February 24 – March 3, 2025 is National Awareness Week of Eating Disorders.
Alice* I can’t remember a time when he felt comfortable in his body.
When growing, he developed long before the other girls of his age, and his school did not offer much in the path of education about women’s health. She felt alone, and her cannon ball towards femininity made her a goal for bullying. In high school, the boys bothered her relentlessly and pushed the boxes for the girls who called her «whore.»
Alice thought that if she could reduce her body, occupy less space, maybe everything disappeared.
She began to restrict the calories and types of food she ate. If I ate something «bad», it would be vomiting, which helped her feel in control. Alice cyclo through periods of restricted feeding, binge and purges for years. He told herself that she did not rule her life or happened every day, so it was not a problem. But when he received an invitation to a class meeting, he realized that his «no problems» had been happening for decades.
The increase in median eating disorders
For some women such as Alice, medium -sized eating disorders can be the result of an unrelated pattern that began before life. But there are many different reasons why eating disorders develop or once again occur in medium age.
«When you think about some of the things we know about eating disorders, they are based biologically, they often concur with other mental health problems, changes in medium age for women can create new stressors or achieve or exacerbate existing conditions,» he said Doreen Marshall, Ph.D., CEO of the National Association of Eating Disorders. “For women in the middle age, there are often changes in their bodies that are sailing. For many women, they are years of dealing with fertility or fertility or childbirth problems. It is also perimenopause. «
Although many people associate eating disorders with young people, research shows that feasible rates among median women have increased over the years. Statistics are alarming: a study He discovered that 1 in 5 women have dealt with an eating disorder at age 40, twice the number identified for women at age 21.
More than 1 in 10 women over 50 experience symptoms of an eating disorder and a recent study It is found that almost 3 out of 4 women in the middle age are not satisfied with their weight, which is a risk factor for developing an eating disorder.
Risk factors for median eating disorders
«Disorders do not discriminate according to age, gender, body type, the socioeconomic state, the race: no one is immune,» said Marshall.
But there are some factors that can increase the risk of developing an eating disorder in the middle age. Changes in the body during perimenopause (the period of time prior to menopause) and menopause can contribute to risk. Most people begin perimenopause in their 40 years and during this time, estrogen levels begin to decrease, which makes their metabolism decrease and can contribute to weight gain.
Marshall said that hormonal changes combined with aging in general are risk factors that come with this stage in life. Other risk factors may include:
- Death of a loved one
- Retirement
- Divorce
- Disease or care for someone with a disease
“I think the clear thing is that there is no cause of an eating disorder and that eating disorders are complex: they involve environmental biology and stressors or environmental exposure. And we are all affected by things like the culture of weight loss and the culture of the diet and the ideals of beauty … along with the changes in the middle age, which can really establish someone [with vulnerabilities] For the development of an eating disorder, ”said Marshall.
Common eating disorders in the middle age
There are many different types of eating disorders, but the three most common eating disorders in the middle age are:
- Anorexia nervosa: extreme food restriction
- Bulimia: Eat and purge vomiting or using laxatives
- Eating disorder for a binge: eat large amounts of foods beyond the point of feeling full
Read: I thought I could handle my eating disorder on my own because it didn’t happen every day, but I was wrong. >>
Marshall said ORTOREXIAAn obsession with healthy eating and food restriction can also be developed during this stage of life. «This is someone who has a concern for healthy eating to the point that it is interrupting its ability to work socially, occupationally or simply in the world,» he said.
The impacts related to the health of median eating disorders
It may be a surprise to discover that eating disorders have the second highest mortality rate of any mental illness. And dealing with an eating disorder in the middle age makes it more vulnerable to serious physical health conditions that occur with age.
These may include:
- Bone loss
- Heart conditions
- Lung problems
- Dental problems
Eating disorders that cause malnutrition can also contribute to cognitive functioning deficiencies, for example, studies show that people with anorexia have bad decision -making skills.
Get help for an eating disorder
For Alice, the understanding that she did have a problem led her to start seeing a therapist. If you are not sure if you have an eating disorder, consider taking the National Association of Eating Disorders Detection tool. It is free and confidential and can provide information you need to contribute to your medical care provider, preferably one that has experience in the treatment of eating disorders.
“Treatment for eating disorders often implies a mental health professional and can involve a dietitian and a doctor. So, I think it is important that people communicate and begin to talk to their medical suppliers, «said Marshall.» These are diseases that exist in silence and secret. And when someone takes a first step towards help, it is a step to bring this to light. «
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