tips on ‘how to lose weight’ or ‘how to be skinny forever’. They would already have clicked all the sites that seem helpful for them and they would have started doing what they had read.

Aside from the psychological, biological, emotional, and social factors, there is also a contributing factor of eating disorders that affects many teenagers nowadays, and this factor is the social media. I read an article Eating disorders soar among teens- and social media is to blame by Emily Dugan from the site independent.co.uk, Dugan wrote, “The number of children and teenagers seeking help for an eating disorder has risen by 110 percent in the past three years, according to figures given exclusively to The Independent on Sunday. ChildLine says it received more than 10,500 calls and online inquiries from young people struggling with and weight-related anxiety in the last financial year. The charity believes this dramatic increase could be attributed to several factors, including the increased pressure caused by social media, the growth of celebrity culture, and the rise of anorexia websites.”

ChildLine is a charity which is concern about counseling children and teenagers who have eating disorders. People with eating disorders contact them to seek help from them. They said that many girls had talked about the concerns they had about their body image and how they dislike the way they looked. They also mentioned how they compared themselves negatively with their peers and celebrities. Eating problem become more significant once children and young people have reached secondary school age. During 2012-2013, 96 percent of counseling about eating disorders was with those between the ages of 12-18.

“Young people suffering from anorexia often emphasized how they felt they would be much happier and more accepted if they were slimmer. In other cases, young people under-ate because it was something they could be in control of when other things in their life were going wrong.” ChildLine reported.

The most common eating disorder of the children and teenagers are reported to be anorexia. Anorexics are never contented with their bodies. They want to be slimmer and thinner so that they would be much happier, and social media as the common source of photos of models and celebrities is the one to be blamed for the unending body dissatisfaction on children and teenagers. 

Teenagers are the most exposed to social media sites. They like looking at many photos of models and celebrities and comparing themselves is automatic. Another article which also blames social media for teenagers’ eating disorders is an article Socialmedia helps fuel some eating disorders by Marcela Rojas from the site usatoday.com, Rojas said, “Social media, where users exchange information and photos and communities from over common interests, has become a bastion for some struggling with eating disorders. Images of spindly legs, concave stomachs and jutting ribs emerge on various sites by searching hashtags like #thinspogram #thighgap or #bonespo.”

The girls who see those disturbing photos are often accompanied by even more shocking “thinspirational” messages such as “pretty girls don’t eat”, “skip dinner, be thinner”, and “you have to exercise for a week to work of the thigh fat from a single Snickers.” These messages and photos are advocated by people who are known to be “pro-ana” (pro-anorexia) and “pro-mia” (pro-bulimia). Pro-ana and pro-mia websites have existed since the inception of Internet. But social media sites- Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram and Pinterest have given the communities a global platform on which to share ideas and photographs. Users promote one another self-destructive behaviors through shared tips and tricks and promote the notion that an eating disorder is a lifestyle choice, not a serious mental illness. 

I read an article Socia Networking Sites Promoting Eating Disorders by a staff reporter from natureworldnews.com, the staff reporter wrote, “Experts say that social media forces teen girls into adopting unhealthy eating habits that often lead to eating disorders. A latest fad among teen girls is the thigh gap. The impossible weight loss goal is to become so thin that there is a gap between the thighs even when the feet are together. Apparently, the wider the gap is the sexier is the person.”

According to health experts, social media sites fuel such trends. A person needs to lose a large amount of weight to achieve the kind of thigh gap that is being promoted. The pictures of super-thin models with thigh gaps pressurize young girls into achieving an impossible body shape.  The staff reported also wrote that there is as study conducted by researchers at the University of Haifa reported in 2011 that teen girls who spent more time on social networking sites had higher risk of developing eating disorders, according to the Associated press. But, now social media sites discourage users from posting pictures of self-harm, but the images still get through. 

Teenagers who have anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa and those who want to be anorexics and bulimics are both exposed to social media sites. Most of the girls who have eating disorders have joined a group known as the “pro-ana” and “pro-mia” that is a short term for pro-anorexia and pro-bulimia. In an article Seeking ‘thinspiration’ by Jacqueline Head from the site news.bbc.co.uk, Jacqueline Head said, “ Pro-anorexia websites offering tips on extreme dieting are nothing new, but their growth on social networking sites is a disturbing new twist and brings them within reach of a wider audience.”

