Eating Disorders

Eating Disorders in General

It is roughly estimated that 3 percent of women will experience an eating disorder in their lifetime. Females between the ages of 15–64 are at risk for developing an eating disorder, with an even greater probability for younger women. The most recent Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders outlines definitions of bulimia nervosa (BN), anorexia nervosa (AN), and eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS). BN is defined by recurrent episodes of binge eating compensated by purging behavior, including vomiting, misuse of laxatives or other medications, and/or excessive fasting or exercise. The compensatory behaviors occur at least twice weekly for a period of three months.

AN is defined as the refusal to maintain a minimally normal body weight for one's age and height, coupled with an intense fear of gaining weight or becoming overweight. Often, with AN, a denial of the seriousness of current weight exists, as well as a distorted view of the body; and, in women of childbearing age, the absence of at least three consecutive periods.

EDNOS encompasses several conditions, and is the most prevalent of all eating disorders. This category includes individuals meeting the same criteria as AN, except in females there is a continuation of regular menstrual cycles, or, despite significant weight loss, their weight is in normal range. On the other hand, the individual may match all the criteria for BN, except that binge eating and compensatory behaviors are less frequent than twice weekly for three months. Other criteria for EDNOS include regular use of compensatory behavior in an individual of normal body weight after consuming small amounts of food, and/or repeatedly chewing and spitting out large amounts of food without swallowing.

While the DSM-IV classifications of AN, BN, and EDNOS are widely accepted as standard within the medical community, this type of categorization fails to take into account broader cultural influences on a woman's body and the etiology of disordered eating issues. In congruence with the personal is the political facet of feminist theory, which is that disordered eating symptoms can be viewed as coping mechanisms in response to internalized societal oppressions. It is notable that disordered eating and body image dissatisfaction are not exclusively a pandemic for white, Anglo-Saxon girls and women, as is often the public portrayal. Women of color, older women, impoverished women, pregnant women, disabled women, and lesbian women are left out of the media attention and public understanding of eating issues, which is a result of the demographic of girls and women included in the majority of disordered-eating and body-image research. Disordered eating theorists staunchly advance that disordered eating issues are not mere signs of self-absorbed vanity and obsession with oneself, but rather ways that women cope with untenable life situations. In this view, the body can be a symbolic representation of traumas, and is manifested in eating patterns [Page 315]and extreme dissatisfaction with appetites and body shape. Indeed, traumatic experiences may underlie many female eating problems, as they often disrupt an intact sense of one's body; however, not all women with eating issues are coping with trauma.

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