Social Effects of Eating Disorders – Part 2

People who suffer from anorexia or bulimia often feel secretive about both their bodies and their eating disorder. They often want to hide their bodies at all times. This means that they don’t go to the pool or go swimming with friends and make excuses to never get into a bathing suit. They don’t take showers with others, go to the gym in revealing clothing and often wear bulky baggy clothing to hide their bodies as much as possible. From an outsider’s point of view it may appear that they are trying to hide how thin they have become but in fact they are trying to hide how fat they perceive themselves to be.

Individuals who suffer from these eating disorders often avoid social situations where there is food involved. They may pride themselves in their exercise habits or their ability to keep from eating during parties or social events. These habits will translate into anxiety or difficulty handling stressful situations that often results in high levels of frustration. Unfortunately, people who suffer from eating disorders do not suffer from them in a vacuum. This means they usually also have antisocial behavior and can be unpredictable in social situations.

Individuals who suffer from an eating disorder may truly understand how their behaviors are hurting them, but not have a realization of how their behavior is hurting the people they love and those who love them. The strain of living with an individual who is suffering from an eating disorder can divide a family. Family members often feel alienated by others in their school, friends, adult friends, and coworkers because of the unpredictable and antisocial behavior of the sufferer.

The social effects of an eating disorder are varied and can have a severe negative impact on the lives of both the sufferer and the family. While the negative physical effects of an eating disorder will result in kidney, liver or heart problems the social effects can increase the problem and actually worsen the disease.