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Is someone you know currently battling a weight issue? One of the dangerous bi-products of our image-obsessed society is that after being constantly bombarded by unnaturally skinny women in the media, many young women and girls are left with a weight issue. Without taking genetics or natural body shape into account, they strive for an unhealthy slimness.
While a mild weight issue might result in inadequate or damaging eating habits, through the teenage years and into young adulthood the outcome can be much graver. When a societally instigated weight issue in a young person is coupled with low self-esteem, a feeling of being out of control, and a predisposition towards mental illness through body distortion, the result can be anorexia nervosa or bulimia.
Increasingly, anorexia and bulimia are not just illnesses that affect women and young girls. There has been a rise in the number of young men contracting these illnesses, in particular a form called athletic anorexia, where a compulsive desire to lose fat coupled with a rigorous exercise regime. Both illnesses can be fatal if left untreated.
The sad thing is, because of the ultra-skinny images presented in the media, sick individuals are often congratulated on their 'discipline', rather than being encouraged to get the help they need. If someone you know is battling a distorted self-image, or has lost an unhealthy amount of weight, the most important thing you can do is to educate yourself about anorexia and bulimia. The more educated you are, the better you'll understand how the illness works, so you'll be able to help them to access the necessary professional help. Treatment for these illnesses usually entails a dietary plan that will help the sufferer to regain the lost weight, coupled with regular psychotherapy or counselling to help them overcome the mental distortions of the illness and the self-esteem issues that caused it in the first place.
There are also plenty of support groups available for former sufferers and their friends and family, so you never have to feel alone. Let Thefitmap.com help you to find all the resources you need to help someone cope with these serious illnesses.
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