The Most Common Eating Disorder
I didn't want to let the week go by without mentioning that this week (Feb 28 - March 4, 2006) is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. And on the topic of awareness, here's a question to test your own awareness of eating disorders: What is the most common eating disorder?
Did you answer that it's anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa? Both of these are very serious conditions that do affect millions of people, but the most common eating disorder is actually binge eating disorder, which affects an estimated 1-5% of the population. Binge eating disorder has also been termed "compulsive overeating," and it's far beyond having a vigorous appetite or enjoying extravagant meals. True "binge eating" involves the out-of-control consumption of unusually large amounts of food even when the person does not feel hunger or take pleasure in the food. Other characteristics of binge eating include eating rapidly, eating alone, attempting to hide or "cover up" the eating episodes, and feelings of intense guilt and shame after an eating episode.
Unlike the eating disorder known as bulimia nervosa, the binge eating episodes in binge eating disorder are not followed by so-called "purging" behaviors such as induced vomiting, fasting, strenuous exercise, or laxative and diuretic abuse. Both children and adults can develop binge eating disorder.
The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) has put together a Web site whose mission is "dedicated to expanding public understanding and prevention of eating disorders and promoting access to quality treatment for those affected along with support for their families through education, advocacy and research." I spent some time clicking through their resources, and there's a lot of valuable information at their site. In particular, I found topics that are not usually addressed in summary articles about eating disorders, such as a discussion of the implications of eating disorders in people of color and other diverse groups, information on eating disorders and body image in men, and guides for educators in dealing with those suffering from eating disorders, to name just a few.
My favorite parts of the NEDA site are the resources to help us teach kids to have a healthy body image and to feel good about their own bodies. There's also information on prevention of eating disorders. I'd recommend a visit to this site for any parents concerned about their children's self-perceptions or body image issues.
Related Topics: Eating Disorders Support Group, Brain Chemical May Be Key in Eating Disorders
Technorati Tags: NEDA, eatingdisorders, bingeeatingdisorder
Did you answer that it's anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa? Both of these are very serious conditions that do affect millions of people, but the most common eating disorder is actually binge eating disorder, which affects an estimated 1-5% of the population. Binge eating disorder has also been termed "compulsive overeating," and it's far beyond having a vigorous appetite or enjoying extravagant meals. True "binge eating" involves the out-of-control consumption of unusually large amounts of food even when the person does not feel hunger or take pleasure in the food. Other characteristics of binge eating include eating rapidly, eating alone, attempting to hide or "cover up" the eating episodes, and feelings of intense guilt and shame after an eating episode.
Unlike the eating disorder known as bulimia nervosa, the binge eating episodes in binge eating disorder are not followed by so-called "purging" behaviors such as induced vomiting, fasting, strenuous exercise, or laxative and diuretic abuse. Both children and adults can develop binge eating disorder.
The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) has put together a Web site whose mission is "dedicated to expanding public understanding and prevention of eating disorders and promoting access to quality treatment for those affected along with support for their families through education, advocacy and research." I spent some time clicking through their resources, and there's a lot of valuable information at their site. In particular, I found topics that are not usually addressed in summary articles about eating disorders, such as a discussion of the implications of eating disorders in people of color and other diverse groups, information on eating disorders and body image in men, and guides for educators in dealing with those suffering from eating disorders, to name just a few.
My favorite parts of the NEDA site are the resources to help us teach kids to have a healthy body image and to feel good about their own bodies. There's also information on prevention of eating disorders. I'd recommend a visit to this site for any parents concerned about their children's self-perceptions or body image issues.
Related Topics: Eating Disorders Support Group, Brain Chemical May Be Key in Eating Disorders
Technorati Tags: NEDA, eatingdisorders, bingeeatingdisorder
0 Comments:
Post a Comment