It is an eating disorder that causes serious behavior changes. In severe cases, it can also end up in heart and kidney problems. It can be treated by monitoring and getting nutritional counseling. Some of its popular myths are stated below.
Eating disorder is nothing to worry about as it is not an illnessAlmost every person believes that eating disorder is a simple phenomena and it will cease to exist with time. This gave birth to the myth that it is not at all a disease. So, there is hardly any need to worry when a person suffers from such a disorder. But, the reality is that the above statement is completely a myth. It is a serious psychiatric illness. The research of the American Psychiatric Association reveals that it is a serious mental disorder. It further indicates the presence of a serious biologic basis. Moreover, eating disorder signs signify prevalence of other parallel mental ailments in the individual, such as depression, anxiety, phobia, stress, frustration, etc.Eating disorder is not a commonly occurring conditionMost people believe that cases of eating disorder are found very sparingly. Thus, they refer to this disease as an uncommon one. But, the reality is entirely different. Eating disorder signs prevail in different forms all over the world, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, etc. As many as 15 percent cases of North American females were reported to be suffering from anorexia in a recent survey. Further, the studies reveal that nearly 7 percent of US citizens suffer from bulimia at some point of their life, while 5 percent suffer from undiagnosed bulimia. Similarly, the sufferers of binge eating disorder range from 0.7 percent to 4 percent. Thus, the statistics present that it is not at all a rare disease.Only females suffer from eating disordersA classical myth suggests that only females are the victims of eating disorder. But, there is no truth in this statement at all. Male population can be equally affected by the disease as that of females. It was found in a survey that among the cases of eating disorder in teenagers, one fourth was that of males. A further report of the National Collegiate Athletic Association of United States is even more surprising. Among the cases of eating disorder found in the association, 7 percent were those of male athletes. Basically, women readily come to the forefront with the problem in search of consultation and treatment while men hide it most of the time. This gives an impression that men do not suffer from the same.If you see a person starving intentionally you can conclude he/she is a victim of eating disorderPeople often associate eating disorder with starvation. Thus, most cases of eating disorder go unnoticed as most of them do not starve at all. But, this is simply a myth. Eating disorder is never synonymous with starvation. Victims of eating disorder do eat, but not properly. While some of them eat low calorie foods, others eat very meager quantity, some others consume very strange diet while some of them eat a full meal and vomit it out. The nature of eating disorder is very individualistic, but the basic overview is that all of them suffer from malnutrition.Normal dieting in adolescence is never a sign of eating disorderIt is quite true the people become very conscious about themselves and their physique when they reach adolescence. Thus, they start dieting and rigorous physical training. While this is not at all a sign of eating disorder, teenage is the time when the disease develops the most. So, the statement is a myth. Fad dieting and extreme consciousness of body image or family history of eating disorder must never be overlooked among teenagers as they are major triggers of the disease.Subclinical eating disorder is nothing to worry aboutSubclinical signs of eating disorder are equally alarming as eating disorder. A full blown eating disorder can be prevented if the symptoms are checked at the subclinical stage. It is true that subclinical eating disorders do not fulfill all the criteria of the disease. But, some of the indications like extreme awareness of physique, intentional and frequent vomiting, crash dieting, totally cutting out of carbohydrates and fats, excessive strenuous exercises, etc., should never be overlooked as they may show up as eating disorder over time.If a man suffers from eating disorder he is a gayThere is an extreme falsehood in the statement that men who suffer from eating disorder are gay. This disease does not have any connection with the sexual orientation of an individual. It is quite true that men are more inclined towards building of body mass while women tend to be slimmer. So, fewer men are affected with the disease than females. But, men do suffer from the same due to physiological factors or outcome of family history. Thus, there is no reason to think that a man who is a victim of eating disorder is probably gay.
