Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Eating Disorder:=Mental Disorder

If you haven't heard, eating disorder is a psychological illness that affects 70 million males and females worldwide (Eating Disorders 101 Guide: A Summary of Issues, Statistics and Resources, 2003). A new study by Australian experts has shown that children as young as five are being treated for eating disorders. The researchers led by Dr Sloane Madden, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Westmead Children's Hospital in Sydney, found that the instances of eatng disorder among these children have become so severe that food must be forcefully fed to them (Hay,2009)

Eating disorder is a complex mental illness that ecompasses two extremes of dietary intake. At one end there is anorexia nervosa, where one deprives oneself of food in order to look thin. At the far end of the spectrum lies binge eating disorder where one consume excessive amount of food in a very short time, often in one seating. What lies between the two is bulimia nervosa, where one purges after excessive eating due to guilt. Factors that lead to these illnesses vary from social factors to psychological factors to biological factors (Eating disorders, 2008)

Although statistics show that 1 in every 5 women suffers from eating disorder, it is safe to assume that the numbers are higher due to the number of unreported cases (Eating Disorders 101 Guide: A Summary of Issues, Statistics and Resources, 2003). Many are still left in the dark because they are either ashamed or in denial.


References:
Eating Disorders, 2008, Better Health Channels, retrieved 23rd April 2009,http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/BHCV2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Eating_disorders?Open

Hay,P.J. 2009, Eating disorders in younger children: current issues and unanswered questions, The Medical Journal of Australia: 190 (8): 403-404.

The Renfrew Center Foundation for Eating Disorders, "Eating Disorders 101 Guide: A Summary of Issues, Statistics and Resources," published September 2002, revised October 2003, http://www.renfrew.org.

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