The author said that websites that are offering tips on extreme dieting are not new but there is an increase of growth in people who are seeking extreme diet tips to be thin because of the popularity of social networking sites. The pro-anorexia and pro-bulimia websites are advocates of these extreme dieting. Members of such groups are posting pictures of painfully skinny girls for “thinspiration”, comparing dangerously low goal weights and measurements, and are teamed-up to “keep each other strong” in their quest to lose weight. Previously, people on such internet groups remained anonymous, and the groups are sometimes hard to find. But, on social networking sites, users have real names and faces, and are more accessible than before. Such groups can be found in social networking sites, and the biggest group is found in MySpace named Pro Ana Nation which has more than 1,000 members, and another group is Pro Extreme Dieting, which states: “we are here to support each other in our choices, even if they are to recover, or try to put on, or lose weight.” Facebook includes groups such as “Getting thin or die trying”, “Yes, I have an eating disorder. No, it’s not your problem” and other more groups.

   

Jacqueline Head also stated in her article that a 21-year-old girl named Andrea Scheider from Columbia, Missouri, has struggled with anorexia since she was 16. She used to be a member of Pro-ana to seek justification for what she was doing.

“When you are actively in your eating disorder, you desperately want someone to understand, and a lot of times you find groups like the pro groups on Facebook that are supportive of you continuing your eating disorder.” Andrea says

Andrea wanted a support from other people who are just like her, and luckily she had found a group where she really belongs. She is in a middle of her eating disorder and doesn’t want to give up. The group said that recovery is hard and staying sick isn’t, so it’s easier to hide behind these sites claiming that she is making a lifestyle choice, rather than admitting that she is sick and trying to get better. Andrea said that they always want to be the thinnest and ‘thinnest is the winner’ is the quote they live by.

There is an article I read which also believes that pro-ana websites are seriously affecting a lot of teen girls. It is an article by Sara Song entitled Health: Starvation onthe Web from the site content.time.com, Song wrote, “Click on “disclaimer” on the website ceruleanbutterfly.com and instead of the standard fine-print legalese, you get a rant. “If you don’t have an eating disorder, it says at one point, “I wonder what the bloody hell you’re doing here. If you’ve come to yell at us, please realize that it’s pointless- we’re going to ignore your point of view just as you ignore ours.”

The creator of Cerulean Butterfly- a site which deals frankly and approves with anorexia and other eating disorder, is an intelligent San Francisco college student who asked to be called Lizzy has been anorexic since 2002 and is candid about her belief that eating disorder is less a disease than a lifestyle choice- a “decision to pursue perfection”. Lizzy says that the mission of her website is to provide support for people who already have eating disorders, not to encourage or promote self-destructive behavior. She said that the term pro-ana is widely misunderstood and misused. For many girls who are struggling with low self-esteem and a negative self-image, the pro-ana sites can be seductive.

“The anorexic voice inside my head seems to be winning.” Lizzy says.

Although Lizzy knows that many people especially doctors and health care professionals are bashing the pro-ana and pro-mia websites, she still wants to believe in her belief that eating disorder is not a disease or mental illness but a lifestyle choice. Not only Lizzy the creator of a pro-ana website believes in it, but also the people who are advocate of these groups and of course the members and victims of anorexia or bulimia. For Lizzy, anorexics voices and feelings are more important. She cares and supports for them and she wholly understands the dangerous lives they are currently living in.

Social media is a powerful factor which contributes to eating disorders because many people especially teenagers are now addict in social networking sites. They are happier when they chat with their friends, post statuses, upload photos, like, comment, share, tweet, pin, and etc. Social media or social networking sites is one of the source of happiness of teenagers and they are using it 24/7. In social media, they usually see a lot of pictures being uploaded and shared. Girls are automatically feeling bit envy toward girls they see that are more attractive than them and they couldn’t blame themselves for having such a feeling. Since they envy others’ looks especially their bodies, it can sometimes lead a girl to develop an eating disorder. Eating disorders are becoming more popular because of the help of pro-ana and pro-mia sites. Girls who have anorexia or bulimia are attracted to join in pro-ana and pro-mia groups since they feel belong and they are being understood by these groups. These groups are not just attracting girls who already have eating disorders but also girls who want to be thin and skinny. In spite of the very risky like they are in, pro-ana and pro-mias are aware of the people who contradict and continually argue with their belief. They know they are wrong but for them, being a pro-ana or pro-mia will not make them weak of their eating disorder but instead it will make them stronger. 

