Eating Disorders: Nibbling Our Health

Eating disorder—a mental dilemma

One death every 52 minutes may sound like statistics for horrendous physical ailments filled with gory details, but these deaths are the result of those affected by eating disorders.

A disorder that's commonly brushed past and whose effects are often looked down upon due to the social stigma associated with it.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, "An eating disorder is a serious, complex, mental health issue that affects one's emotional and physical health. People with eating disorders develop an unhealthy relationship with food, their weight or appearance."

The condition ranges from the commonly known Bulimia nervosa to Pica and ARFID. It affects around 9% of the global population and mainly affects women ages 12 to 35.

The implication of eating disorder (ED) is a mental illness comes forth from the abnormal neural activity that surrounds these disorders in the shape of low self-esteem, anger, anxiety, and depression.

Why are they so rampant in Gen Z?

Social media has played a humongous role in the rampant increase of ED, which has put the affected Gen Z stats off the charts. The alternate window opens up an intricate realm of comparison and thoughtless spiral, leading to the user questioning.

Gen Z has been surrounded by social media networks from the start and has been thought to be the most affected by what happens on the internet.

From "what I eat in a day" to "healthy coke" stems the nuisance of projecting unrealistic body standards towards the viewer that make them spiral into an unhealthy relationship with food.

As unearthed by an NY Times article, "Within 30 minutes of joining TikTok, a 13-year-old encounters content related to eating disorder and self-harm."

What damage has been done?

These disorders don't only cause mental burdens but also hinder the physical homeostasis of the body, where individuals can experience dizziness, fatigue, constipation, and much more.

Affected individuals also suffer from social anxiety and are reluctant to be integrated into social activities. All in all, it can also develop into severe conditions such as arrhythmia, GERD, hypotension, and even neuropathy.

Social groups suffered a monetary loss of 2.1 billion, while individuals and families suffered a loss of 23.5 billion.

Types of eating disorders

Bulimia nervosa: This is characterized by binge eating, consuming low-calorie food, aka safe food, and then getting involved in purging behavior.

Anorexia Nervosa: This has the highest mortality for a psychiatric disorder after opioid disorder and is characterized by self-starvation cycles and increased obsession with reducing body weight.

Avoidant-restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID): Individuals with ARFID avoid or restrict food intake and do not get nutrients. This can be due to a negative experience, picky eating, or more.

Pica: The condition beckons the individual to consume nonfood-related material without nutritional value. This should last for one month to be diagnosed. This can include clay, rocks, paper, and other materials.

Westernization and ideal body issues in Asia

A theory that could suggest the reason for the Western image being the ideal status in Asia is the expansion of the West's technological, economic, and social advancements that seeped into the landscape of the Asian sphere.

The expansion exposed the Urban Asians to the Western media, which presented them with the ideal Western body that blurred the diversity of the Asian world and made them focus on the slim Western image ideal, which in turn has led to eating disorders and unhealthy relationships with food.

The stigma surrounding it

The shame surrounding eating disorders and other mental health problems puts the affected person in a psychological diaspora where they are not able to confide their issues with their loved ones. Hence, building environments and behaviors that don't shame talk around mental health and act as support groups is tremendously necessary.

How should the affected seek help?

The affected should consult a doctor to recognize the severity of their disorder and then manage it through inpatient, outpatient, and intensive outpatient therapy.

Upon treatment, affected individuals certainly are capable of leading a healthy lifestyle. People with the disorder should never forget their strength against the problem and not be deterred from sharing their stories.

Conclusion

Eating disorders have plagued society and gripped people that we love without us knowing about their struggles. Now, it's time to come out into the open, listen, and support those in our inner circles who need our help. People with eating disorders don't always appear to be going through a rough patch; even people with average body weight can go through it. It affects all races and all people, making it even more pressing for everyone to be humble and kind.