Eating disorders effect the lives of as many as three percent of
Asian girls and young women. One in three sufferers has anorexia
nervosa, while the remainder percent are boys and young men. About half
of women with bulimia first had anorexia.
And the problem is growing, In recent years experts across Asia have seen a steady rise of teenage girls starving themselves to lose weight. A psychiatrist says that my hospital saw 50 new eating-disorder cases last year, compared with 20. The situation is much the same in other places. Ten years ago, only one or two anorexics, now one new patient a month. Many are hospitalized. Experts agree, however, that eating disorders remain substantially under-recognized in Asia.
While women with anorexia restrict their food intake, women with bulimia react to districts by eating large amounts of food in an uncontrollable, often frenzied manner. But, like most women with anorexia, they are preoccupied with their weight and shape, and so force themselves to vomit after eating or use exercise amounts of laxatives or diuretics.
A better understanding of eating disorders and more comprehensive treatment mean that today people who suffer from these debilitating conditions are most likely to recover than in the past. Prognosis is good if the condition is recognized and treated early.
A chance remark about a women’s weight from a parent, coach or teacher can precipitate an eating disorder in someone who is emotionally vulnerable. A trauma such as the loss of a parent or sibling, a divorce or illness may also acts as a trigger. But the root causes are complex. Similarly a study of female students aged 17 to 22 in Singapore found that more than half wanted to be thinner and 46% regularly thought about dieting.
If girl lacks self-esteem, or feels powerless or helpless, losing weight becomes an achievement. It is something she can control. It is a reason to feel good about her. But if the underlying psychological problems are not dealt with, she will feel good about herself only for a short while. To experience that feeling again, she must lose more weight. Over controlling or emotional parents can make the situation worse. An eating disorder may also stem from sexual abuse. Anorexia and bulimia patients have revealed such experiences during therapy.
Both bulimics and anorexics are threatened with potentially fatal heart complications. In addition, starvation can cause a reduction in bone mass that later in life can put women at greater risk for osteoporosis. Vomiting, abuse of laxatives and water pills cause dangerous shifts in the body’s chemical balance.
And the problem is growing, In recent years experts across Asia have seen a steady rise of teenage girls starving themselves to lose weight. A psychiatrist says that my hospital saw 50 new eating-disorder cases last year, compared with 20. The situation is much the same in other places. Ten years ago, only one or two anorexics, now one new patient a month. Many are hospitalized. Experts agree, however, that eating disorders remain substantially under-recognized in Asia.
While women with anorexia restrict their food intake, women with bulimia react to districts by eating large amounts of food in an uncontrollable, often frenzied manner. But, like most women with anorexia, they are preoccupied with their weight and shape, and so force themselves to vomit after eating or use exercise amounts of laxatives or diuretics.
A better understanding of eating disorders and more comprehensive treatment mean that today people who suffer from these debilitating conditions are most likely to recover than in the past. Prognosis is good if the condition is recognized and treated early.
A chance remark about a women’s weight from a parent, coach or teacher can precipitate an eating disorder in someone who is emotionally vulnerable. A trauma such as the loss of a parent or sibling, a divorce or illness may also acts as a trigger. But the root causes are complex. Similarly a study of female students aged 17 to 22 in Singapore found that more than half wanted to be thinner and 46% regularly thought about dieting.
If girl lacks self-esteem, or feels powerless or helpless, losing weight becomes an achievement. It is something she can control. It is a reason to feel good about her. But if the underlying psychological problems are not dealt with, she will feel good about herself only for a short while. To experience that feeling again, she must lose more weight. Over controlling or emotional parents can make the situation worse. An eating disorder may also stem from sexual abuse. Anorexia and bulimia patients have revealed such experiences during therapy.
Both bulimics and anorexics are threatened with potentially fatal heart complications. In addition, starvation can cause a reduction in bone mass that later in life can put women at greater risk for osteoporosis. Vomiting, abuse of laxatives and water pills cause dangerous shifts in the body’s chemical balance.
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