Blog Post #4: Causes of Eating disorders

What are the causes of eating disorders is the question that most of the people think after getting an idea about this health problem. It is not only the doctors, therapists, and health care professionals have the knowledge on eating disorders. There are other people who are also curious about it, such as the parents of a teenager who is suffering from an eating disorder or a concerned friend to his/her other friend who is at risk of it. Those people want to know more about eating disorders so that they can help them, deeply understand them, and to effectively cure this kind of illness. The first questions these people have in their minds are, “what are the causes of eating disorders?”, “what are the reasons behind this particular problem?”, and “why does he/she has eating disorders?” The true reasons, root causes, and factors that contribute to eating disorders are the first thing people want to know before they proceed to the treatment of this serious health problem.

Eating disorders are complex conditions that arise from a combination of long-standing behavioral, biological, emotional, psychological, interpersonal, and social factors. Scientists and researchers are still trying to learn more about the underlying causes of these emotionally and physically damaging conditions. However, the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) knows some of the general issues that can contribute to the development of eating disorders. In their article Factors that May Contribute to Eating Disorders from their site nationaleatingdisorders.org, they said “While eating disorders may first appear to be solely about food and weight preoccupations, those suffering from them often try to use food and the control of food to cope with feelings and emotions that may otherwise seem overwhelming. For some, dieting, bingeing, and purging may begin as a way to cope with painful emotions and to feel in control of one’s life.”

NEDA said that eating disorders are not just about food and weights, but those who suffer from these disorders often try to use food and control of food as a solution to their emotional problems. The factors that can contribute to eating disorders are categorized in psychological, interpersonal, social, and biological. The psychological factors are: low self-esteem, feeling of inadequacy or lack of control in life, depression, anxiety, anger, stress, or loneliness. Interpersonal factors have something to do with troubled personal relationship, difficulty in expressing emotions and feelings, have history of being teased or ridiculed based on size or weight, or history of physical or sexual abuse. The social factors included the cultural pressures that glorify “thinness” or muscularity and place value on obtaining “perfect body”, and the cultural norms that value people on the basis of physical appearance and not inner qualities and strengths. And lastly, scientists are still researching possible biochemical or biological causes of eating disorders.

“Ultimately, though, these behaviors will damage a person’s physical or emotional health, self-esteem and sense of competence and control.” NEDA said.

Truly, eating disorders are conditions that have many factors and can arise from a variety of potential causes. If a person has low self-esteem, depressions, anxiety, stress, difficulty in expressing emotions and feelings, has history of being teased by size or weight, and is born in a culture or place where they value people on the basis of physical appearance, it won’t be unexpected if he/she has developed an eating disorder. These factors have a big effect on a person’s physical, psychological, and emotional health and it can be really damaging to him/her.

According to experts and recent studies, causes of eating disorders include the genetic factors. The genetic factors may account for over 50% of the danger of raising anorexia nervosa. Still, researchers are continuing to find the links of genetic factors of bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder. In the article Causesof Eating Disorder by the Eating Disorders channel from their site eatingdisorderschannel.com, “Research has shown that causes of eating disorders are the people that have a family history of someone suffering from eating disorders is more likely to get an eating disorder when compared to people with no family history of eating disorders.” People with a family history of eating disorders are 12 times more likely to develop anorexia nervosa and 4 times more likely to develop bulimia nervosa. Aside from family history, the family itself is one of the main causes of eating disorders. Parents who have extreme concern over the body shape and appearance will automatically cause an eating disorder to their children. If children are exposed to negative family influences, it causes a lot of pressure in their mind which can serve as the primary cause of eating disorder. Also, parents criticizing their children for being overweight or parents pressurizing their children to reduce weight are one of the reasons why teens develop eating disorder.

In an article What causes Eating disorders? by the Anorexia nervosa and related eating disorder (ANRED) from their site anred.org, they also have a list of factors for eating disorders. In the biological factors, they wrote, “New research suggests that there is a biological link between stress and the drive to eat. Comfort foods- high in sugar, fat, and calories—seem to calm the body’s response to chronic stress.” When a person is stressed, a hormone is produced which encourage the formation of fat cells. If a person lives in a stressful country, he might be always eating comfort foods to suppress himself from stress, and if he eats a lot of foods high in sugar, fats, and calories, he can develop eating disorder like binge-eating disorder.  

