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Ignoring the Disease

Discussion
Jan 15, 2009
by: bball_princess11
Keywords

 Who is to decide whether or not a situation is extremely dangerous? Young American teenagers are consistently reminded about how "not eating is bad for your body." Although eating disorders are discussed in almost every high school, I believe that the seriousness of the disease is highly overlooked. Last year in a class of thirty I knew of five girls who suffered from one of these horrible diseases. Even though five people doesn't sound dangerous, imagine what the percentage was like when I arrived in high school. With a total of about 850 students, the number of affected students rapidly increased. In addition to the student population increase, our age range also increased. This led to the overload of hormonal and insecure teenagers. Obviously the number of teens who suffer from eating disorders went beyond my five-person (16.7%) experience. It's almost impossible to believe the increasing numbers of teenage eating disorders. Unfortunately those diseases aren't affecting only teens:

"The common age for the onset of eating disorders was previously in the 14 to 21-year-old range.

But with eating disorders increasing in younger children, the age range has been lowered, with 7-year-olds becoming the most regularly treated population."


-Dr. MARTA MARKMAN For The Maryland Gazette

Who knew that America has fallen down this far. It's unimaginable that so many have experienced this disease. After reading some statistics that says nearly 11,000 people are suffering or have suffered from an eating disorder, I was beyond the point of shock. How could scientists, government leaders, and adults allow this to happen? Why has it become so widespread? What can we do to stop it? To answer all these questions we must first uncover the truth behind the diseases themselves. Not necessarily what the effects of anorexia or bulimia are, but understanding why they occur. Recently scientists have been searching to answer why eating disorders occur:
 
"The mystery of how and why bulimia nervosa occurs has yet to be unraveled. Although it can develop at any age, it most often occurs during the late teen years and affects roughly 8 out of 100 women at some time during their lives, making it far more prominent among women than men. There are strong suspicions among experts that bulimia nervosa may have a genetic association and prior research has suggested that lows levels of serotonin may be involved. The condition is often accompanied by other mental health problems such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, and anxiety... In a study of 40 women, in which half of the women were experiencing the effects of the condition while the other half were not, the bulimic women were shown to have less activity in brain areas involving self-regulation compared to the non-bulimic women."


-Unknown Reporter
from the
Pak Tribune 



 Scientists aren't sure whether it is media influence, insecurity, abnormal brain regulation, or some other unknown reason that is causing all the havoc. All we can do is try to help those in need. Hopefully one day we will find an answer to explain why this horrible disease is striking so many young teenagers. Maybe that answer could even lead bigger and better things, like a "cure" for obesity. I have a theory that some teenage obesity is caused by girls who try to fit the media's image, but fail trying. When they don't reach the image, I'm sure that they give up. It's possible that they have given up on any healthy lifestyle, and evolve into ferocious  and unhealthy eaters. My theory might be insane, but at this point (with the abnormal lack of research) we haven't concluded anything. Within the next ten years I hope that we do find the answer, and eventually turn away from the media's unrealistic image. It's up to our "leaders" (the media's ideal image) to help America, as well as young readers, make a healthier change.  

 

Comments

Dear, Bball Princess11, I

Submitted by KHarris on Wed, 2009-02-11 14:18.

Dear, Bball Princess11,

I enjoyed reading your post and I found it very interesting. Your post "Ignoring the Disease" was very informative. In my literacy class at school, I'm currently studying depression, and its effect on people. Many of the things you wrote about, can relate, and link back to my topic.

One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is:"  Although eating disorders are discussed in almost every high school, I believe that the seriousness of the disease is highly overlooked." This stands out for me because eating- disorders can be linked to depression. Someone's eating disorder can cause them to become depressed.