| Subject: an attempt at a response |
Author:
red_candle
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Date Posted: 19:15:07 09/07/04 Tue
In reply to:
Brandon
's message, "What is the core problem of people with eating disorders?" on 14:39:10 09/07/04 Tue
i just came from my abnormal psych class where we talked about eating disorders a little bit... and it has me thinking. to say there is a "core" problem would be too simple. i remember being little and seeing movies on TV about anorexia and bulimia and thinking how strange it was. i didnt understand how girls (and boys) could not eat, or why they would choose not to. it was such a foreign concept to me. but i think even then there was a part of me that was fascinated by thier willpower; intrigued even. i wasn't scared of their emaciated bodies (as they always make sure that the girls they interview look classically 'anorexic') instead i identified with the shutting off of all outward emotions, having control over yourself, denying access of your problems to anyone else. having an eating disorder, to me, is like setting up a new self-contained life. you have a secret that feels good to have, and maybe more importantly an aspect of your life that is determined by your willpower. however, that's also where the problems begin. no one's willpower is strong all of the time, and sometimes physical needs will overpower mental determination. the hunger becomes secondary. it's a battle, a struggle, and it has a very confusing and tangled core. i believe that people with disordered eating have some sort of genetic predisposition towards it in some regards (it has been suggested that our seratonin levels are out of whack, though establishing a cause/effect relationship is not really possible), but it doesn't stop there. in addition to being at risk for developing an ED, there also have to be environmental stressors that encourage it along. unless we consider the combination of environment and genetics, there is no complete answer. for instance, my mom suffers from various mental disorders, which puts me at a higher risk for developing them myself. but i am not "predestined" to acquire them. if i were rasied differently, chances are that i may not have an ED. but because i had a rough childhood, was molested, don't feel that i can confide in either of my parents, etc; i now have low self esteem, issues with sex, disordered eating habits... the list goes on. i'm sure a lot of us on this board could write books about our childhoods, our teenage years, and on into adulthood that would be filled with the traumas we have suffered. but on the other hand, we are stronger the more that we know. learning about why we act this way gives us courage to confront our pasts, and maybe understand our eating (and other) disorders a bit better. not that we can change overnight. maybe never. but anyway the point im trying to make is that looking for a core problem is the wrong way to go about it. by understanding that 'anorexics' and 'bulimics' are just people--yes, maybe a little abnormal, and maybe scary to outsiders--but still people, only then can you come at the issue from a multidisciplinary standpoint. eating disorders are personal, social, genetic, environmental--and culturally and racially blind. with as many people as they effect, there are bound to be just as many triggers, just as many reasons...and for some those reasons are still unidentified.
i know i cant speak for everyone here, but this is how i feel. (i also know i tend to use a very 'universal' tone when writing that may seem to include everyone and gloss over things a bit.) i'm really interested to know how other people view their EDs. do you guys think your eating habits are the result of a specific thing? maybe developing an ED could be a post-traumatic stress reaction?
phew, ok. didn't mean to type THIS much! i hope all of you are doing well, whatever your goals.
xo
nicole
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