Overeating is not an eating disorder.
The Silent Suffering
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Get some control. You can choose to not do this.
You just want attention.
It' is All About Food
She'll eat when she's hungry.
You can't exercise too much.
You can't die from bulimia.
People with eating disorders are narcissistic.
But you don't look sick.
Myths &
Misconceptions
Myth: Eating disorders are primarily about food.
It's not about food!
It's not about weight!
Eating disorders are MENTAL DISORDERS. Someone with an eating disorder may use food to comfort themselves or may control their food intake to numb painful feelings or emotions. Food is the visual display of a deep, emotional suffering which otherwise is probably never voiced. Yes, food and behaviors are a part of eating disorders, but they are the physical manifestation of the REAL issues at hand - self esteem, depression, body image, stress, physical/emotional pain, approval, validation...
Of course food and weight an appearance play a role, but to make eating disorders all about food is to call them a diet, which they certainly are not.
Myth: Body size is the best indicator of an eating disorder.
This one is a personal pet peeve of mine. Many illnesses are not visible externally and you would never know their pain without knowing the person. Think of how insensitive this myth is. We all know appearances can be deceiving, and an eating disorder is not always evident by a person's appearance/weight. A low weight is part of the diagnostic criteria for anorexia, but a person with bulimia could be underweight, overweight, or average weight. Someone with BED will typically be overweight/obese. You cannot always 'size someone up'.
Appearance isn't always an indicator of exact weight, or health. You can be thin and unhealthy, eating disordered or not. And because the body is impacted by eating disorder behaviors, of course their will be weight changes. When someone with anorexia gains weight, it doesn't mean that they no longer have an eating disorder. You never know what someone may be going through, even if you know them well. Eating disorders are by nature very secretive. Internal turmoil and pain cannot always be visualized.
Source:
http://eatingdisorders.suite101.com/article.cfm/5_eating_disorder_myths#ixzz0KGCEx2Lv&D
Myth: Only teenage girls have eating disorders.
WRONG. People of all ages struggle with eating disorders. Eating disorders may often begin during the teen years, but that doesn't mean that it always happens that way. I was six years old when I first developed ED behaviors, though no one knew, and I am currently 25. There are many older women who struggle with eating disorders, and there are also many cases of men with eating disorders being reported.
Myth: People with anorexia don't eat anything. Or, "I can't have anorexia, I eat too much".
First of all, as I mentioned earlier - eating, food, behaviors - all that is not what an eating disorder is really about. That may not make sense to those of you who don't know much about eating disorders. People naturally look at the exterior when you hear mention of an eating disorder, especially anorexia. Weight and eating behaviors are indicators that something is wrong, but in itself they are not the real issue.
People with anorexia don't just restrict, but they also avoid certain fear foods. Eating disorders in general also can be very secretive so all may appear well on the outside but in actuality things are not ok.
At one time in my life, I was convinced that I was "ok". I had already been inpatient twice and had been doing outpatient for years. I was in college. I had friends. I put a smile on my face. I was actively involved. I went to every meal and got something. In reality, I was indeed going to every meal but I was eating little to nothing at them. And when I was alone, I was in agony, tortured by my eating disorder, but I kept my struggle hidden. Of course, this didn't go without notice forever.
People with eating disorders limit intake of things such as fat and carbs, and they do often restrict calories, but much of this obsession is kept secret. Sometimes we convince ourselves and others that we are just being healthy. We can also put on a show for ourselves and others, because we don't want others involved or we want our struggles to remain a secret.
You may see someone with an eating disorder eating "normally", but you don't know what is going on when you are not there, and you certainly cannot see inside and know the struggle they are experiencing. They may eat "normally", but it may be all they have the entire day, or days. They may also act on behaviors.
Alway remember, appearances can be deceiving.
Myth: People with eating disorders act this way to hurt the people who hurt them.
Eating disorders are not about acting up or lashing out. Typically, a person with an eating disorder feels even worse when others are hurt or harmed as a result of their illness. It's not about revenge or afflicting others. Eating disorders develop due to deep seated emotional, physical, or spiritual difficulties.
Eating disorders are sometimes connected with various forms of abuse. But, this isn't always the case. Even when they are connected, they aren't developed to get back at someone. It's not something you just set out to have. Often, people with eating disorders are stereotyped as bratty or spoiled. An eating disorder isn't an attempt to manipulate or hurt. It is an illness.
Families and loved ones can also feel as though they are being 'hurt' by someone with an eating disorders. Those who struggle with eating disorders are not out to hurt everyone. Our goal in life is not to make others as uncomfortable and miserable as possible, or to inconvenience everyone. Don't tell someone with an eating disorder that they are 'ruining your life' [this will only make them feel worse about themselves, and perpetuate the disorder]. Think about how insensitive this myth is. Eating disorders are illnesses, and illnesses are difficult to cope with all around. Mental disorders can often be more difficult on some levels since the effects are not always visible.
Myth: Eating disorders are a 'phase'.
Myth: They'll eat if they get hungry enough.
"Just eat. This might be your intuitive response to someone who refuses food - or to someone who's bingeing, just stop eating. These are among the least helpful comments you can make to someone with an eating disorder. Eating disorders have complex causes and can't be willed away. If you are struggling with disordered eating, don't deceive yourself that you can stop anytime - or beat yourself up for failing to do so. Find someone who can help."
http://eatingdisorders.suite101.com/article.cfm/5_eating_disorder_myths#ixzz0KG8t8hPx&D
Myth: You're doing this because you want attention.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Myth: People with eating disorders are vain or narcissistic.
Myth: Overeating is not an eating disorder.
Myth: Eating disorders are diets.
Myth: There is no such thing as too much exercise.
