Eating disorders,sometimes fatal
Eating disorders,sometimes fatal
Eating disorders,sometimes fatal
"You might have to start feeling real emotions," said Alexander, 37, who has coped with bulimia since her teens.
Up to 10 million women and 1 million men in the United States cope with eating disorders, which are classified as mental illnesses. However, some mental health professionals and nutritionists think the number of men may be higher.
"The statistics say one in 10 men, but we find the statistics are higher among athletes," said Shelly Marie Redmond, a registered dietitian in Shreveport. "There are a lot of sports where you have to weigh a certain amount. I've worked with jockeys and wrestlers."
For at least two decades, eating disorder awareness campaigns focused on body-image issues fueled in part by media. However, recent research including a study released in November shows that genes and brain chemistry play a part in the disorders. Depression, anger, anxiety and social experiences also can influence development of an eating disorder. Eating disorders represent an attempt at control, said Sandi Davis, a Bossier City counselor who grappled with the disorders.
They can be fatal. Alexander said her cousin, an anorexic and obsessive exerciser, died because her malnourished body started consuming itself.
Alexander said her binge and purge cycles became her best friend, her secret comforter, after her cousin's death. She turned to the unhealthy behaviors to cope with everything from divorce to everyday stress.
She started to break the cycle after participating in an inpatient eating disorder treatment program at her husband's urging after the string of hospital stays. She receives outpatient therapy with Davis. At her sickest, Alexander vomited everything she ate or drank.
"I'm way better than I used to be," Alexander said. "It's tough when your family wants to eat at a pizza buffet. I used to stay home when they went to eat, but we went together recently. I filled up on a salad and had a couple of pieces of pizza. Then I went to the bathroom so I wouldn't start eating more."
She also successfully resisted her body's pressure to vomit after the meal. The feeling starts as a sort of panic attack, then becomes a physical urge to throw up, Alexander said.
Eating disorders can start small but quickly become "this negative feedback loop," Davis said.
"After the negative behavior takes over, you just hate yourself. You're looking in the mirror, crying, and saying, 'Why am I still doing this?'" she said. "Then the next day comes, but things haven't changed."
Davis had several eating disorder behaviors as a young adult: bingeing, restricting food and obsessive exercise. She views eating disorders as a form of addiction and says that God helped her developed healthier behaviors after a heartfelt prayer that the burden be lifted from her.
However, she's still aware of the temptations. She said she appreciates working with clients who have eating disorders because it helps her remain accountable in keeping unhealthy behaviors in check.
Davis focuses on helping clients change the unhealthy behaviors related to eating disorders. That includes helping people choose healthier foods, control portions, learn to avoid binge-and-purge triggers and exercise appropriately. Counselors also offer healthier ways to cope with stress, change and painful emotions.
Besides getting counseling, Alexander keeps a food journal that her husband, Chris, reads. She and Chris also are participating in Weight Watchers together.
"I take it minute by minute, hour by hour," Alexander said.
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