Anorexia

'Perfecting Emptiness'

-Anorexia-Disordered Eating-

(My Control-My Fight)

This is HELL. It is a sick trap. Don't fuck with it. It will take control and you will lose.

Pain and starvation are not beautiful.

Tracy Gold really had anorexia. This shot from "For the Love of Nancy" shows the completely emaciated girl. Does she look beautiful to you? Like she is in control? I think she looks about two seconds from death.

If you think you may have an eating disorder, or are thinking of "taking it up", please be aware that every second you starve yourself, or each time you lean over the toilet choking your guts up, you are one step closer to death. Accept yourself exactly the way you are, and don't give in to the illusion of control that an eating disorder presents. Any person with an eating disorder can die at any weight. The cycle of starving, binge-over-eating, and disordered eating tears the body apart and it will crash. You may pass out at the gym and only have to make excuses, you may have to explain missing food from a binge, or hide laxatives and diuretics, maybe even ipecac. But you also might go into cardiac arrest, or have seizures. You might die, and you will if you don't stop self-destruction.

ALL Eating Disorders are Dangerous It is important to understand that even though a person may be suffering specifically with Anorexia, Bulimia or Compulsive Overeating, it is not uncommon for them to exhibit behaviors from each of the three. It is also not uncommon for one Eating Disorder to be swapped for another (Example: a person who is suffering with Anorexia switches to Bulimia; a persons suffering with Compulsive Overeating switches to Anorexia).

DO NOT FALL INTO THE TRAP OF THINKING "I ONLY DO THIS A FEW TIMES A MONTH SO I CAN'T BE AT RISK" OR "I DON'T DO THIS ALL THE TIME, I JUST GO THROUGH HEALTHY AND NON-HEALTHY CYCLES" -- THAT DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE NOT IN DANGER, NOR DOES IT MEAN YOU DO NOT SUFFER FROM AN EATING DISORDER.

Do you want to look like this? This is not control. It is not victory or happiness. This skeleton of a person is dying and experiencing indescribable pain and guiltI WARN YOU, and PLEAD with you to care for yourself in the best ways possible. If you are hungry, eat. If you are sad, cry. If you are satisfied, help someone else get where you are.

This is the saddest thing in the world. These are twin girls. Both dead now. I hope it scares you, and I hope it disgusts you. Because this is death. This is the image of anorexia at it's worst.

Diagnostic Criteria for Anorexia Nervosa

The following is considered the "text book" (DSM-IV) definition of Anorexia Nervosa to assist doctors in making a clinical diagnosis... it is in no way representative of what a victim feels or experiences in living with the illness. It is important to note that you can still suffer from Anorexia even if one of the below signs is not present. In other words, if you think you have Anorexia, it's dangerous to read the diagnostic criteria and think "I don't have one of the symptoms, so I must not be Anorexic".

1. Refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height (e.g., weight loss leading to maintenance of body weight less than 85% of that expected; or failure to make expected weight gain during period of growth, leading to body weight less than 85% of that expected).

2. Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though underweight.

3. Disturbance in the way in which one's body weight or shape is experienced, undue influence of body weight or shape on self-evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of the current low body weight.

4. In postmenarcheal females (women who have not yet gone through menopause), amenorrhea (the absence of at least three consecutive menstrual cycles).

Restricting Type: during the current episode of Anorexia Nervosa, the person has not regularly engaged in binge-eating or purging behavior (i.e., self-induced vomiting or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas)

Binge-Eating Type or Purging Type: during the current episode of Anorexia Nervosa, the person has regularly engaged in binge-eating OR purging behavior (i.e., self-induced vomiting or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas)

Bulimia Nervosa

The following is considered the "text book" definition of Bulimia Nervosa to assist doctors in making a clinical diagnosis... it is in no way representative of what a victim feels or experiences in living with the illness. It is important to note that you can still suffer from Bulimia even if one of the below signs is not present (also see the Signs and Symptoms section). In other words, if you think you have Bulimia, it's dangerous to read the diagnostic criteria and think "I don't have one of the symptoms, so I must not be Bulimic".

1. Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following: * eating, in a discrete period of time (e.g., within any 2-hour period), an amount of food that is definitely larger than most people would eat during a similar period of time and under similar circumstances * a sense of lack of control over eating during the episode (e.g., a feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how much one is eating)

2. Recurrent inappropriate compensatory behavior in order to prevent weight gain, such as self-induced vomiting; misuse of laxatives, diuretics, enemas, or other medications; fasting; or excessive exercise.

3. The binge eating and inappropriate compensatory behaviors both occur, on average, at least twice a week for 3 months.

4. Self-evaluation is unduly influenced by body shape and weight.

5. The disturbance does not occur exclusively during episodes of Anorexia Nervosa.

* Purging Type: during the current episode of Bulimia Nervosa, the person has regularly engaged in self-induced vomiting or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas

* Nonpurging Type: during the current episode of Bulimia Nervosa, the person has used other inappropriate compensatory behaviors, such as fasting or excessive exercise, but has not regularly engaged in self-induced vomiting or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas.rrent episode of Bulimia Nervosa, the person has regularly engaged in self-induced vomiting or the misuse of

Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified

(ED-NOS)

Having an "Eating Disorder not Otherwise Specified" can mean a number of things... It can mean the victim suffers from Anorexia but still gets their period; It can mean the victim can still be an "average healthy weight" but still be suffering Anorexia; It can mean the victim equally participates in some Anorexic as well as Bulimic behaviors (sometimes referred to as being Bulimirexic). The following is considered the "text book" definition of an Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, to assist doctors in making a clinical diagnosis... it is in no way representative of what a victim feels or experiences in living with an Eating Disorder. It is important to note that this is a Clinical definition, and is in no way meant to say that any victim does not suffer, and that the condition is not serious. It is not meant to say you do not have Anorexia or Bulimia (or a combination of both sometimes known as Bulimirexia). This is a clinical category of disordered eating meant for those who suffer but do not meet all the diagnostic criteria for another specific disorder.

Examples Include:

1. All of the criteria for Anorexia Nervosa are met except the individual has regular menses.

2. All of the criteria for Anorexia Nervosa are met except that, despite substantial weight loss, the individual's current weight is in the normal range.

3. All of the criteria for Bulimia Nervosa are met except binges occur at a frequency of less than twice a week or for a duration of less than 3 months.

4. An individual of normal body weight who regularly engages in inappropriate compensatory behavior after eating small amounts of food (eg, self-induced vomiting after the consumption of two cookies).

5. An individual who repeatedly chews and spits out, but does not swallow, large amounts of food.

6. Binge eating disorder; recurrent episodes of binge eating in the absence of the regular use of inappropriate compensatory behaviors characteristic of bulimia nervosa.

Compulsive (Over)E

Compulsive Overeating

People suffering with Compulsive Overeating have what is characterized as an "addiction" to food, using food and eating as a way to hide from their emotions, to fill a void they feel inside, and to cope with daily stresses and problems in their lives.

People suffering with this Eating Disorder tend to be overweight, are usually aware that their eating habits are abnormal, but find little comfort because of society's tendency to stereotype the "overweight" individual. Words like, "just go on a diet" are as emotionally devestating to a person suffering Compulsive Overeating as "just eat" can be to a person suffering Anorexia. A person suffering as a Compulsive Overeater is at health risk for a heart attack, high blood-pressure and cholesterol, kidney disease and/or failure, arthritis and bone deterioration, and stroke.

Men and Women who are Compulsive Overeaters will sometimes hide behind their physical appearance, using it as a blockade against society (common in victims of sexual abuse). They feel guilty for not being "good enough," shame for being overweight, and generally have a very low self-esteem... they use food and eating to cope with these feelings, which only leads into the cycle of feeling them ten-fold and trying to find a way to cope again. With a low self esteem and often constant need for love and validation he/she will turn to obsessive episodes of binging and eating as a way to forget the pain and the desire for affection. It is important to remember that most Eating Disorders, though their signs and symptoms may be different, share a great number of common causes and emotional aspects.

Click here for Compulsive Excersize Page

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