“Studies reported in the New England Journal of Medicine indicate that for some, but not all, people heredity is an important factor in the development of obesity and binge-eating.” ANRED said.

From all the factors that can contribute to eating disorders, biological factors and family factors are two of the most important factors which have a big effect on people. Since children live with their families in many years, there are chances that they might adopt what they see from their parents. If his parents are both overweight and obese and eat a lot, he will also be eating like his father and mother. But there is a case where parents nag about junk foods and limit their children’s access to treats; those who are being restricted by their parents to eat prohibited foods have a stronger desire for it, they are more likely to eat when they are not hungry and these behaviors may put them to have eating disorders in the future.

Eating disorders in children and teens cause serious changes in eating habits that can lead to major, even life-threatening health problems. Typically, it develops during adolescence or early adulthood. However, they can start in childhood, too. Eating disorders don’t have proven causes but the psychological, interpersonal, social, family, and biological factors could answer the question “why does he/she has eating disorder?”. These factors already suffice the needed reasons people want to know about eating disorders. Aside from the said factors, researchers are still studying about the other factors that can also contribute to this health problem. 

Blog Post #3: What do Eating disorders affect more, men or women?

 

If you have a family member or a friend who is at risk of Eating disorders, what did you notice about their age and gender? Are they adolescent, middle age, or old age? If they are young, is he/she a boy or a girl? If they are adult, is he/she man or woman? I think your answer when we talk about age is that he/she is young or adolescent, right?  And when it comes to their sex or gender, your answer is obviously a girl or a woman. This is people’s stereotype when they talk about Eating disorders. They think that this illness is a ‘women’s problem’ or a ‘female issue’. But researchers say the assumption of that eating disorders only affect woman is preventing men with such disorders from receiving the help and support they need.

Eating disorders are serious mental health conditions that can affect men and women, at any age. It is a common misconception that Eating disorders only affect women but the reality is that eating disorders affect men and women, boys and girls.  But, why are eating disorders primarily diagnosed in women over men? The obvious answer for that are many more women than men seek help from other people and they want treatment for this problem.

Why are females much more likely to suffer from eating disorders than males? It seems that Tetyana’s article Eating Disorders: Do Men and Women Differ? from the site scienceofeds.org had two arguments about it, Tetyana said, “One argument has been that because eating disorders are so rare in males, the nature of the illness must somehow be atypical in males. The second line of discussion has suggested that there must be something different about males who develop an eating disorder. For example, it has been suggested that a higher proportion of males with eating disorders might be homosexual.” Since this illness is more common in females, some males don’t think that they are having this kind of health problem. Males think that they are weak, fragile, and impotent if they are diagnosed with Eating disorders. People can also have assumptions that males who develop this illness might be gay or homosexual.

According to National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders’ Eating Disorders Statistics from their site anad.org, they had collected information from many researches and studies about the types of Eating disorders and where are they more prevalent. Some of the statistics about students are: “91% of women surveyed on a college campus had attempted to control their weight through dieting; 95% of those who have eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 25; Over one-half of teenage girls and nearly one-third of teenage boys use unhealthy weight control behaviors such as skipping meals, fasting, smoking cigarettes, vomiting, and taking laxatives.” From this information, there is a larger percentage for women than men who had attempted dieting, skipping meals, fasting, vomiting, taking laxatives and even smoke cigarettes when they are between the ages of 12 and 25.

“Women are much more likely than men to develop eating disorder. Only an estimated 5 to 15 percent of people with anorexia or bulimia are male” National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders said.

Anorexia nervosa and Bulimia nervosa are two of the three most common Eating disorders and these two disorders are different in symptoms and health conditions but they are likely to be more prevalent in women than men. I can agree with their statement that only 5-15% of people with anorexia or bulimia are male and about 80-90% are female. People with anorexia nervosa usually have distorted body image of themselves, while in bulimia nervosa, people like to eat a lot but purge the food they had eaten. It’s kind of unthinkable for men to put their fingers inside their mouths to forcefully vomit their food and also most of men don’t care if they’re fat, overweight or obese, they just like to eat as many as they can. 

