Understanding adult Anorerexia

[PrincessDiana]

Eating disorders aren't just a teen affliction. With more women being diagnosed with anorexia than ever before, health experts are quick to point out that this disorder doesn't practice age discrimination.

While anorexia can hit at all ages, most people assume that it's an adolescent disorder. "The most common cases of anorexia in women are among those who had some eating disorder symptoms when they were teens.

But why the upsurge in adult anorexia?Mainly it's increasing and intense social pressure to be thin. The pressure on adult women to equate thinness with attractiveness has increased in recent years.More women today feel like they are not 'successful' as women unless they are thin, which leads to increased eating disordered behavior.

What about the stress?

Significant stress, when coupled with inadequate coping resources, can combine with other risk factors to increase a person's vulnerability to illness. Common stressful life events that are known to trigger anorexia, and other eating disorders in some women, include divorce, childbirth, widowhood and menopause.

Adult Anorexia's Secondary Victims: Families....

Anorexia nervosa is an illness that can devastate the whole family. The mood and personality changes that result from anorexia-related starvation can wreak havoc on close personal relationships and family ties.

My advice is to find a good eating disorder specialist, someone who understands anorexia and particularly those who develop it later in life.

Don't give up. There is always something else you can do to save your own life.

[Will2015abc]

Hi there can I just point out a couple of things you've overlooked in your post. Firstly it is NOT a gender specific illness. As a male anorexic sufferer working extremely hard with a specialist to recover I know that there are many many male sufferers of this awful disease. And it is a disease.

Secondly yes while there is and always has been an increasingly negative social pressure to be thin, I think most sufferers will agree that this (while maybe part of the problem) isnt the entire reason for Anorexia. Certainly as a man there are social pressures to look a certain way and as I can only speak from my own experience, my illness had nothing to do with appearance. Its about Control. Control of what we put into our bodies - control when everything else in our world feels like its out of our control.

By definition Anorexia can be seen as a "coping mechanism" for people who feel they cannot cope for whatever reason in their life. Its an anaesthetic almost. We feel less. We are "here" less. And the illness in its most malevolent form becomes a crutch. And that crutch through specialist care support and recovery can be replaced and discarded with the right help. There is no overnight cure - it is a long road but there is always hope.

[PrincessDiana in reply to Will2015abc]

I quite agree with your opinion. Yes, anorexia is total control, indeed.

[littleone74 in reply to PrincessDiana]

Also, sorry its littleone again. It isnt always about weight. It could be 50% or less of that for the reason to get eating disorders. Ive heard so many things about why we have an eating disorer and still no two cases are the same. 1. We want to lose weight because we are told we are fat and bullied for it, 2. You have an illness e.g flu,which in turn we lose weight and it gets out of control cos we then carry on the weight loss after being ill . 3, its the only thing we can control which in turn makes us feel better about ourselves cos we"ve achieved something and no one can take that away from us. No 4, we are too scared to eat thru nerves. No 5, we're a disc jockey ( they have to be very light) im guessing that isnt a high percentage tho ) plus many many more reasons. . Regardless of which tho, people with eating disorders need help. When your body weight gets into starvation mode and especially when your bmi gets below 15 ( apparently classed as emaciated )and while in that state its hard to see how you actually look . Its extremely hard and in my case the more i lose i dont seem to look any different. But my logical mind is saying im a lot thinner at 5 stone than 7 stone but the starved mind is telling me i need to get thinner. Im currently 5 stone 4lbs , 5' 4" female. My brain doesnt work right all the time and i get confused and half the time i cant be bothered anyway and dont know why. Sorry for the long post. I really hope you get the help you deserve

[littleone74 in reply to Will2015abc]

Hey. Im with you 200% on this one. I have written many posts about age, sex ( ie males also having eating disorders) i had quite a mouthful off the person you replied to before this and in most she contracticted everything i put forward. After one bit of grief she said ' why are you so thick to presume im female'? she had read my post about males suffering too, and tried to backtrack after you post. And the answer to the very clever girls question of why i was so thick to think she was female was because she had just told me that she gains 9kg when she has her period! I say no more. I think we all need to be careful on here and who we speak to. You have the know it alls, then you have people that have been thru it all for a long time who dont know it all else we wouldnt still be ill. We maybe know a lot but struggle to put it into practice for ourselves . Because its so hard. Everyone is different and no 2 cases are the same. Regardless age, gender, sexuality, religion etc etc, this is not nice and we all need help. Sorry for the long post. I wish you all the best

[jfk71 in reply to Will2015abc]

It is very much about control,when you can control nothing else in your life but what you eat you take that control by the balls so to speak and refuse to let go. Yes I am scared of being fat,of putting on weight but isn't not eating by its nature again about control.... Anorexia is very much a power struggle ,one which we as sufferes will not relinquish without a war

[crazycrossstitcher in reply to Will2015abc]

Agree wholeheartedly - I've suffered for over 40 years and continue to struggle - take away anorexia and all I can see/feel is my life will spiral out of control - great to read you are on the right road and recovering now.

[littleone74]

I agree totally. But why did you give yourself the name of princess diana knowing full well that she was bulimic and knowing that you will be listened to because of this? This is not right in itself. X

[Qr83k_-Jd]

Thank the lord for small mercy. It is wonderful to read a page that mentions anorexia in older people, you cannot possibly know how it feels to have read your page. I honestly could weep. I first had anorexia in my late thirties and I got better with the right help. Now I am 64 years and I have anorexia once again. I cannot think of any reason why. I never ever had difficulties with eating before. So it is really amazing the words in which you wrote. I thankyou from the bottom of my heart.