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Blogs by Christine Amsden
Eating Disorders 10/27/2006 7:46:05 AM
If you read my novel, you'll notice that many of my characters suffer from eating disorders of one kind of another. One is anorexic, another is bulimic, and a third has an unofficial eating disorder that I truly believe exists – sometimes called overeating disorder or compulsive overeating disorder (you can look it up on the internet for information).
We hear about these diseases from time to time on slow news days, usually squashed between dieting commercials and surrounded by advice on how to lose weight, get healthy, and stay fit.
What a sad irony.
An eating disorder is a lonely, silent killer. Peer pressure may even convince a girl to start, but in the end she suffers alone. Make no mistake – these disorders are deadly. The mortality rate for anorexia is 25% -- that is to say that 1 out of every 4 anorexics will die from the disease. Bulimia is deadly as well, although it is more difficult to gather numbers on this since the death usually appears heart related and since bulimics show no outward signs of their disorder – they tend to be average or slightly above average in size. And of course, even an overeating disorder can kill you, in the end, through blocked arteries and a heart that can’t keep up with the extra pounds.
These diseases, like many mental problems, are often overlooked because the perception is that the victim is weak or bringing the problem on him or herself. This is simply not true and it is a disservice to people who may otherwise be able to get the help and treatment they need if it weren’t for the shame they fear.
If you have an eating disorder, I implore you to get help before it’s too late. If you don’t, I hope you will be a source of support and encouragement to someone around you who might need it.
Here is a link to the National Eating Disorders Association:
