The Facts Publicity for Eating Disorders was nonexistent until Karen Carpenter died in 1983 due to anorexia. This was the first time the mass media was exposed to the seriousness of eating disorders. After Carpenter’s death, anorexia became known as the “disorder of the 80’s”. An estimate of up to 3.7% of women suffers from anorexia nervosa in their lifetime and about 1% of adolescent females’ have anorexia. If anorexia was considered the disorder of the 80’s perhaps bulimia was the disorder of the 90’s. In the 1990’s after news of Lady Diana’s struggle with bulimia became public, the number of incidences of bulimia increased, it is not clear if media’s coverage of this illness caused the increase or if her communication of the struggle caused
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Eating Disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness due to the immense toll that prolonged starving puts on the body. About half of those who have an eating disorder fit the criteria for depression which means they are essentially dealing with two mental illnesses at once. 20% of those who suffer from anorexia will die prematurely due to complications of their eating disorder with the two highest causes of death being suicide and heart problems. Most of the time the complications of death, such as heart failure or organ failure, are reported rather than the cause of death being complications due to an eating disorder. Although only 10-15% among those who suffer from anorexia or bulimia are men, the seriousness of the illness is not any less. Sadly, males are much less likely to seek or accept treatment because of the perception of eating disorders as a “woman’s illness”. According to research studies, nearly one third of adolescent males use unhealthy behaviors to control their weight such as skipping meals, purging, fasting, taking laxatives, and smoking cigarettes. A shocking 81% of 10 year olds, both male and female, are afraid of …show more content…
While media continues to increase, time viewing images through various platforms increase, body dissatisfaction increases and eating disorders increase. As long as media continues and depicts unrealistic images, humans will continue to compare and model after the image and eating disorders will continue to rise. Once media projects realistic body images, as we can see through history in art and various platforms, perhaps eating disorders will decrease and body image satisfaction will return. Humans were not made to compare images. We are made in the image of God. It is interesting that the second commandment in the Old Testament is “Thou Shalt not make for yourself any image” (Exodus 20:4) Perhaps God knew where we would end up once we
Eating Disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness due to the immense toll that prolonged starving puts on the body. About half of those who have an eating disorder fit the criteria for depression which means they are essentially dealing with two mental illnesses at once. 20% of those who suffer from anorexia will die prematurely due to complications of their eating disorder with the two highest causes of death being suicide and heart problems. Most of the time the complications of death, such as heart failure or organ failure, are reported rather than the cause of death being complications due to an eating disorder. Although only 10-15% among those who suffer from anorexia or bulimia are men, the seriousness of the illness is not any less. Sadly, males are much less likely to seek or accept treatment because of the perception of eating disorders as a “woman’s illness”. According to research studies, nearly one third of adolescent males use unhealthy behaviors to control their weight such as skipping meals, purging, fasting, taking laxatives, and smoking cigarettes. A shocking 81% of 10 year olds, both male and female, are afraid of …show more content…
While media continues to increase, time viewing images through various platforms increase, body dissatisfaction increases and eating disorders increase. As long as media continues and depicts unrealistic images, humans will continue to compare and model after the image and eating disorders will continue to rise. Once media projects realistic body images, as we can see through history in art and various platforms, perhaps eating disorders will decrease and body image satisfaction will return. Humans were not made to compare images. We are made in the image of God. It is interesting that the second commandment in the Old Testament is “Thou Shalt not make for yourself any image” (Exodus 20:4) Perhaps God knew where we would end up once we