Experts are using National Eating Disorders Awareness Week as a time to educate the public about the warning signs and dangers associated with these diseases.
“It is estimated that approximately 10 million women and 1 million men suffer from some type of eating disorder,” said Susan Elaine, a psychotherapist with ETSU Physicians and Associates. “These disorders don’t ‘just go away,’ and they require professional help.”
According to Elaine, the main eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, which is characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss; bulimia nervosa, a condition in which a person binge eats and then self-induces vomiting; binge eating disorder, characterized by recurrent binge eating; and eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS), which is a category of a disorder that does not meet the criteria for any specific eating disorder.
“These disorders can do tremendous damage and can even be life-threatening. The lack of food and excessive purging and laxative use weakens the body, causing the person to become unhealthy. Because the brain cannot function well, thinking and perception are compromised,” she said. “They also take a toll on a person’s emotional health and self-esteem.
“If you are a parent and suspect your child has an eating disorder, then you need to have your child seen by his or her pediatrician.
“If this involves a friend or family member, it is important that you share your concerns and help them get help. Be supportive.”
Elaine said that an effective treatment program involves medical, nutritional and psychological care.
“Just telling them to eat or stop purging doesn’t stop the problem,” she said.
For more information about the treatment of eating disorders, visit the Northeast Tennessee branch of the Eating Disorders Coalition of Tennessee at www.edct.net/northeast.aspx.
Students can also contact ETSU Physicians and Associates-Psychiatry at (423) 439-8000.
The Eating Disorders Awaremess Week began Feb 23 and will continue through March 3.

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