Mennonite Central Committee

Eating Disorders

1. What is an eating disorder?
2. Four Ways You Can Help
3. Some contributing factors to development of eating disorders
4. Questions for the church to think about

1. What is an eating disorder?

   Eating disorders are extreme expressions of a range of weight and food issues experienced by women, men, girls, and boys. These include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and compulsive overeating. All are serious problems that can have life-threatening consequences.

   Anorexia Nervosa
   is characterized primarily by a self-starvation and excessive weight loss.

   Symptoms include:

   • Refusal to maintain weight at or above minimally normal weight for height and age
   • Intense fear of weight gain
   • Distorted body image
   • Extreme concern with body weight and shape

    

   Bulimia Nervosa
   is characterized primarily by a secretive cycle of binge eating followed by purging.

   Symptoms include:

   • Repeated episodes of binging and purging
   • Feeling out of control during a binge
   • Purging after a binge (vomiting, use of laxatives, diet pills, diuretics, excessive exercise or fasting)
   • Frequent dieting
   • Extreme concern with body weight and shape

    

   Compulsive Overeating
   is characterized primarily by periods of impulsive gorging or continuous eating. While there is no purging, there may be sporadic fasts or repetitive diets. Body weight may vary from normal to mild, moderate or severe obesity.

    

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2. Four Ways You Can Help

   1. Learn all you can about anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and compulsive overeating. Genuine awareness undermines judgmental attitudes or mistaken attitudes about food, body shape and eating disorders.
   2. Discourage the idea that a particular diet, weight or body size will automatically lead to being happy or fulfilled..
   3. If you think someone has an eating disorder, express your concerns in a forthright, caring way. Encourage the person to seek trained professional help like a doctor or school counsellor.
   4. Support local and national eating disorder organizations by volunteering your time or giving a donation.

    

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3. Some contributing factors to development of eating disorders

   There is no singular cause of eating disorders. Some of the following may be contributing factors:

   1. Families
      There is some evidence that families with a history of alcoholism, mental illness, sexual abuse, high rigidity and/or high religiosity are at higher risk.
   2. Personality
      Compliant, loyal, high achieving, rigid, perfectionist personalities with a high degree of self-control, low self esteem and a "good girl (boy)" image.
   3. Cultural and societal messages
      A generation ago the average model weighed 8 percent less than the average American woman. Today she weighs 23 percent less. The average model, dancer or actress is thinner than 95 percent of the female population (Wolf).

   In a 1984 Glamour survey, 75 percent of women age 18-35 believed they were fat, while only 25 percent were medically overweight. Forty-five percent of the underweight women thought they were too fat (Wolf).

    

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4. Questions for schools, youth organizations or faith groups to think about

   1. What message do we give our young girls and women about beauty? About their self worth? About food? How can good education help to work at prevention of eating disorders?
   2. How can our school/youth organization/faith group work to actively counteract society's image of thinness as beautiful? In what ways is this a justice issue?
   3. Are the statistics any different among girls at faith-based high schools and colleges? If not, why aren't we hearing more about this issue?
   4. How can our school/youth organization/faith group be supportive to families with daughters and sons struggling with eating disorders?

    

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