The not-so bold or beautiful
\nor
\nEating disorder can endanger ones' lives<\/p>\n
Maria Endah Hulupi
\nThe Jakarta Post
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
Her friends were surprised to see Tina (not her real name)
\ncontinually stuff her mouth with all the food served during their
\nlatest gathering. Right after the meal, when everybody was still
\nchatting, she excused herself to go to the bathroom.<\/p>\n
One of her friends, who was also in the bathroom, heard her
\nvomiting. She began to get suspicious as Tina was so sensitive to
\nher questions and said she was neither sick nor pregnant.<\/p>\n
Another girl named Lala (not her real name) was rarely seen
\neating at her school's canteen and always avoided food and drink
\nwith calories.<\/p>\n
Despite her skinny body, Lala always seemed to be on a
\nconstant and strict diet and at the same time overactive.<\/p>\n
Family and friends watched her wilt and suffer hair loss and
\ndry skin as she shed more and more kilograms.<\/p>\n
Both Tina and Lala suffer from eating disorders which can be
\nclassified as:
\n* Anorexia nervosa
\nIt is characterized by life threatening self-imposed starvation,
\nleading to significant weight loss, a refusal to maintain even
\nminimal body weight, calorie and fat gram counting, excessive
\nexercise to burn calories. This can lead to amenorrhea (absence
\nof menstruation), osteoporosis, anemia, stunted growth, digestive
\nproblems and nerve damage.
\n* Bulimia nervosa
\nIt is repeated binge eating, followed by purging through induced
\nvomiting, excessive exercise and laxative and diuretic abuses in
\na bid to rid the body of the food or to burn the calories.
\n* Binge eating
\nIt is eating an abnormally large amount of food. It can be with
\nor without purging, with at least 10 to 15 percent of the
\nsufferers becoming obese.<\/p>\n
Although an unaware public may perceive an eating disorder as
\na dangerous weight concern, it is actually a complex emotional
\nissue and whatever the type a person has developed, he or she is
\nlikely to suffer alone.<\/p>\n
Eating disorders, somehow, relate to the public's perception
\nof the ideal body shape. Since the public have been incessantly
\nexposed to slim and gorgeous looking models in the mass media,
\nmany people, mostly women, set their standards on what the ideal
\nbody shape is like.<\/p>\n
A psychiatrist at the Siloam Gleneagles Hospital, Tangerang,
\nW.M. Roan, said people with eating disorders had developed a
\nserious distortion of their body image, which was considered a
\npersonality disorder.<\/p>\n
People at high risk were mostly teenagers who possessed rigid,
\noften misleading definitions about the ideal body shape, Roan
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"These people usually have low self-esteem and often consider
\nthemselves fat although they have normal weight or even lower,\"
\nRoan said, adding that most of the sufferers were intelligent.<\/p>\n
Siloam's nutritionist, Endang Darmoutomo, said organic
\nproblems which affected the hypothalamus in the brain could
\ndesensitize a person to signs of hunger or satiation.<\/p>\n
Due to their abnormal eating habits, anorexia and bulimia
\nsufferers deprived their bodies of the important nutrients they
\nneeded, while those who binge eat were especially prone to
\ncardiac problems, high blood pressure, cholesterol, kidney
\nproblems and strokes, she said.<\/p>\n
Unlike stick-thin anorexics, Endang said bulimics were usually
\nunnoticed as their body weight tended to be normal. Though they
\nshowed signs of malnutrition and other similar health problems,
\nit was not as severe as anorexics.<\/p>\n
\"Bulimics are also prone to developing rotten teeth and gum
\nproblems caused by the acid in the stomach when they vomit. Apart
\nfrom that, they may also develop inflammation of the throat due
\nto repeated manipulation of the area and swollen cheeks because
\nof repeated vomiting,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Though these people needed professional help, their distorted
\nbody image would make it difficult for others to provide help and
\ndiscourage themselves from seeking help.<\/p>\n
\"They think they are fat so discussing a plan for weight gain
\ncan have a devastating effect on them. But it can seriously
\naffect the function of body organs, which are likely to worsen
\ninto life-threatening conditions,\" Endang said.<\/p>\n
\"Family members have to be creative in persuading their loved
\nones to eat properly. It's worth telling them that hair loss and
\ndry skin are not included in the definitions of looking good.\"<\/p>\n
Prevention is more important and parental guidance plays an
\neven more important role. Before a harmful eating habit ravages
\ntheir loved ones' health, parents have to observe any
\nirregularities regarding their children's eating habits.<\/p>\n
\"Parents must encourage their children to adopt a healthy diet
\nonce they notice them avoiding food or an obsession with it,\"
\nRoan said.<\/p>\n
If these efforts fail, professional help from psychiatrists or
\nnutritionists was needed.<\/p>\n
\"They may need to take medication to improve their appetite
\nand mood. This will help them open themselves for treatment or
\ncounseling,\" Roan said, adding that counseling for parents was
\nalso needed to avoid themselves pushing their children to attain
\nthe \"ideal\" shape.<\/p>\n
Besides, parents and the public also needed to learn that
\nthere had been a shift in the ideal body shape perception from
\nstick-thin Twiggy to slim supermodels Naomi Campbell and Cindy
\nCrawford to curvy toned singer\/actress Jennifer Lopez.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-not-so-bold-or-beautiful-1447893297",
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