Eating Disorders

Young and gorgeous Anna Wood had so much going for her. She was a great student with dreams of becoming an architect. However, there was one thing that got in the way of her and her goals in life; Anorexia. What started as a post-Christmas diet turned out to be a vicious disease. Within a year, anorexia took over her life and the young, gorgeous Anna Wood soon became Anna Wood, the dead girl that missed out on so much life. This is one of many cases that an eating disorder has taken over the life of individuals to the point of death. In today's society, everyone seems to believe that body image is key to success and happiness. It was discovered that eating disorders affect up to 70 million people worldwide. This is an increasing issue in the world today due to such high standards of your body image. Although it is important to be fit and healthy, "solutions" such as anorexia or bulimia are not the answer. Eating disorders are not the resolution in weight loss; they are malicious diseases that kill.


Statics show that 8% of adolescents and young women are starving and excising themselves to death. Anorexia is an eating disorder characterized by noticeably reduced appetite or aversion to food completely. This disorder is not something you can just “snap out of;” it is a physiological disorder that can be deadly. Many people who strive to lose weight tend to make the statement “I wish I was anorexic,” but what they fail to comprehend is the melancholy of the disease. Your mind changes as you become a victim of this sickness. Your thoughts are possessed by the constant consideration of what you should eat, how many calories that food contains, and how that will affect your weight and body image. Anorexia can cause damage to vital organs such as your kidneys, heart, or brain. People suffering from this can easily experience irregular heart rhythms and even heart failure. Although those are often causes of death from this illness, the most frequent cause is suicide. Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric illness.


Anorexia is only one of the many deadly eating disorders. Bulimia is also very life threatening. Research shows that 5% of adolescents in the world suffer from this disorder. Bulimia is characterized by episodes of binge eating followed by inappropriate methods of weight control. This includes vomiting, fasting, enemas, excessive use of laxatives, or compulsive exercise. The strange thing with Bulimia however, is that individuals who suffer from this can maintain a perfectly normal weight or possibly be overweight. Researchers aren’t exactly sure what the cause of this sickness is but it is believed that it has to do with low self-esteem problems. There are many side effects that come along with this disorder ranging from teeth erosion to stomach ulcers. Irregular heart beat and heart attack are also some severe medical complications. Along with anorexia, this eating disorder also creates a greater risk for suicidal behavior.


Eating disorders are deadly. Look back at Anna Wood; all she intended for was a post-Christmas diet but what she got herself tangled in was much more dangerous than what she anticipated. Although anorexia and bulimia are not the only fatal eating disorders in the world today, they do seem to be the most common of them all. If you know anyone with an eating disorder, the first step to take is to talk to them privately. If that doesn't have any impact on them, take the next step to speak with a guardian or counselor before it’s too late. Don’t just sit back and watch loved ones harm themselves. Make a difference.