Every girl I know who has had an eating disorder at one point or another has never really meant to starve herself to death. And the guys I know of who have also had eating disorders in order to maintain, or lose weight for a football team, or wrestling team.
They rarely think twice about what they’re doing to their body. So I set out to explore what it was that was driving these young people to starvation. And the answers were startling, and downright upsetting.
Peer Pressure.
For those who are on a team, and need to stay at a low weight, peer pressure, and pressure from their coaches, makes their minds immediately link food to evil. A bit dramatic, but to get inside the head of a person suffering from an eating disorder of this type, it goes a bit like this.
“Food makes you fat” and no one wants him or her to be heavy, so they eliminate the bad property in that equation. And it’s not just the fat, but the food as well.
Self Confidence.
It’s not surprise that the majority of teens today are faced with the dilemma of a certain image put on by popular TV shows and magazines. Indeed, these are decaying (literally) the poor girls who buy into these “beauties”.
Another problem is that boys of this generation indulge in such fantasies as if these TV girls are attractive. And the girls get a very sad image of themselves because the boys are comparing them to these stars. If they don’t look like them, none of the guys will like them. So they remove the food equation again.
The Other Reasons.
Sometimes, there are emotional triggers to appetite, as well as physical stimulants and depressants. If a girl has just got into a fight with a friend, she may lose her appetite. Or if a boy has braces, he may lose his appetite. It’s important to know that these kids still must eat to maintain a healthy weight and body.
For more information, and basic treatment for eating disorders go to http://eating-disorder-information.blogspot.com.
Tags: anorexia nervosa, brain damage, death, eating disorders, health, heart failure, wellness
