[T841]Therapy For Eating Disorders

In Western Countries the food has become a big problem. In the US are produced more than 3,800 calories every day to each woman, child, for more than any single person needs to sustain life. Obesity is already considered an epidemic. The general idea is that any man is predisposed to obesity or another eating disorder.

The Centers for Disease Control for high school students reported that 4.5 % of cases induced vomiting after meals or used laxatives to lose weight. This is a bulimia characteristic. Many women and adolescents experienced bulimia nervosa. In fact many people with bulimia are able to conceal their purging and do not become noticeably underweight. In Europe adolescents between 14 and 16 years old, manifest bulimic behavior. The third most chronic illness is in adolescent women is anorexia nervosa. Recent studies have shown that incidence has been steady in teenagers but it has increased threefold in young adult women. 90% of eating disorder cases are in women. The rate in males also appears to be increasing.

A prevalence of 2.5% for anorexia, 6.8% of bulimia and 40% for binge eating has been reported. Psychiatric and social profiles of men and women with eating disorders are similar to each other, although profiles between men and women with eating disorders and men without were quite different. The risk of specific eating disorders in men may affect their sexual preference. a study reported that 42% of male civilians with bulimia were homosexual or bisexual while 58% of the men with anorexia were asexual.

Individuals with eating disorders have been conducted using Caucasian middle-class females. Minority populations, including Hispanic-and African-American, are significantly affected. African-American girls and young women may be at particular risk for eating disorders because of poor body images is caused by cultural attitudes that denigrate the physical characteristics of minorities. Both Caucasian and African American women use laxatives and diuretics to control weight. Binge eating has become a severe problem in Hispanic Americans. Rates of dieting and body dissatisfaction were similar to those in other cultures.Living in any nation or any continent pose more of a risk for eating disorders than belonging to a particular population group. Symptoms remain similar across high-risk countries.

Within developed countries there appears to be no difference in risk between the rich and the poor. The lower economic groups may be at higher risk for bulimia. City living is a major risk factor bulimia. Some tests have shown that people with eating disorders scored significantly higher than average on IQ tests. It is known that people with bulimia had higher nonverbal than verbal scores. Competitive athletes are often perfectionists and because of this trait they can become anorexic persons. Women athletes and dancers are at particular risk for anorexia. Especially in ballet the success depends on the development of a wiry and extremely slim body. Among such athletes the anorexia rate is from 15% to 60%.

Male wrestlers and light-weight rowers are at risk for excessive dieting. A method called weight-cutting for rapid weight loss is practiced by high school wrestlers. Food restriction and fluid depletion using steam rooms, saunas, laxatives and diuretics involves anorexia. Male athletes are more apt to resume normal eating patterns once competition ends, studies are showing that the body fat levels of many wrestlers are still well below their peers during off-season and are often as low as 3% during wrestling season. A recently recognized body-image disorder referred to as muscle dysmorphia, that occurs in men who are preoccupied with weight lifting and perceive themselves as puny. The risk exists also for men and women in Military. 8% of women had an eating disorder compared to 1% to 3% in the civilian female population.

Vegetarianism in adolescence is a risk factor for eating disorder for both males and females. While they appear to eat more fruits and vegetables they are also twice as likely to diet frequently, four times as likely to intensively diet, and eight times as likely to use laxatives as their non-vegetarian peers. Being a vegetarian does not mean having an eating disorder. Parents with children who suddenly become vegetarian, should be sure their children are eating a balanced meal with sufficient calories.

Anorexic behavior should be suspected under the following situations: if the person has stopped eating meat only to avoid fat rather than from other motives, such as love of animals, if vegetarian diet coincides with rapid weight loss, if the person is avoiding certain foods, such as tofu, nuts and dairy products, that contain oils or fats. 10.3 % of teenage girls and 6.9 % of boys with chronic illness, such as diabetes or asthma, had an eating disorder.

Eating disorders are serious problems in people with either type 1 or type 2 of diabetes. The most common in type 2 diabetes is the binge eating (without purging). The obesity causes may trigger in diabetes in some people. Bulimia and anorexia are common in type 1 diabetes. The insulin-dependent patients have an eating disorder because diabetic women omit or under use insulin in order to control weight. Patients developing anorexia must control diabetes for a while. If they fail to take insulin and continue to lose weight these patients develop life-threatening complications.

Other emotional problems in girls who undergo early puberty intensifies early physical changes, including normal increased body fat. An interesting study reported the following: before puberty, girls ate quantities of food appropriate to their body weight, were satisfied with their bodies, and noted their depression increased with lower food intake and after puberty, girls ate about three-quarters of the recommended calorie intake, had a worse body self-image, and noted their depression increased with higher food intake.

Girls and women must pay a special attention to what they eat and how they eat to avoid such risks like anorexia or bulimia.