Eating Disorder example essay topic

As field hockey began in late August I thought that she was a lot better, but, as time went on, I found out that she was not any better than when she left school last May. She was really getting worse. Living with someone that has an eating disorder is very hard. My college roommate, also my field hockey teammate suffers from an eating disorder called bulimia.

She is now not playing field hockey because she is so bad that her heart can stop at any moment, and she could die. As an athlete there are many pressures to look and to be your best. Female athletes often try to lose weight to improve their game, to keep in shape or even just because of the pressures. Christy Henrich was a figure skater who died in 1994 from anorexia.

Her mother told Scott Reid (2005) of the Buffalo News was that, 'the first thing [other athletes] told [Christy] was if there's something you want to eat, eat it and throw it up. That's the first thing you learn when you " re on the U.S. national team. ' Pressures come from all over not just from your parents, coaches, teammates and fans. They can show up anywhere. There are many different kinds of eating disorders, from bulimia to anorexia to diet pill abuse to laxative abuse and many more (Otis, 103). But the most common that we know of are bulimia and anorexia.

Bulimia is a disease when a person eats a lot of food in a short amount of time (called bingeing) and then tries to prevent weight gain by purging. Anorexia is when you starve yourself in fear of gaining weight. As Richard Carey (1997) says in his article, an estimated in 1995 that 20% of college age women and 10% of adult women have suffered from eating disorders. An estimated 1,000,000 teenagers are affected by eating disorders. As many at 90% of all individuals with eating disorders are female this leaves only 10% of males. When it comes to losing weight there is a right way and a wrong way.

For some of us we don't know the right for the wrong. And that's when an eating disorder steps in. Our body needs the chemical and neurological balance to be healthy. And when you resort in an unhealthy weight loss like not eating (anorexia) or bingeing and purging (bulimia) the chemical and neurological become unbalanced. When a female has an eating disorder or chemical / neurological unbalance and also is an active athlete she has a higher risk of heart problems, lowering the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), thyroid problems as well as many other health related problems which can all lead to death (Carey, 1997). When you know a person that has an eating disorder it can be very hard to deal with.

As Otis (2000) said in her book, one of the best things to do is to talk to her. Most women with the female athlete profession do not want others to know about their disorders and will resist caring efforts by friends and even their family to help them. Just talk to your friend! Don't go behind her back and talk to other friends. Tell her you honestly care about her happiness and health.

Do NOT accuse, act judgmental or make her feel guilty. She needs to know that she has privacy and confidentiality with you. Expect denial, shame, or fear. Talk to her with consistent, caring concern. Be honest! There are many things to say to her, "I'm really concerned that you are struggling with your weight, diet, or training, I'm worried about you!" , "I'm worried about you!" ; "I know you have a lot pf pressure from your parents / coaches to be thin.

Can we talk about it?" (2000). As Dr. Murphy and Leah Gute kunst (1997) say when you talk to the athlete expect any type of reaction from her. Be prepared, she can be embarrassed talking about her eating disorder. She might not want anyone to know about her eating disorder or is unwilling to talk about it. She can be in denial. Denial is one of the most common responses in anorexics.

Some girls will try to argue with you, trying to convince that you are wrong. But don't back off of your concerns even if there is some change that you are wrong. Some of the time they can be relieved that you know and its out in the open. It is rewarding when you hear this. But don't let it lead you to lessen the intensity of your efforts. At times she can be angry.

This is a normal response. Just remember to responded calmly to her. Withdrawal is something else that can happen when talking to her. She could tell you that she does have a problem but that its not yours and she will fix it on her own. Just tell her that you have a right to care about what happens to her (1997). Just always remember what Otis (2000) said; that whatever she tells you, you have to remain calm.

You are always there for her. As long as you express your concern that's all you can do (Otis, 205-210). As I took all this information in, I myself went and talked to my roommate. She was at first in denial but after some time she knew she needed help but she did not want any help from us. She kept on telling my roommates and me that it was her problem and not ours. She has been seeing a doctor once a week to talk, but that was not helping her at all.

She needed to get real help! Over spring break she went home and saw her family doctor, who wants her to not to come back and stay at home to get help. But she wants to finish out the year at school then she will get help at home, which I guess is something. She might be back next year but I don't know. As she told me all of this I was so happy that she was going to get help, and I told her that. I told her that I felt much better that she was going to get help!

And I also told her that I am her for her if she ever needs me.