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Not "Sick Enough"
"NOT SICK ENOUGH"This is a quite common belief among people with eating disorders, because often the degree of severity of the disorder is judged erroneously by a person's appearance and weight. As a result, many people with eating disorders fail to seek adequate treatment, or any treatment at all, because they believe they are not sick enough to need help. Also, in considering the distorted body image that comes with an eating disorder, the sufferer may feel and see themselves as normal or overweight when in fact they are not.The misconception of not being "sick enough" isn't just found in individuals with the eating disorder, but can also be perceived by family, friends, and medical care providers. Friends and family may believe that their friend or loved one is "ok" or doing "better" because they look 'healthier' or don't look sick or emaciated. When others view someone with an eating disorder this way, it discourages them from seeking help. Additionally, medical care providers are not adequately trained for the diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders. They may wrongly perceive someone as being ok just because they do not appear emaciated or because their bloodwork is not abnormal.
Denial
DENIALThe issue of denial can also correlate with the belief that "I'm not seek enough to need/deserve treatment". If an individual with an eating disorder doesn't see themselves as controlled by their ED, and if they aren't absolutely miserable with it, then that could lead to denial. Sufferers may also look to those around them to dictate how ill they are, and if it is not seen as a serious problem then they may convince themselves that it's really not that bad.Denial can also be experience by family members and friends. They may not want to believe that it is truly happening, or that it is something that needs attention.While considering the amount of press eating disorders get, you may think it impossible that someone wouldn't know what is going on, but to this day many have little/no knowledge of ED's. Someone may be suffering and not know it, which could lead to denial. Or, they may know all about eating disorders, but not see themselves in the same light. I did not know what was wrong with me when I was younger and only later did I discover eating disorders. Even then , I didn't think I was anorexic, because I didn't realize that I was in fact, emaciated.Most people don't want to admit that something is wrong, or that it could be so bad that it warrants medical attention.
Diagnostic Criteria
DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIAThe diagnostic criteria for eating disorders, specifically anorexia, has been a prominent issue for sufferers and psychiatric care providers. Often doctors who know little to nothing about eating disorders rely soley upon the criteria listed in the DSM-IV to diagnose someone who may have an eating disorder.The two most problematic "requirements" are the loss of menstrual cycle and weight of the individual. Usually, if these two components are missing, an individual would be diagnosed with "ED-NOS" rather than anorexia.There are many cases of individuals with anorexia who do NOT lose their menstrual cycle, even when severely underweight. Does that make them any less a sufferer of anorexia? NO. The weight requirement brings up a number of issues. First, it can perpetuate the disorder by making sufferers feel "not thin enough". Second - an individual can be underweight, but due to the diagnostic criteria a physician may rule their illness as less severe because their weight is not below a certain percentage. Lastly, due to recovery and times of struggle, weight may fluctuate, and medical care providers may cause feelings of "inadequacy" in those with anorexia who have gained weight but are in need of treatment. Also, there are individuals who have lost large percentages of body weight, but are not considered underweight, and due to the criteria, they may not be diagnosed at all.You may go here to sign the petition to the APA to change the diagnostic criteria for Anorexia Nervosa. A revision to the DSM-IV is underway and is tentatively scheduled to be released in 2012. To learn more about this , visit the APA's website.
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