In class, on Wednesday 10/2 there was some discussion about eating disorders that caught my attention. This topic has always intrigued me and feel there needs to be more discussion. When you think of eating disorders what do you picture? Most people picture a white anorexic female. However, this is just not the case for most. There is such a wide range of eating disorders that are harder to recognize. The truth is an eating disorder is simply if someone has a negative or unhealthy relationship with food. They are way more common than most people think and are not talked about enough. Because of the wide range, it can be difficult for healthcare workers to detect an eating disorder.
To start off, because many people associate eating disorders with young females, men are often forgotten about and underreported. Eating disorders are usually seen as a female issue so healthcare workers may frequently not recognize when a male has an eating disorder and not pay attention to the signs as much as they would for females. While women often try to be “thin” and focus on weight loss, men mostly focus on gaining muscle. Because of this difference, it is easier to miss the diagnosis of a male with an eating disorder. Men can struggle with eating disorders just as much as females. Men have a certain stigma around them, which can overall cause dismissive behaviors in a healthcare environment, so it is extremely important to look for signs of eating disorders in all patients.
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When it comes to eating disorders there are so many different kinds. The main types that everyone thinks of are anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating. However, there is so much more. An eating disorder can simply be “I ate so much for lunch today; I am going to skip dinner tonight”. It can be “I feel bloated today, I am going to try and avoid eating today. It can be anything regarding an unhealthy or negative perception of food. Just those little comments you make in your head about food can be harmful to you and toxic.
It is easy to overlook these eating disorders in health care. In some cases, you would never know someone is struggling with food. The truth is even if someone is eating little to nothing, they can still look healthy, and sometimes eating less can even make you gain weight which is why it is hard to detect. Individuals can look as healthy as they can be and still have an unhealthy relationship with food. Physical appearance does not always reflect what is happening internally. In fact, many people that struggle make it a point to hide it from others. They like what they are doing and do not want others to catch on and become concerned. Many people are secretive about their eating disorder. If an individual looks healthy and refrains from telling their doctor about their unhealthy eating habits, it makes it ten times more difficult to catch it.
Even though there can be a common stereotype with eating disorders, that is not the whole picture. In reality, they can span across any gender, race, and age group, and have a wide range of behaviors. So, what is the solution? People need to be more aware of the diversity of eating disorders and not have a certain stigma towards them, especially healthcare workers. Overall, individuals need to be more educated on this subject because of how common eating disorders actually are and so they can get the proper help they need.
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