Binge Eating Or Just Greed?

By: Andrea Flint

Most people have heard of anorexia nervosa and recognize the damage it can cause to a sufferer's life. The fact that in extreme cases it can be fatal leads most people to accept that it is in fact a real illness and that sufferers need and deserve proper medical treatment. Unfortunately, the same can't always be said of other less well known eating disorders. In particular, there is a common prejudice against binge eating disorder and bulimia, with many uninformed people believing that it's just an excuse for greed and overeating. This simply isn't true.

While binge eating certainly features sessions of excessive eating, the extent of the behavior is far and away more extreme than a case of plain gluttony, with sometimes staggeringly huge amounts of food being consumed, and in the case bulimia this is often followed by purging behaviors such as induced vomiting or heavy laxative use. These extreme characteristics aren't present in people who may just have a weakness for chocolate, for example, and feel 'addicted' to it.

While these latter kind of over-eaters may feel some measure of guilt about their excesses, true binge eaters will suffer more extreme negative emotions about their actions, more reminiscent of a drugs or alcohol addict than someone who is a little worried about their weight and eating a little too much. These emotions include severe remorse, shame, and self loathing, which can easily lead to depression and other mental problems.

The binge eater will exhibit other characteristics of an addict too, namely that they are so ashamed of their behaviors that they will tend to conduct them exclusively in private, even avoiding social situations where food is present, while presenting a carefully constructed facade of wellness to the outside world. This can make diagnosing binge eating extremely difficult, and even close family members may not be fully aware of the extent of any problem. The purging behaviors of bulimia sufferers can have physical effects which can make spotting the problem easier.

People suffering from binge eating disorder or bulimia will also have the subject of food tightly wound into the fabric of their lives, associating it with their successes and failures, and also using it to cope with emotional problems in their lives, although in reality it is more likely to harm then help.

As we can see, their is far more to overeating disorders than simple greed, and sufferers deserve our sympathy and help every bit as much as those afflicted with more physically apparent conditions.

About the author: Andrea writes for http://www.informationwarehouse.co.uk/ where you can read more eating disorder articles at http://www.informationwarehouse.co.uk/health/eating-disorders/

An Introduction to Eating Disorders

By: Simone Butler

Eating disorders are among those modern conditions which aren't always taken seriously by the wider population, but which can have very serious effects for its victims. Indeed, far from being a minor problem which sufferers can solve simply by 'pulling themselves together', many of the eating disorders commonly seen are recognized psychological conditions which if left untreated can even turn out to be fatal. For this reason it's very important to spot any early signs of eating disorders in yourself, your family, or friends and colleagues, so that treatment can be started while the problem remains relatively easily coped with.

No one knows for sure how many people are affected by the main disorders, namely anorexia and bulimia, as the official figures inevitably under report the true extent of the problem. One of the features of these conditions, and anorexia in particular, is a lack of awareness in the sufferer that they actually have a problem, and so they naturally don't seek help. In the case of bulimia (binge eating compulsive eating), there is also often an element of guilt over what the sufferer acknowledges is inappropriate and uncontrolled behavior, again leading to an avoidance of treatment.

Bulimia is far more common than anorexia, with around 10% of women suffering from the former compared to 1% the latter. Among anorexics, around 10% of sufferers will eventually die as a result of the condition, and so should you spot any of the warning signs then medical advice should be urgently sought.

What is for sure is that eating disorders are more common than might be expected, and many consider the problem to be increasing in scope partly because of today's mass media promotion of attaining perfect body images.

Anorexia Nervosa, or plain anorexia as it's usually referred to as, is characterized by an unrealistic perception of ones own body. Sufferers will look into the mirror and see an overweight person looking back at them, however slim they may actually be. This constant desire to be thinner can lead to extreme dieting, excessive and obsessive exercise, and a preoccupation with food and avoiding it that can really take over a person's life. In extreme cases, the self starvation will continue unchecked until it proves fatal, even when the physical evidence that the sufferer is seriously underweight should be overwhelmingly obvious.

The effects of bulimia, on the other hand, may not be visible to outside observers. This disorder is characterized by bouts of hugely excessive eating, followed by purging activities to rid the body of the excess calories. Sufferers will lose control of their eating completely during these periods, gorging themselves way beyond any level of food intake necessary for health. Common methods of purging include self-induced vomiting and overuse of laxatives, and this is usually followed by a sense of self loathing and repulsion at the lack of control shown. The sufferer may also self-starve as both a form of atonement for their behavior and as a self imposed punishment.

While bulimia is not as physically harmful as anorexia, the psychological effects can be devastating, leading to depression and even more serious outcomes including suicide in the worst of cases. The physical signs of bulimia which can be observed tend to be related to the purging methods used, and include regularly bloodshot eyes, swollen glands, and dental erosion. In the long term, the dangers include digestive system problems such as ulcers, weakness and exhaustion, and even heart problems.

About the author: Simone writes for http://www.eatingdisordersinfo.co.uk/ - your source for information on eating disorders including anorexia and bulimia.