The Problematic of Eating Disorders Essay Example

eating disorder that arouses people’s appetite beyond the normal and reasonable level (Goode 1).

People with bulimia are usually associated with overweight characteristics, eat a lot of food, and feel hungry each time. Lamott shares her horrible experience before she discovered her bulimia condition. This condition was majorly connected or associated with much depression. The outward look could be misleading because the effects are usually felt inwardly. From the story of Lamott, bulimia originates from environmental and interpersonal issues (Goode 1). Some findings of the past continue to support that the environmental, social-cultural and psychological factors contribute greatly to eating disorders. From another perspective, media can also be blamed as a contributing factor to eating disorder due to the fact that media images of slim celebrities create a motivation to the viewers of attaining a certain level of slimness. Various numerous studies have also proved that genetic predisposition has a significant impact in originating eating disorders. The studies confirm that all the eating disorders may be inheritable as a result of Mendelian inheritance (Goode 1).

Eating disorder as a result of social influence may take various diverse forms. First, they may come as a result of low self-esteem. A person may feel unworthy in the society and this can affect his or her eating habits. The end result is a disorder which crops up politely without anyone’s notice. The other social factor is pressure to become thin. Family members and friends tend to pressure one to become what he or she is not. They use comparison and contraction to gauge beauty and since the victim is desperate at becoming attractive, he or she ends giving into eating

habits that are not normal (Oliver 1). The end result may be anorexia or bulimia disorders and all its consequences befall on the person. Other people use food as a tool to cope with negative emotions. Like Lamott who regularly drink to cool herself from days’ distress, many others do the same.

Eating disorder may result from various psychological factors. First, the victim may have had a past experience such as sexual assault which might have corroded the urge to eat. Other past experiences may include food poisoning or improper cooking which could change the attitude and mentality of the victims towards various types of foods (Mehler, Philip & Andersen 566). Some psychological factors are attached to various personality traits which include perfectionism, harm avoidance, and core low self-esteem. Others include neuroticism and other traits that are associated with avoidant personality (Goode 1).

A troubled relationship can also be a psychological factor whereby people lose appetite because of bad relations. People who are obsessed by stress are usually victims of eating disorders which grow strongly to yield depressions, anger, anxiety and loneliness. Interpersonal factors such as troubling historical experiences can affect psychological health (Goode 1).

Scientists have researched and found that some chemical factors also have a significant impact on eating disorders. There are some chemicals in the brain that control hunger and the entire digestive system of the human body and if some imbalance is encountered, eating disorder may be experienced. Brain chemical imbalance has been considered as the key factor in eating disorders because eating habits are dependent on the state of the brain (Goode 1). Recent studies at the University of Pittsburgh have reported that

recovered anorexics show an extra increase in dopamine within the brain. This is a chemical which is involved in eating behaviors and reinforcement and majorly affects women. It has also been discovered that those women that have recovered from eating disorders have been found to contain abnormal levels o serotonin. These chemicals are directly tied to appetite and eating mood as well as impulse control (Buser, Juleen, Parkins, & Buser 79).

Women are the most affected and researchers concluded that women with certain types of anorexia usually have some alterations in serotonin even when they have stayed more than one year after recovery. When people tend to lean so much on harm avoidance, eating disorders are the expected results. People take a lot of care, become so precise and usually pay a lot of attention to ensure that they are on the right side of eating habit. While others are affected by their professions, eating disorders tend to take control of their lives and at times, it becomes part of their lifestyle (Vannucci, Anna, et al 20).

In conclusion, eating disorders are associated with various diverse factors which are physical, biological, social-cultural as well as psychological. In terms of gender, women are more likely to suffer from eating disorders as opposed to men whose effect is negligible. Young people in their early teens and twenties are commonly the victims with the family background playing a significant role. Emotional disorders such as anxiety and depression are majorly the psychological factors that affect eating disorders while life transitions that trigger life changes also have been proven to be among the contributing factors. Some extracurricular activities such as sports and

artistic work also increase the chances of eating disorders (Oliver 1). Chemical factors which result from brain chemical imbalance are also major contributing factors which everyone should strongly consider. Proper medication and treatment should be sought before the situation worsens.

Work cited

• Abraham, Suzanne. Eating Disorders: The Facts. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008. Print.
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• Mehler, Philip S, and Arnold E. Andersen. Eating Disorders: A Guide to Medical Care and Complications. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999. Print.
• Buser, Juleen K., Rachael A. Parkins, and Trevor J. Buser. "Thematic Analysis Of The Intersection Of Spirituality And Eating Disorder Symptoms." Journal Of Addictions & Offender Counseling 35.2 (2014): 97-113. Professional Development Collection. Web. 7 July 2016.
• Vannucci, Anna, et al. "Puberty And The Manifestations Of Loss Of Control Eating In Children And Adolescents." International Journal Of Eating Disorders 47.7 (2014): 738-747. Academic Search Premier. Web. 7 July 2016.
• Goode E., Anorexia May Be Habit, Not Willpower, Study Finds New York Times 2015 http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/13/health/extreme-dieting-of-anorexia-may-be-entrenched-habit-study-finds.html
• Goode E., Centers to Treat Eating Disorders Are Growing, and Raising Concerns New York Times 2016 http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/15/health/eating-disorders-anorexia-bulimia-treatment-centers.html
• Oliver D., How to Treat Binge Eating Disorder U.S. News 2016
  http://www.usnews.com/topics/subjects/eating_disorders