According to the CDC, 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder in the United States at some time in their life, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge eating disorder — and sometimes a combination. An eating disorder is a condition defined by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insufficient or excessive food intake to the detriment of an individual’s physical and mental health.
The CDC has teamed up with National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) to recognize this week as the National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. Eating disorders are serious illnesses, not lifestyle choices with anorexia having the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.
Who is to blame for this serious illness?
These eating disorders are normally derived from poor self-esteem or self-image. Scientists have linked it to biological and genetic medical conditions. Many believe that mass media play a major role in the continuous rise in eating disorder cases. From an early age we are bombarded with images and messages that reinforce the idea that to be happy and successful, we must be thin. Today, you cannot read a magazine or newspaper, turn on the television, listen to the radio, or shop at the mall without hearing or seeing the message that fat is bad. The most frightening part is that this destructive message is reaching kids. Adolescent obesity is on the rise, however, eating disorders are not a resolution, but because adolescents often feel flawed if their weight, hips and breasts don’t match up to those of models and actors. Even preadolescent children are obsessed with their weight and taking extreme measures to stay as thin as possible.
Last year, NEDAwareness Week registrants spanned all 50 states and 30 countries.
For more information on eating disorders or how to get help, visit www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/.
