Written by: Celine Yang
Artwork by: Jiwhan Lee
The relationship between our mental health and eating disorders
An eating disorder is a condition in which we have negative feelings about the food we eat. It affects a large number of people, including women, men, and children of all ages and colors. People with anorexia, a type of eating disorder, frequently perceive themselves as overweight when they are not. This is normally reserved for women. They watch television, and movies, read magazine articles, and look at images of superstars they aspire to be like because they possess the "ideal body". While people try to be what they see in the media, many fall victim to eating disorders as they starve themselves to avoid the negative feelings they get from eating. This can be very detrimental to their health as it can cause fluctuation in mood or lead to anxiety.
Who are the ones suffering?
People who have eating disorders continuously monitor their daily food intake and what they eat. They constantly check their weight on a scale to make sure they haven't put on any more weight. Anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating are a few of the most prevalent types of eating disorders. People who suffer from anorexia worry excessively about their weight and the foods they consume. Anorexics watch their weight, consume very little food, and exercise nonstop for hours at a time. They limit the number of calories they consume each day. There is a misconception that a person with an eating disorder is easy to spot. In actuality, it’s not. Although they may appear to be in good health on the outside, they may actually be in pain. Bulimia Nervosa is still another. When a person has this type of disorder, they binge eat and then later self-induce vomiting. Bulimics frequently lack self-control when they are eating. They frequently overeat and then try to "feel better" by throwing up the food they consumed. The final example is binge eating. People who suffer from this severe, perhaps fatal disease frequently eat a lot of food all at once. All of these are potentially fatal, but once a person identifies them, they can receive treatment. Since admitting to this issue might be challenging, many people choose to keep their troubles hidden for a long time.
Impacts of Eating Disorders:
Eating disorders not only affect one’s physical well-being but also affects people’s mental health. For instance, anorexia may have a detrimental effect on one’s mental well-being. The brain is impacted by starvation, which results in mood swings, inflexible thinking, anxiety, and decreased appetite. In those who are more susceptible, starvation and weight loss may alter how the brain functions, which could prolong restrictive eating patterns and make it challenging to resume regular eating habits. Mentally draining many teenagers, anorexia is a prominent problem that is both physically and mentally inflicting.
Getting out of this cycle:
The good news is that you can unlearn the behaviors you've acquired. Anyone can get an eating disorder, and anyone can recover from one as well. But resolving an eating disorder involves more than just quitting bad eating habits. It's also about rediscovering who you are outside of your eating patterns, weight, and body image and discovering new ways to deal with emotional suffering. Because I am not a health professional, I do not have the qualifications to recommend treatment. But here are some credible sources that may help you in the journey of overcoming your eating disorders:
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