Eating Disorders

Considering how serious eating disorders can be, you may be panicking if you believe that someone you know might have one.  Whether the person is a friend or your child, the thought that he or she may have a potentially life-threatening condition may have you in the position of not knowing what to do.  For that matter, you may even be wondering if you yourself might have one of these problems.

The two main points of focus in all eating disorders are an abnormal attitude toward food and extremely unhealthy eating patterns.  It is essential to bear in mind, however, that almost every person has his or her own individual tastes and “quirks,” so it is unwise to be too quick to conclude that the person has a true eating disorder.  The safest and most accurate way of arriving at a diagnosis is only with the assistance of a health care professional. 

If you have the concern that someone may have an eating disorder, you can see if the person falls into those categories.  It is not really difficult to recognize those factors;  it is much different from the general “dieting” which most women and teenaged girls do at some point in time, or having the habit of preferring favorite foods and snacks, which is also normal.  The most basic way of considering whether something is an actual eating disorder or not is that the person will “either” place severe restrictions on her food intake, “or” have little or no concern whatsoever about her consumption of food. 

These include a wide range of factors such as refusing to eat enough to keep one's body functioning properly, eating solely on whim, and becoming ill as a result of what or when one eats.  While each eating disorder encompasses its own particular characteristics, an abnormal attitude toward what one puts into one's system sums up the majority of these problems.  For example, there is quite a difference between restricting the amount of one's daily caloric intake in order to achieve weight loss, and being afraid to eat at all;  and quite a difference between occasionally enjoying favored treats, and basing one's entire diet on one or two specific food items. 

If you feel that someone you know may have an eating disorder, take a look at his or her approach to the subject of food.  It is not difficult to see the differences between personal choices and a true problem. 
 

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