A secret struggle, characterized by silence and plagued by emotional and physical suffering...the world of eating disorders is one that remains largely a mystery. Recovery is seldom. Causes are an intergration of myraid factors. Definition is vague. Research is minimal.
Beyond media, models, and materialism....it is the very way we medically define eating problems that has me perplexed. I find it ironic that the word "eating" is yoked with "disorder". Although the world of eating disorders is one that is confounding, confusing, and complex - one thing is certain - it is a world centered around control. I view eating disorders as addictions, rather than disorders. The following is my arguement:
Medically speaking, the phenomenon of restricting, controlling or obsessively monitoring food intake and weight is considered a disorder. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel categorizes the behavior as a disorder. More specifically, the diagnostic criterion for eating disorders is found on Axis I. With regards to social reference, people suffering are referred to as having an “eating disorder”.
The distinct difference between the word 'disorder' and the word 'addiction' is the way in which the person suffering treats it. A disorder is one that is rarely a choice. People suffering from disorders regard their disorder as a battle. One that they are eager to win. There is no inner conflict. No desire to hold on. I've never heard of anyone that would choose to hold on to their dyslexia. Hold on to their mania. Hold on to that extra chromosome causing that lifelong impairment.
Unlike disorders, addictions are often compulsive thoughts and actions - ones that are based on a love-hate relationship. A dependency that is wanted and needed physically and emotionally; hated logically. An anorexic may hate the feeling of hunger; but may be in love with the feeling of euphoria that is followed by days of not eating. In the mind of an anorexic, the choice to eat is one that is largely based on a cross-benefit analysis. A clear example of this mind set is a quote that was said in the documentary titled Thin by Lauren Greenfield. "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels".
It is because of this, I feel as though eating disorders are not disorders but in fact addictions. Addiction to food counting, addiction to exercise, addiction to frequent weigh-ins, addiction to starving and mainly – an addiction to feeling in control. While an anorexic is not addicted to food, (s)he is addicted to the thoughts of food. Similar to any substance abuse addict, eating disorders are hard to admit to and even harder to let go of. They offer a security blanket, a comfort, and a sense of control. It is a mental battle, that is turbulant emotionally - exhausting physically. It is one that cannot be helped because it cannot be understood; and the tenets of the problem appear to lie in the pramatics.
To be continued.....
