it's time to talk about another important issue that's getting more serious everyday. Teenagers, trying to imitate the stereotypes of beauty proposed by TV and fashion, who go on drastic diets and sometimes curse irreversible damages to their health. I see girls everyday fighting against their body, they see inexistent defects and keep skipping meals. We have many cases such as Anorexia and Bulimia, which are the most serious of all.

i also have moments in my life in which I'd like to be a completely different person from what i am. i have gone on several diets and i lost weight but then i regain them. this makes me really upset and the thought that I'd never be slim and tall like Naomi Cambell makes me lose trust in myself. people tell me I'm OK as i am but i still find it difficult to stand in front of the mirror without not seeing at least 1 o 2 thing i want to change!

please share your views about this problem many are dealing with today.

[center]Eating Disorders[/center]
Eating disorders are serious, sometimes life- threatening, conditions that tend to be chronic (Herzog et al., 1999). They usually arise in adolescence and disproportionately affect females. About 3 percent of young women have one of the three main eating disorders: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge-eating disorder (Becker et al., 1999). Binge-eating disorder is a newly recognized condition featuring episodic uncontrolled consumption, without compensatory activities, such as vomiting or laxative abuse, to avert weight gain (Devlin, 1996). Bulimia, in contrast, is marked by both binge eating and by compensatory activities. Anorexia nervosa is characterized by low body weight (< 85 percent of expected weight), intense fear of weight gain, and an inaccurate perception of body weight or shape (DSM-IV). Its mean age of onset is 17 years (DSM-IV).

The causes of eating disorders are not known with precision but are thought to be a combination of genetic, neurochemical, psychodevelopmental, and sociocultural factors (Becker et al., 1999; Kaye et al., 1999). Comorbid mental disorders are exceedingly common, but interrelationships are poorly understood. Comorbid disorders include affective disorders (especially depression), anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and personality disorders (Herzog et al., 1996). Anorexia nervosa has the most severe consequence, with a mortality rate of 0.56 percent per year (or 5.6 percent per decade) (Sullivan, 1995), a rate higher than that of almost all other mental disorders (Herzog et al., 1996). Mortality is from starvation, suicide, or electrolyte imbalance (DSM-IV). The mortality rate from anorexia nervosa is 12 times higher than that for other young women in the population (Sullivan, 1995).

Treatment of eating disorders entails psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy, either alone or in combination. Treatment of comorbid mental disorders also is important, as is treatment of medical complications. There are some controlled studies of the efficacy of specific treatments for adults with bulimia and binge-eating disorder (Devlin, 1996), but fewer for anorexia nervosa (Kaye et al., 1999). Controlled studies in adolescents are rare for any eating disorder (Steiner and Lock, 1998). Pharmacological studies in young adult women found conflicting evidence of benefit from antidepressants for anorexia and some reduction in the frequency of binge eating and purging with tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, and SSRIs (see Jimerson et al., 1993; Jacobi et al., 1997). Studies mostly of adult women find cognitive-behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy to be effective for bulimia and binge-eating disorder (Fairburn et al., 1993; Devlin, 1996; Becker et al., 1999). Clearly, more research is warranted for the treatment of eating disorders, especially because a sizable proportion of those with eating disorders have limited response to treatment (Kaye et al., 1999).

http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/chapter3/sec6.html#eating
www.bulimia.com

Hello Michelin,

Thanks for the information. My bet is that if you meet a skinny Nigerian child and ask her why she's skinny, it's going to be either:
1) Heredity.
2) Suffer suffer!

Seun:

2) Suffer suffer!

ahahahaha! but that's the truth! but i'm sure girls who live abroad will surely have something to say about this topic cause these disturbs are very comon in Western Countries.

Michelin, that is quite TRUE!,VERY TRUE infact, Most pple that lose weight do gain them back, same happens to me too, i weigh 9 stones, but i still want to be skinnier(like 8 stones), so i go on a diet, i lose some of da weight, n then ALWAYS gain it back again.
So I gave up!! ,don't wanna gain nemore weight again tho,cos that means i'm gonna be 10 stones!!, i'm gonna die,lol

i'll recommend "Stick Figure" by Lori Gottleib.
it's a very short and easy novel to read but it contains info about anorexia. . .

Michelin89: The eating disorders you have mentioned are deadly diseases; however, I'm yet to be convinced that it is a problem among Nigerian adolescents. Generally, the morbidity and mortality of obesity, and its related or associated conditions far outweigh anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa combined.

Obesity is yet to take strong hold in Nigeria, but it will with time given the emergence of fast food outlets and increased sedentary lifestyle of many Nigerians.

Eating disorders treatment is no joke, it should be taken very serious. People who have eating disorders should seek professional help. Click on the link below to read more on eating disorders and the types of eating disorders.

Faith crisis in adolescence in the light of Erick Ericksons psychological theory
http://www.bravoprojecthelp.com/philosophy/faith-crisis-in-adolescence-in-the-light-of-erick-ericksons-psychological-theory/