In an article Belief that eating disorders ‘only affect women’ hinders treatment for men written by Honor Whiteman from the site medicalnewstoday.com, Whiteman wrote that there is a researcher named Ulla Räisänen of Oxford University in the UK who had interviewed 39 individuals between the age of 16 and 25 years, of which 10 were men. All the participants suffered from eating disorders and were asked about their experiences about their condition. The research team only focused on men’s responses. They had found out that, “Symptoms of eating disorders in the surveyed men included going for days without eating, purging, and obsessive calorie counting, exercise and weighing. However all of these men took a long time- months and even years- to realize that these behaviors could be associated with eating disorder.”

The researchers reported that one man thought that eating disorders only affected “fragile teenage girls” and another man said eating disorders were “something girls got”. Some of the men said they delayed seeking help for their condition because they thought that they would not be taken seriously by health care professionals or they were unaware of where to go for help. However, many of the men said they had visited their doctor several times before they were taken seriously. One participant said that his doctor told him that he was “going through a teenage fad”, and another one was even referred to a psychologist and was being told to “not be weak but be strong and deal with the problem”.

The research team says, “Men with eating disorders are underdiagnosed, undertreated, and under-researched.”

Although eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder are predominantly female problems, men may still experience those particular problems. Men are under-diagnosed, undertreated, and under-researched by our health care professionals and doctor because of the fact that women are more prone to eating disorders and the stereotype that it ‘only affect women’. Doctors’ patients for eating disorders are usually women and teenage girls. There are few men who try consulting doctors but they are not taken seriously, and sometimes men don’t have the courage to confess their problem because he is scared that people might call him gay or homosexual if he is known to have this kind of health issue.  

Kids, pre-adolescents, teenagers, adults, girls, boys, women, and men can be all victims of Eating disorders. Eating disorders affect all gender at any age so we should not believe in some misconceptions about this health problem. Truly, it is primarily a female problem but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is not a problem for men. Women and men have many differences when it comes to their body structures, eating habits, exercises, body images, etc. Women eat lesser than men; men are more engaged in physical activities than women but both have care for their physical appearances and want to be attractive to their opposite sex. Women prefer to have big boobs, curves, big butts or a slim but sexy body, while men want to have abs, toned and lean arms and legs with noticeable muscles. In order to achieve the bodies’ men and women want, they eat nutritious foods and do different exercises. It’s okay to do body-toning exercises such as weightlifting, yoga, Pilates, Zumba, playing sports and going to the gym, but if men and women become obsessed with their body, they might have health complications and even develop an eating disorder.

Blog Post #2: Types of Eating Disorders

Are you obsessed with your weight, calories and fat contents of foods? Obsessed in continuous exercising? Do you restrict eating food and self-starve yourself? Do you have fear of eating with other people? Do you have frequent trips to the bathroom immediately after having meals? Do you use diet pills, laxatives or enemas? Do you hide food in strange places and eat them at a later time? … If you say ‘yes’ with all of those questions, I’m sorry to tell you that you are a victim of a serious health problem called “Eating disorder”. Those are just some of the popular symptoms of an eating disorder and there are a lot more other signs and symptoms that you can search in the Internet. If you think you have an eating disorder just by agreeing with the symptoms, try to be curious and ask more questions about it, but if you have money, try to consult a therapist, dietician or any professional doctor who specializes in your health problems. For now, let’s first know the definition of Eating disorder.

Eating disorders are serious, potentially life-threatening conditions that affect a person’s emotional and physical health. Eating disorders have many health consequences and medical complications that need to be seriously treated physically and emotionally as early as possible. According to Arthur Schoenstadt, MD’s article Eating Disorder from the site eating-disorder.emedtv.com “Eating disorders are complex, long-term illnesses largely misunderstood and misdiagnosed. The most common ones--anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder are on the rise, both in the United States and worldwide.”

Eating disorder is complex because it is a health problem which is not simple and very difficult to cure. It is a long-term illness largely misunderstood and misdiagnosed. Doctors overlooked the signs and symptoms of it because people who have Eating disorder deny their problem and they don’t think that they are having this illness. Sometimes they hide their problem and they don’t let other people especially their family know about it. If it is being hid, it becomes long-term illness which also needs to be treated in a long-term manner. Schoenstadt also said that the most common Eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder.

