Eating Disorders, Body Image and Self-Esteem

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The average person sees 400 to 600 ads per day, and by the age of 17 has seen more than 250,000 commercial media images. Scenes, characters and products create an alternate world: A reality where the average woman is a size two (instead of the North American average of 10 or 12), where age 45 is the new 25 and 12 the new 16. Is it any wonder that eating disorders are on the rise?

Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of all mental illnesses. Many people don't seek help for themselves, or know how to recognize signs of eating disorders in loved ones. By educating yourself, your children and loved ones, you can learn to dispel the “perfect” body image and replace it with a healthy one.

Common Eating Disorders

The following eating disorders are broken into distinct categories for clarity, however it's not uncommon for people to have symptoms from two or three of these categories. Also, like other disorders, they fall on a continuum from slightly unhealthy to deadly behaviors.

Anorexia Nervosa. People suffering from anorexia nervosa literally starve themselves to lose weight, despite the fact that most are significantly underweight. Anorexia sufferers deny themselves of food and are terrified of gaining weight. This fear is both powerful and uncontrollable. Anorexia leads to serious health problems including bone loss, shrinking of vital organs and heart problems, which can lead to death.

Signs and symptoms of this disorder include:

• Dieting to extremes, sometimes coupled with purging
• Loss of menstrual periods
• Fixation on control
• Preoccupation with body weight
• Restricting food or types of food, and secrecy around food
• Depression, irritability and low self-esteem
• Withdrawn and compulsive behavior related to food
• Wearing layers of clothing or baggy clothing
• Withdrawing from social network
• Increase in stimulant use, such as coffee, cigarettes or drugs

Bulimia Nervosa. A person with bulimia binges, eats large amounts of food in a short period of time, then purges. Forms of purging include: vomiting, over-exercising, and using laxatives or diuretics. People with bulimia feel a loss of control during a binge, followed by shame or guilt afterwards.

Some warning signs of bulimia are:

• Eating large amounts of food in a short period of time
• Feeling ashamed about overeating and fear of weight gain
• Secrecy around food or “missing food”
• Repeated episodes of bingeing and purging
• Depression, loneliness, low self-esteem and shame
• Frequent visits to the washroom after meals
• Tooth yellowing/decay, scratches on hands
• Excessive exercising

Binge Eating Disorder. People with binge eating disorder eat large amounts of food over a short time period and can't stop eating. Unlike bulimia, no purging is involved. However, the same feelings of guilt, embarrassment and distress plague binge eaters. While women make up an estimated 90 per cent of anorexia and bulimia suffers, almost 50 per cent of binge eaters are men.

Signs to watch out for are:

• Steady weight gain
• Eating more quickly than normal
• Eating when there is no hunger
• Loss of control around food
• Depression and guilt
• Unexplained spending increase

Causes of Eating Disorders

No one factor causes an eating disorder: Typically layers of psychological, social and biological issues play a part in its emergence. Common factors that can increase the chances of developing an eating disorder include:

Biological. Studies suggest there may be a genetic link to anorexia, bulimia and binge eating. Recent research connects anorexia and bulimia to disturbances in the brain's level of dopamine and serotonin—chemicals related to mood, control of impulses and appetite. Other research found differences in the melanocortin 4 receptor gene, related to behavior, eating and obesity of binge eaters.

Psychological. Often a person with an eating disorder has trouble communicating and dealing with negative emotions such as anger, sadness and fear. Experts also point to low self-esteem and perfectionism—traits that ensure the person is never satisfied with him or herself. Depending on the eating disorder, the person may also display an overwhelming need to please others, a need for attention or a fear of self-sufficiency. Eating disorders are often correlated with obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety and depression.

Family. Guardians or relatives critical of a young person's weight or body shape can lead to low self-esteem and body image problems. Abuse survivors may also try to gain power over their environment by either controlling what they eat, or bingeing for comfort and weight gain.