Concept Paper - Eating Disorders

Concept Paper

Imagine waking up every morning, coping with the pain of rising up, you don't remember the last time you had a real full meal. Looking yourself in the mirror those voices in your head criticize you and say that you do not look good enough for the world, maybe you should lose a few more pounds. Imagine having to ignore your stomach grumbling, because even if you try to eat something you can't, your body refuses it. Imagine every time you stand up your vision gets blurry and you have to grab hold of something while your head is pounding. Just imagine not being able to go to the beach with your friends because even in 80 degree weather you get goose bumps. This is the true life for many women and some men around the world with eating disorders; it takes over your whole life. Today the idea of being beautiful has contributed too many young women forming preposterous body image expectations leading to eating disorders.

Eating disorders do not only have one cause. Eating disorders are complex conditions that arise from combination of long-standing behavioral, biological, emotional, psychological, interpersonal and social factors. Scientists and researchers are still learning about underlining causes of these emotionally and physically damaging conditions. According to NEDA (National Eating Disorder Association) some of the general issues that contribute to the development of eating disorders have been generalized. Some may argue that the media is not to be blamed for antagonizing eating disorders, but the influence of the media cannot be overseen. Young women in today's society deal with numerous body image problems, only to find that the media contributes overstate that to look good you must have the perfect body. All that is seen on the billboards are thin models; young women immediately see these pictures and seek to be unbelievably thin like them, not understanding that what they see is not completely real. Even in the entertainment industry; Nicole Richie, Ashlee Simpson, Mary-Kate Olson, and Sharon Osborne say they have battled and are still battling these disorders. With the struggle of the image of being "thin" in order to receive acceptance in the world possibly even love, clearly anyone can be a victim of eating disorders. The "public eye" seems to always be watching, making people's insecurities more noticeable. Sure the media itself did not bring forth eating disorders. However, eating disorders are reflected through someone's life and environment, which can be made worse through the media. While eating disorders may begin with the preoccupations with food and weight, they are most often about much more than food. People with eating disorders often use food and the control of foods in an attempt to compensate for feelings and emotions that may otherwise seem over-whelming.

According to NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) a person with an eating disorder may have started out just eating smaller or larger amounts of food than usual, but at some point, the urge to eat less or more spirals out of control. Eating disorders are very complex; the two main types of eating disorders