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Eating Disorders:
Causes and Treatment

In 1997, 22-year-old Heidi Gunther died of a heart attack during a vacation trip with her family. She was at the time a ballet dancer for the Boston Ballet. Heidi suffered from an eating disorder called Anorexia Nervosa.

Anorexia is a life threatening psychological condition where a person believes he or she is too obese; never thin enough, resulting in self-starvation and excessive exercising to the point of malnutrition. This condition seems to be more prevalent among teenage girls and young women but not exclusively. Cases have also been found among men, young children, and even some women as old as sixty. It is characterized by extremely low body weight, and a distorted sense of self-perception.

The physiological state of anorexia creates a great strain on the heart and cardiovascular system. Symptoms include slow heart rate, an electrolyte imbalance, muscle weakness, and a breakdown of the immune system resulting finally in death. Anorexia can also lead to other disorders such as stunted growth, shrunken bones, mineral loss, kidney damage, liver damage, destruction of teeth, disruption of menstrual cycle, infertility, and a host of other damaging symptoms.

There are various types of eating disorders, but the main ones include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, rumination disorder, and pica.

Bulimia nervosa, like anorexia, is an eating disorder in reaction to a perceived weight gain. The subject with bulimia engages in binge eating many times during the day and then follows the binging with intentional purging by inducing vomiting. Some subjects with anorexia also combine binging and purging with their starvation routine.

Rumination is an eating disorder whereby a person after eating regurgitates the contents from his/her stomach back into the mouth to be chewed again. The disorder is associated with nervousness and anxiety-related issues after eating a meal, and is also related to anorexia and bulimia.

Pica is a disorder whereby a person develops an appetite for things that are not food at all such as dirt, coal, chalk, cardboard, clay, and even cigarette butts. Pica can occur in people of all ages, but is found especially in young children with learning disabilities and children of poor developing countries. Pica is usually caused by a biochemical deficiency such as an iron deficiency. Once the deficiency is found and resolved in a patient, the pica disorder is also resolved. Treatment for pica includes some psychosocial and family guidance techniques involving associating negative consequences with eating non-food items.

In today's society, especially in developed countries, the pressure for women to live up to an unrealistic ideal "thin" image is imposed, celebrated, and glamorized by the media and the culture. Magazine covers in newsstands everywhere portray that "desired image" and at the same time send out a message of equating or associating that image to being successful, beautiful and having self-worth.

There's a societal pressure in this society for young women and teenage girls to be thin.

In fields of ballet, modeling, and the entertainment industry, competition is fierce. Importance is placed on that ideal "thin" look by these institutions, especially in the modeling and ballet worlds. Even though it is generally accepted in the medical world that the causes of anorexia nervosa are inconclusive, the idea that societal pressures are one of the causes for this mental disorder is not far-fetched.

Aside from society and the media celebrating a culture of excessive thinness, there are other factors that interact with each other to cause anorexia. Scientists determined that the interaction of genetics, environment, biochemistry, and personality traits also contribute to the eating disorder. Most people with anorexia share similar personality traits such as perfectionism and low self-esteem. They also share some other psychological issues such as control issues, lack of coping skills, the need for attention, and depression.

Since the causes of anorexia are multifaceted, the treatment can include a variety of approaches, most of which are psychological in nature. The first step to recovery though is to restore the person to a normal or close-to-normal body weight that is out of the danger zone. It's best if the patient can be diagnosed early and steps can be taken to treat the patient either in a hospital or as an outpatient. The patient who is far along in his/her disorder may be in need of urgent hospitalization to prevent death. In the beginning, weight gain is the biggest obstacle to initial recovery.

After weight has been stabilized, psychotherapy and/or counseling is the initial avenue of treatment in order to deal with the issues of self-hate and low self esteem that are at the root of the disorder. Cognitive-behavioral therapy can also be used to change destructive thoughts and behaviors. Then there's group therapy and family therapy to give the patient a support group. A physician would also be involved in prescribing medication to deal with anxiety or depression.

For someone with anorexia or any other eating disorder, it's a tough road back to health. In the beginning most patients resist treatment because of denial. Recovery can take 7 to 10 years or more. Eighty percent of people with eating disorders who seek out treatment totally recover or make significant strides. Unfortunately, the rest may remain chronic sufferers or die.

The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders is a great resource for help and information regarding these eating disorders. They are free and have a hotline if anyone needs help.

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