Stigma of ED

[bisolvon]

This post/article (18.05.11) made me think:

"The Stigma Of Eating Disorders & Setting Stereotypes StraightBy MARGARITA TARTAKOVSKY

Comments

[acid_gloss]

Actually, out of the four conditions listed above I only agree with the last two.
Eating disorders do exist at higher rates of prevalence in different cultures, certainly. The idea that it does not is rather insulting to different societies as it relates to the globalization of the American (Western) psyche. The standards are not the same worldwide.

lol I don't really like what the fumdamentals of this argument but the meat of it is understandable.

[spiderpiggle]

i agree!

[ex_lovedisc]

By "biologically based", I think she meant something more like about how it affects you. Eating disorders affect you psychologically, obviously, but the physical damage that comes from them is far greater than the psychological--most of the psychological damage has already been done, before the eating disorder was even fully developed. Because soon after she says that, about it being biologically based, she mentions things like cancer, and other physical illnesses and how much attention and sympathy they get. Well, eating disorders wreak just as much havoc as any other physical illness (maybe cancer is not the best example, seeing as it can't be directly cured: but it can be directly treated, like eating disorders).

That's just my opinion about what she meant, even if her choice of words was way off and weird. Making yourself vomit 10 times a day is going to affect you in a VERY BIG WAY biologically, which will eventually get to your brain, and is obviously making you ignore your emotions... but it just does it's damage in a more

[87_degrees]

I think part of the problem is that the majority of people only know the cliches. To them, anorexia means a priviledged, teenaged girl refusing to eat and bulimia means someone eating big meals and then throwing them up to avoid gaining weight.

The cliches don't include any of the potential mental symptoms, such as the depression, self-hatred or obsessive compulsive behaviour regarding food and exercise.

The cliches also don't include the varients. Such as people who eat normally but who are addicted to exercise. Or non-purging bulimia. Or the huge range of symptom combinations that get summed up as "ednos."

People have a mental picture of an eating disorder sufferer and it's that emaciated anorexia sufferer who just wanted to fit into a smaller dress. The mental picture doesn't include everything else.

[head_ology]

I get some pretty disgusted/shocked looks from complete strangers when bingeing in public and being visibly underweight I feel people are possibly more likely to know I'm bulimic.
Everyone back home knows about my ED but I'm too scared to mention it to anyone where I live right now because I have no clue how people will react. Instead I talk vaguely about health problems/nutritional deficiencies. I feel hugely ashamed and guilty of my ED and the amount of effort I put into hiding it from people is exhausting.