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Families Face
Challenges Of Eating Disorders
As many as 11 million people in the U.S. have an
eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia, and
about 25 million more are struggling with binge
eating disorder, according to the National Eating
Disorders Association (NEDA).
These medical conditions not only affect the people
who have them, they take an emotional toll on their
families and friends - many of whom experience their
own personal pain from watching an eating disorder
slowly destroy their loved one and may feel
powerless in trying to help.
"Most people who have not had their lives touched by
an eating disorder dismiss them as not worth
worrying about," said one parent of a daughter with
an eating disorder. "It is like trying to dismiss a
tornado tearing through your home and your heart,
tossing everything in its path around as if it were
weightless and worthless. I have been through both.
I would choose the physical tornado any time."
Eating disorders are serious illnesses with a
biological basis that are influenced by emotional
and cultural factors. Researchers are discovering
that certain genes appear to increase susceptibility
to an eating disorder, much like with alcoholism or
depression.
While eating disorders cause physical devastation to
the individual, they also wreak emotional and
financial ruin on the entire family. Marriages are
strained. Siblings feel pushed aside. And because
insurance rarely covers treatment, some families are
forced to deplete savings accounts or take out
second and third mortgages to provide their loved
ones with the care they need.
Compounding the problem, according to NEDA, is the
stigma associated with eating disorders, which keeps
some individuals suffering in silence. Due to a lack
of education and the "behind-closed-doors" nature of
the conditions, some family members, friends and
health care professionals fail to recognize the
signs of an eating disorder or the full extent of
the risks
involved.
"Eating disorders treatment cannot be successful if
it starts with an aspirin and a Band-Aid," said
Kathy Benn, whose 19-year-old daughter Shelby
Starner died as a result of an eating disorder.
Starner had been treated for eating disorders for 26
months and was turned away from in-patient care
because she was "not sick enough."
"We must address symptoms with aggressive,
life-threatening seriousness," Benn said. "Forcing
sufferers to fail their way up to intensive
treatment is wrong-headed behavior that gives the
illness an advantage and serves to waste valuable
time and life."
NEDA provides support for families affected by
eating disorders through its Parent and Family
Network, which serves as a clearinghouse for
up-to-date information about treatment, resources
and advocacy.
"Building an informed and involved community helps
families know they are not isolated, their problems
are not as unique as they once thought, and that
there is hope," said Lynn Grefe, chief executive
officer of NEDA.
To learn more, log on to
www.nationaleatingdisorders.org or call
(800) 931-2237.
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