What Are Eating Disorders?

Have you ever met someone who is overly concerned with their food intake, who sometimes starves themselves while other times overeats or who abuses medication in order to stay slim? These are all symptoms of serious eating disorders and their frequency in the dance community means it is likely that you or someone you know suffers from one. But what is it that distinguishes eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia from 'normal' dieting that some dancers use to regulate their weight? In order to answer this question it is important to consider the basics: what eating disorders are (and aren’t) and the reasons that dancers may suffer from them.

Eating disorders are very confusing illnesses. Those suffering are frequently at a loss to describe the intensely negative feelings they experience. Family and friends struggle to understand why an already thin, talented individual resorts to such self-destructive behavior. Even psychiatrists, psychologists, councilors and social workers don’t agree on the causes of or treatment for anorexia and bulimia.

What we can agree upon is that disordered eating patterns affect men and women of all ages, although their highest incidence is seen in young women. These disorders can range from excessive concern about weight to more serious manifestations like anorexia, bulimia and other non specified conditions. These are generally associated with extreme fear and guilt about eating. Unlike that "naughty feeling" healthy eaters sometimes experience after over-indulging, eating disorder sufferers feel complete self-disgust after consuming even normal meals.

Researchers believe that eating disorders result from a combination of factors including poor self-esteem, pressure to achieve, the emotional stress that accompanies body changes at puberty, and even biological and chemical factors. In some cases there is a clear catalyst. Claire a 16 year old high school student developed anorexia after her mother's death. Emily (19) began the dangerous bingeing and purging cycles that characterize bulimia when her roommate criticized her appearance in front of his friends. Neither of these incidents caused the illnesses, but the girls' inability to cope contributed to them. In other cases there is no determining moment for its onset: an eating disorders can develop, often very quickly, after a period of strict dieting.

The distinction between eating disorder sufferers and "normal" dieters is that sufferers loose the ability to see themselves objectively. When anorexia sufferers look in a mirror they don't see what the rest of world knows as fact. We see thin - they see fat. This is called a 'distorted body perception'. An anorexic will say "I am so fat and disgusting, I cannot stand to look at myself in the mirror" even when they are emaciated. This subjectivity extends beyond their physical appearance. Sufferers are notoriously self-critical and demanding. Bad grades, poor performance in dance class, even arguments with friends or family are grounds for 'punishment.' This invariably takes the form of further starvation/food restriction for an anorexic or bingeing and purging for a bulimic.

Eating disorders can be described as a battle between the sufferer and the negativity her illness makes her feel. This is where distorted perception comes from. Sufferers sometimes talk about "the voice" that speaks to them in degrading and hateful terms, a negative mindset that becomes increasingly powerful as disorders progress. Basically the normal and occasional feelings of self-doubt we all experience mushroom into a dominant and punishing personality component for sufferers. Due to their high personal expectations sufferers see loss of control as a failure. They can't control the world but they can control their appearance and their food intake, thus changing the way in which the world sees them. As the sufferer gets increasingly unwell she will focus more and more upon the one thing she believes she can control - her weight.

Many people believe that eating disorders in the dance world stem from the professional requirement to be thin. This is true, but only to a certain extent. Dancing, particularly ballet teaches young people to be highly self-critical. Dancers, from a very early age, are continually corrected by their teachers and are trained to focus upon their reflection to observe mistakes and perfect their technique. They are pitted competitively against others for highly coveted roles in productions and places at ballet schools. Such factors may contribute to the development of eating disorders as they feed the negative side of the young dancers personality.

Unless an eating disorder is addressed sufferers will feel more and more absorbed by food related issues. Their thoughts will center on eating; either avoiding meals or planning binges. They will dedicate huge amounts of energy to devising strategies for controlling food. Young dancers who develop eating disorders are usually unaware that these have the potential to ruin future careers. The physical consequences of anorexia and bulimia are considerable. Even if these do not destroy a potential career, the emotional effects may force dancers to withdraw completely as their obsession with food escalates.

About ten percent of sufferers die as a result of serious eating disorders. This is one of the highest mortality rates of any psychological illnesses. Adolescents rarely grow out of these conditions. If not addressed they usually get worse and the longer a patient has suffered the harder their illness is to cure. For these reasons eating disorders, when encountered, must be taken seriously. Sufferers need assistance in finding the help they so desperately require.

This article is a foundation upon which to build your understanding of eating disorders. The Something Fishy web site (at www.somethingfishy.org) has excellent, well presented information about a range of related issues.

I would also recommend that sufferers and their supporters read The Secret Language of Eating Disorders by Peggy Claude Pierre and Diary of an Eating Disorder: A Mother and Daughter Share Their Healing Journey by Chelsea Smith and Beverly Runyon.

For younger readers there is Food Fight : A Guide to Eating Disorders for Pre-Teens and Their Parents by Janet Bode which is available in many libraries. These works are inspirational as they remind us all that eating disorders, even the most severe, are curable.

Related Links

ED Refferal Service

A professional dancer's story

www.somethingfishy.org

Bibliography and further reading
Food Fight : A Guide to Eating Disorders for Pre-Teens and Their Parents. Janet Bode 1997. Simon & Schuster, New York.

Secret Language of Eating Disorders. Peggy Claude-Pierre 1997. Vintage Books, Toronto.

The Real Gorgeous: The Truth About Body and Beauty. Kaz Cooke. 1994. Allen and Unwin, Sydney.

Update Eating Disorders. Deborah Crisfield. 1994. Silver Burdett, Boston.

Diary of an Eating Disorder : A Mother and Daughter Share Their Healing Journey. Chelsea Smith, Beverly Runyon. 1998. Taylor Publishing, New York.

Surviving an Eating Disorder: Perspectives and Strategies for Family and Friends. Michelle Siegel, Judith Brisman, and Margot Weinshel 1988. Harper & Row Publishers, New York.