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Women's Center: Health
Eating Disorders:
As she was a woman, and as she is an American, she was dieting.-Katharine Whitehorn
Anorexia Nervosa | Bulimia Nervosa | Binge Eating/Compulsive Overeating |
What To Do if You Know Someone Who Has an Eating Disorder | Resources
Anorexia Nervosa is a life threatening disorder characterized by self-starvation with significant loss of body weight, refusal to maintain weight, deep-rooted fear of gaining weight, unrealistic body image, and low self esteem.
Signs to look for:
- 15-20% loss of body weight
- Unusual eating patterns without medical cause
- Hyperactivity
- Restricted Eating
- Excess Physical Activity
- Rigid Diet
- Low Self-Esteem
- Absence of Menstrual Periods
- Social Withdrawal
- Fasting
- Preoccupation with Food
Damage that can be caused to your body as a result:
- Damage to vital organs such as the heart and the brain
- Absence of menstrual periods
- Loss of muscle and body proteins
- Depressed immune system
- Loss of calcium from bones, making them brittle and prone to breakage
- Osteoporosis
- Abnormal thermoregulation – sensitivity to extreme temperatures
- Irregular heart rhythms/heart failure
Bulimia Nervosa is characterized by episodes of uncontrolled binge eating followed by frequent attempts to lose weight by severe methods of purging such as laxatives and/or diuretics, diet pills, excessive physical activity, short term fasting, and self-induced vomiting.
Signs to look for:
- Preoccupation with food, thinness, and dieting
- Loss of control leading to food binges
- Use of laxatives, diuretics, or diet pills
- Fasting for weight control
- Compulsive physical activity
- Intense fear of gaining weight
- Secretive food hoarding
- Feelings of shame, guilt, and self-deprecation
Damage that can be caused to your body as a result:
- Binge eating can cause the stomach to rupture
- Purging can cause injury to the esophagus due to irritating stomach acid
- Physical stress of vomiting can cause tearing of the lining of the esophagus causing a rupture which is life threatening and requires immediate surgery
- Injury to the intestines, particularly the colon, commonly result from laxative abuse. Damage to the lining may lead to ulcers.
- Kidney and heart complications are often severe due to the loss of vital minerals, such as potassium
- The acid in vomit wears down the outer layer of teeth resulting in tooth decay
| Binge Eating/Compulsive Overeating |
Binge Eating Disorder/Compulsive Overeating is an eating disorder characterized by preoccupation with food, eating, and diet. It typically results in excess weight/obesity. The compulsive overeater eats in response to stressful situations, emotional discomfort, and unfulfilled emotional needs.
Signs to look for:
- Excess weight
- Focus on food, weight, and dieting
- Eating in response to emotional states and situational factors
- Restricting social and physical activities due to weight
Damage that can be caused to your body as a result:
- People with binge eating disorder are usually overweight and are more prone to the serious medical problems associated with obesity – such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes
- Obese individuals also have a higher risk for gallbladder disease, heart disease, and some forms of cancer.
What To Do if You Know Someone Who Has an Eating Disorder
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You can worsen the situation if you...
- Try to take control of the person’s eating behavior
- Fight about food. The situation may get worse and the relationship be strained.
- Use tactics like punishment, rewards, threats, and guilt to change eating behaviors.
- Blame yourself. Don’t blame yourself for someone’s eating problem, it serves no purpose. It will just cause you added pain and the person with the eating disorder additional stress.
- Try to become that person’s therapist. Eating disorders are serious problems requiring professional intervention. The advice and support of family and friends, though helpful, cannot take the place of psychological or medical treatment.
- Try to help by hiding the problem or helping them avoid dealing with the effects of their behavior
- Avoid talking about the problem.
- Are not willing to get professional assistance for yourself.
You can help the situation by...
- Admitting there is a problem which requires professional attention.
- Reading up on eating disorders. You will find information to be a valuable tool.
- Listening and being supportive. People with eating disorders are having serious difficulties and need your help. Listening and caring are more helpful than you may think.
- Talking to the person about their eating problem. Don’t be judgmental or critical. Just state what you’ve seen and suggest that they seek help.
- Keeping the lines of communication open. Talk about how you feel, your concerns and fears. Talk as openly and honestly about the problem as you can.
- Living your own life as fully and normally as you can.
- Encouraging the person to seek treatment.
Seeking professional counseling and support for yourself. If you are close to someone with an eating disorder, you’ll need to deal with your own feelings about the problem and the progressive changes that occur during recovery.
Ramapo College of New Jersey recognizes the value of publishing on the Internet. The College does not preview, review, censor, or control the content of these pages in any way as a matter of course. Web pages are those of the authors, and do not in any way constitute official Ramapo College of New Jersey content. |
Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders, Inc. (ANRED)
P.O. Box 5102
Eugene, OR 97401
(503) 344-1144
http://www.anred.com
National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD)
Box 7
Highland Park, IL 60036
(847) 831-3438
http://www.anad.org
Eating Disorders Awareness and Prevention, Inc. (EDAP)
603 Stewart St., Suite 803
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 382-3587
(206) 292-9890 fax
http://www.edap.org
Family Resources for Education on Eating Disorders (FREED)
9611 Page Ave.
Bethesda, MD 20814
(301) 493-4568
http://home.comcast.net/~rpike20625/freed/
National Center for Overcoming Overeating (NCOO)
P.O. Box 1257
Old Chelsea Station
New York, NY 10113-0920
(212) 875-0442
http://www.overcomingovereating.com
Overeaters Anonymous (OA)
P.O. Box 44020
Rio Rancho, NM 87124
(505) 891-2664
(505) 891-4320 fax
http://www.overeatersanonymous.org
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