Eating Disorders

Eating disorders occur when a person becomes preoccupied with their body weight and food. The two major kinds of eating disorders anorexia and bulimia. Bulimics feel as though they can not control the amount of food they eat leading to binging and then either purging or self-induced vomiting. Anorexics keep their body weight low by usually either self-induced vomiting or by eating very small amounts of food and exercising heavily. It is not uncommon for a person to switch back in forth between the two types.

The typical anorexic or bulimic person if a female,in their teenage years, from the middle class, all though people from all backgrounds can suffer from it. Males make up about 5% of all reported cases. The cause of the disorders is not clearly, but many experts blame the media for emphasizing the ideal shape. The relationship that the child has with their parents is considered a major factor as well.

The side effects of the disorders can range from malnutrition to death. Girls often menstrual cycles often become irregular or even stop. If self-induced vomiting is occurring, that can cause a sore throat and gullet and even destroy dental enamel. These disorders but a great emotional strain on those with it, having many side effects of it¹s own.

The first thing that must be done to help a person wit a eating disorder is to talk to them about it. It is not uncommon for them to get mad at first because their secret is out, but they must be forced to seek professional help.

Though there are many different mental disorders and illnesses it seems as though they all have a few things in common. The uncertainty of the cause seems to be the case with many disorders. Some doctors feel strongly one way while others think that there is a totally different cause. Over time what is thought to be the causes of a disorders often change because of new research that is being done everyday.

Until the causes of disorders are found it will always be a guess on how to best treat patients suffering from any certain disorder. It even varies as far as one doctor saying a certain kind of treatment helps and another doctor saying that the exact same treatment is useless or even harmful, as the case is with ECT. Until researchers better understand the brain the treatment for disorders that are found in it will always be up for discussion.