Eating Disorders Awareness

I don’t think this applies to Canada but it should! In the USA it is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (Feb 26-March 3). I want to spread awareness but I really know nothing about eating disorders so would not be the right person to speak about it.

I did go through short (like days or a week) periods of fasting in order to punish myself but I’ve never had an eating disorder. I know a few amazing women who have survived anorexia and bulimia so I have a a basic understanding of how debilitating the disorders can be.

Due to my lack of experience with eating disorders I’ll use helpful resources to help spread awareness!

• 1.5% of Canadian women aged 15 – 24 years had an eating disorder.
• Lifetime prevalence rates for Anorexia, Bulimia, and Binge Eating Disorder tend to be higher among women than in men.
• A genetic predisposition may play a role in a sensitivity to develop Anorexia, with environmental factors being the trigger.
• It is not uncommon for people suffering with Anorexia to waver through periods of Bulimia.
• Men and women suffering Bulimia are usually aware they have an eating disorder. 
• It is important to realize that what makes a person Bulimic — as opposed to Anorexic — is not the purging, but the cycle of binging and purging.
• 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.
• A person suffering with Binge Eating Disorder is at health risk for a heart attack, high blood-pressure and cholesterol, kidney disease and/or failure, arthritis and bone deterioration, and stroke. 

http://www.something-fishy.org/

For more exact information on what each of the disorders are check out http://www.dsm5.org for the newest additions to the diagnoses.

Please feel free to share your experiences with eating disorders in the comment box