Exercise, in moderation, is a good, healthy practice. Too much exercise, however, can cause serious medical issues. [Visit here & here for more information on compulsive exercise and its consequences.]
Myth: People who compulsively overeat are lazy.
Taken from the Something Fishy Website:
"People suffering with Compulsive Overeating have what is characterized as an "addiction" to food, using food and eating as a way to hide from their emotions, to fill a void they feel inside, and to cope with daily stresses and problems in their lives.
People suffering with this Eating Disorder tend to be overweight, are usually aware that their eating habits are abnormal, but find little comfort because of society's tendency to stereotype the "overweight" individual. Words like, "just go on a diet" are as emotionally devastating to a person suffering Compulsive Overeating as "just eat" can be to a person suffering Anorexia. A person suffering as a Compulsive Overeater is at health risk for a heart attack, high blood-pressure and cholesterol, kidney disease and/or failure, arthritis and bone deterioration, and stroke.
Men and Women who are Compulsive Overeaters will sometimes hide behind their physical appearance, using it as a blockade against society (common in survivors of sexual abuse). They feel guilty for not being "good enough," shame for being overweight, and generally have a very low self-esteem... they use food and eating to cope with these feelings, which only leads into the cycle of feeling them ten-fold and trying to find a way to cope again. With a low self esteem and often constant need for love and validation he/she will turn to obsessive episodes of binging and eating as a way to forget the pain and the desire for affection."
Compulsive overeating isn't about lazing around all day, hand to mouth. There is a reason behind the behavior, just as with restricting and purging.
Myth: Purging = Vomiting.
There are many methods of purging, and self-induced vomiting is one of them, but it is not the only one. Compulsive exercise, laxative abuse, diuretic abuse - these are all purging behaviors.
While I am on the topic of purging, I would like to add that it is also a myth that purging = bulimia. To be considered bulimic, you must have binge & purge behaviors present. Many individuals with anorexia purge, and they are still considered to have anorexia, not bulimia. There is something called "bulimarexia", which is basically an alternation between both disorders.
Myth: Bulimia is not life-threatening.
For some odd reason, people tend to associate medical complications and death due to an eating disorder with emaciation. Countless people have died from eating disorders, and they have been individuals of all sizes. Bulimia can cause serious harm (or even death). To learn more about the damages of bulimia, visit here.
Kristin Watt [normal weight bulimic] died at age 14
Sarah Siskin
Myth: Eating disorders are not diseases.
A Genetic Link To Anorexia
Eating Disorders and Genetics
Eating disorders have diagnostic criteria, causes, symptoms, medical complications.
Various levels of treatment are available.
There is a strong connection between eating disorders and genetics.
You can die from an eating disorder.
Someone with an eating disorder cannot just eat or change their behaviors any easier than a person with schizophrenia can make delusions disappear. Eating disorders are illnesses, not lifestyles, not diets.
Myth: You can make a choice to do better. You are in control of this.
Actually, there comes a point to where the eating disorder is in control. You cannot expect someone with an eating disorder to flip a switch in their brain and all to be well. In no way am I rendering the sufferer as helpless. You have to be an active participant in recovery. But, if it were a choice, if it were able to be controlled, then people wouldn't die waiting to receive treatment, and there'd be no need for residential facilities to help an individual recovery. Help is necessary.
Myth: The media causes eating disorders.
They certainly don't help. But, they are not the cause, either. People struggle with eating disorders for various reasons. Media and society play a role, but they are not the cause. Tabloids and media certainly do send a negative example considering the glamorization of thinness which often adds fuel to the flame, but they do not cause someone to develop an eating disorder. I wish that I could change the images and standards that we are daily exposed to. No doubt, they are unrealistic and harmful. But, to say that society and the media cause eating disorders is to grossly misunderstand what eating disorders are.
Eating disorders are not diets or merely a manifestation of vanity. They are mental disorders. There is a lot going on in the life of an individual who struggles and causes and triggers really depend on the person.
An individual is genetically predisposed to develop an eating disorder. My ED thoughts and behaviors started at age 6. I did not know about eating disorders. I didn't wake up and decide to be anorexic. I didn't see a thin celebrity and decide I wanted to be like them. As I grew older, celebrities, magazines, movies, and TV certainly influenced me and my thinking, but it did not cause me to develop anorexia. The level of influence that our society has on an individuals' struggle is as unique as the person is.
Myth: Physicians and medical care practitioners are adequately informed regarding eating disorders and know how to diagnose them.
RARELY do medical providers outside of those who regularly treat eating disorders have any kind of knowledge of them aside from basic information in medical or psychological manuals. Some of my most triggering experiences have occurred at the doctor's office. Even some therapists don't know much if they haven't treated eating disorders. A medical care provider don't always know when someone has an eating disorder, and they won't always know how to treat it.
Myth: Fat free, low carb foods are 'healthy'.
If your diet is composed of only fat free foods, or only low carb, or 'only' any type of food, then it is actually quite unhealthy. You need fats, carbohydrates, protein, vegetables, and so on, to LIVE. Fat is necessary to your diet and is required for the function of vital organs, including your brain. Any food, not matter what it is, when in a balanced diet, shouldn't be labeled as bad or unhealthy. While it is a good thing to want to eat healthy or organic foods, unfortunately it may sometimes encourage poor eating habits. B-A-L-A-N-C-E is key. You can read more about Orthorexia here.
Overeaters are just lazy.
You're too old to have an eating disorder.
It's just a phase.
Insert text here
Purging = Vomiting
Anorexics don't eat.
Eating disorders are not diseases.
You're just trying to hurt me.
Eating disorders are caused by the media
Eating disorders are diets.
Medical doctors know what they need to know about eating disorders.
Fat free, low carb foods are healthy