From the site apa.org, the American Psychological Association discussed some definition of the three major types of Eating disorders in their article What are the major kinds of Eating disorders? They wrote, “People with anorexia nervosa have distorted body image that causes them to see themselves as overweight even when they’re dangerously thin.” They often refuse to eat, exercise compulsively, and develop unusual eating habits such as refusing to eat in front of others and from that they lose a large amount of weight and may even starve to death. According to Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders, a person with anorexia refuses to maintain normal body weight for age and height and weighs 85% or less than what is expected for age and height. In addition, they have an intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even when they’re severely underweight.

According to Paige Bierma’s article Bulimia Nervosa from the site cosumer.healthday.com, “Although this eating disorder is less well-known than anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa is actually more common among American teenage and young women—and just as serious.” Bulimia Nervosa is often referred to as “bingeing and purging”. People with this eating disorder go on wild eating binges, consuming between 1,000 and 20,000 calories in one-sitting. They then purge what they’ve eaten by self-induced vomiting or taking laxatives or diuretics before their bodies can absorb the food. Bulimics often binge in private and often run water in the bathroom sink to cover the noise of their vomiting. 

The third most common Eating disorder is Binge-eating disorder or Compulsive Overeating. According to Dr. Weil's article Compulsive Overeating from his site drweil.com, “A compulsive overeater (binge eater) is an individual who compulsively eats but does not purge and usually becomes overweight.” The overeater may eat three meals a day plus frequent snacks and typically consumes 5,000- 15,000 calories. Binge eating also takes place in bulimia nervosa, however, people with bulimia usually purge, fast or do vigorous exercise after they binge eat. Binge-eating disorder is probably the most common eating disorder. Most people with this problem are either overweight or obese. 

“All eating disorders are serious medical conditions that can have a long-lasting impact on health and should be treated by experts in the field. Each may require a slightly different approach.” Dr. Weil said.

Dr. Weil is an expertise in dealing with many health problems. He has a vast knowledge on many fields such as heart health, mental health, men and women’s health and children’s health. He also wants to be an expert in Eating disorder. From what he said, it is true that all eating disorders are serious medical conditions that can have a long-lasting impact on health because eating disorders have a lot of emotional and physical health issues, that if not treated immediately it can be fatal. Experts in this field must have their own approach to every type of eating disorders depending on how severe the case to treat all patients securely.  

Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder or compulsive overeating are just the most common types of eating disorders and there are other types such as the Eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS) where a person doing with regards to food and weight  is not normal nor healthy. There are other types of eating disorders but doctors don’t acknowledge them and researchers are not interested to study on those types. In spite of how many types Eating disorders have, what’s important is that family, friends and doctors should be aware of the symptoms of any type of Eating disorders and know how to offer help. If one of their family members is at risk or diagnosed of having Eating disorders, the parents must be responsible to act for the sake of their children; a friend must be concerned with his/her friend if he/she has noticed some different eating habits and not normal approach to food and weight; and a doctor should know how to deal with every types of Eating disorders.  

Blog Post #1: Obesity and Eating Disorder

“I’m dissatisfied with my body… my arms and thighs are so big… I have a flabby stomach… I’m very fat… why can’t I have a body like those slim girls... what should I do to lose weight?”

Those are the phrases that people might say if they are having dissatisfaction with their bodies. Commonly, people who keep on uttering those kinds of words are those who are obese, overweight, or fat. Well, it’s normal for them to feel dissatisfied because being overweight can increase their risk of major health problems. 

From the site helpguide.org, an article of Harvard Health Publications- How Excess Weight Affects Your Health showed results of major studies about the health problems that overweight or obese people might have. One of these studies is a Harvard study that combined data from more than 50,000 men and more than 120,000 women and it revealed some sobering statistics about weight and health.

Harvard Study found out that:“Obesity increased the risk of diabetes 20 times and substantially boosted the risk of developing high blood pressure heart disease, stroke, and gallstones. Among people who were overweight or obese, there was a direct relationship between BMI and risk: the higher the BMI, the higher the likelihood of disease.”

Obesity is not just being overweight or fat; it can develop diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and gallstones which is truly a bad problem for their health. I wonder what other health problems obese people might have.

According to a 2010 study Overweight, Obesity, and Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Longitudinal Studies by Floriana S. Luppino, MD; Leonore M. de Wit, MS et. al, the researchers concluded that, "obese people have a 55% higher risk of developing depression over time compared with people of normal weight". 

