What Are Eating Disorders ?

It is normal for children and  teenagers to be concerned about how they look , and to feel self-conscious to a degree about their body and weight.  Not only are they dealing with the dramatic changes during puberty but all the new social pressures that are common in today's ever growing Western Society.   Unfortunately for a growing number of individuals that concern has become an overwhelming obsession interfering with normal everyday  life and dangerously damaging vital body functions. 

Some eating disorders involve total starvation, some involve eating large quantities of food and vomiting and the use of laxatives and durectics .  Eating disorders are extremely complex and symptoms can vary from person to person but the one main similarity that they all generally have a  'Guilt facture regarding food '.

Food is generally used to cope with negative feelings such as sadness, shame, loneliness, boredom, anxiousness.   Where these feelings have originally evolved from is a separate issue to deal with when it comes to recovery.   It could be a reaction to a single event or a series of events that have slowly reinforced feelings and pressure that are unable to coped with. 

Can you touch it ?  no,  but it affects how you feel.  Can you see it ?  no , but its there when you look at yourself in a mirror or stand on a pair of scales.  Can you hear it ? sometimes , a voice

" You got to lose weight ,  look how fat you are !  that is disgusting, how can you let yourself get like that.   It's easy , your not going to eat (but i'm hungry) you can't eat breakfast (i ought to eat breakfast) you don't like eating breakfast , your to fat to be eating breakfast , you need to loose weight...(I want to eat, but I feel guilty , everything is out of control... )"