One of the reason why obesity may risk depression is because of our culture, people think that thins are beautiful, and being overweight can lower self-esteem. Low self-esteem is a known trigger for depression. Odd eating patterns and physical discomfort of being obese can also foster depression.

The study also found that, "depressed people have a 58% higher risk of becoming obese". 

       Some reasons of that are: elevated  levels of stress hormone cortisol which is common in people with depression may alter substances in fat cells that make fat accumulation, and also people who feel depressed often feel too blue to eat properly and exercise regularly, making them more prone to gain weight. 

Have you felt depressed because of love? Most teenagers do. But how about depressed because you are fat? Obese people do. It’s too bad again for obese people to have a risk of another health problem like depression. Depression is not a simple health problem because it is a serious mental illness that can affect a person’s thoughts, behavior, feelings and sense of well-being. If a person is depressed, he/she have a risk of becoming obese. According to the study, people who feel depressed often feel too blue to eat properly and exercise regularly that can make them prone to gain weight. So if you are depressed because you are fat, I don’t acknowledge you to feel depressed about it again because it will just make you put more weight in your body.

Being overweight or obese is a challenge. Comparing them with normal weight people can make them feel insecure and jealous. Aside from comparing, obese people are prone in bullying. People who don’t care about the way they feel, tend to always tease, judge, and criticize them. With negative comments and hurtful criticisms, obese people experience that they have lost their self-esteem and they have the urge to suicide. Oh no! Suicide is not a solution to any problem. But, I’m glad that there is no case for suicidal attempt among obese people. I wonder how an obese copes up with a very stressful life. Does he ignore people who tease him? I don’t think it is helpful because ignorance can still affect your body image and self-esteem. If a person ignores his/her problem, that person can still feel the burden and it will remain in his/her heart. What if he tries to fight for himself? Not literally fight where he will have a battle with his opponents using some deadly weapons. It’s like a fight to change your life. It is very difficult to change a person’s belief and personality because we don’t own that life. We have our own lives, and our own selves are what we need if we want change. So, if an obese person changes the way he feel, instead of becoming sad and depressed, he has a positive thinking that he can still lose weight and achieve the body that he wants, it will definitely make a big difference in his life.

Although having a positive thinking for an obese person is beneficial, there is still some dark side on it. In an article, Overweight but Anorexic Teens Are Often Overlooked by Doctors (STUDY) by Catherine Pearson from huffingtonpost.com, she wrote; a 12-year old girl named Kristin who was an obese, talked about her healthy eating and exercise. Kristin tried many diets but she failed, and when she was 14, her weight shot up to more than 180 pounds. Kristin’s mother became worried when Kristin lost more than 80 pounds in three years and thought if Kristin developed an eating disorder. By the time Kristin had an eating disorder assessment; she had significant fear of weight gain, restrictive eating, and bingeing and had experienced multiple stress fractures.

"Kristin's is one of two cases described in a new Pediatrics paper, published Monday, that says overweight and obese children and teens who lose weight are at significant risk for developing eating disorders, but their symptoms are often overlooked. It raises questions about the formal criteria used for diagnosing eating disorders, and suggests there may be a significant blind-spot among the doctors who treat children and teens." Pearson said. 

Having more than 180 pounds at the age of 12 is not normal but it is good to hear that Kristin changed her lifestyle. She did her best to lose weight by healthy eating and exercising. But why did Kristin developed an eating disorder? The fact that she has lost a lot of weight because of her hard work is not bad but developing an eating disorder is not good. In Kristin’s case, diagnosing a health problem like that must not be overlooked by the doctors. Doctors should know the symptoms of having eating disorders and should have more knowledge about it.

A person who is overweight then turns out to be having an eating disorder is surprising because we thought that obese people will have a hard time in losing weight, but it’s good to hear news and stories about fat people who successfully become fit and sexy. Becoming physically fit is everyone’s dream. People always want to look their best to become attractive to their opposite sex and to feel confident. And to be physically fit, people try different diets and exercises such as Zumba, yoga, Pilates and others. Engaging ourselves in a healthy lifestyle has a lot of benefits to our life especially in our health. But, why is there a health issue called “eating disorders”? What is an eating disorder? What are its causes, symptoms and effects in a human body? What kinds of people usually have eating disorders? And many other questions are being thought about this phenomenal health problem.