Eating disorders are estimated to occur in 5-10 million women and one million males in the United States. Eating disorders are psychological problems that can be viewed as unusual eating habits. Eating disorders can be known as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating. These disorders have affected men and women across the world for many years, but the topic has caused great controversy in today's society. As children become young adults, they come to realize the pressures of being thin, which can be stressed by pop culture. Pop culture is one of the major influences on men and women today. Being overweight is frowned upon and young adults can be bullied for being obese. These conditions can also be caused by family members or stress and can create many problems for them later in life. Eating disorders can be caused by stress, family pressure, and pop culture and can have long-lasting effects.
Family pressure on young adults can impact the choices one makes on a daily basis. Family members can impact the feelings of an individual by teasing, regarding the need to change weight which plays a role in the pathogenesis of eating disorders. Eating disorders can develop in children from family members who are over-involved in their life. When parents play too big of a role in a child's life, the child cannot grow to be independent and make their own choices. Some adolescents believe they have a certain expectation to meet to please parents, and fitting a specific body type is what that means to them. When the child does not meet this expectation, starvation occurs or the child may even result in throwing up their meal. Other factors that can contribute to these diseases are parental drug or alcohol abuse. Depression can result from these situations, which leads to the development of a disorder, and can eventually lead to suicide. Genes are another common cause of eating disorders. Individuals who have parents with eating disorders are more at risk for the diseases. Children can result in blaming their parents for their misfortune, and lead to ruined relationships with family.
Pop culture plays a role in where eating disorders are prominent and who they affect. When children see television stars on shows with slim figures, they begin to think they need to look the same. The images then cause the children to starve themselves in order to obtain the television stars figure. Some celebrities have also developed eating disorders while in the spotlight because the pressure from viewers is too much for them to handle. Supermodels today have continued to get thinner and thinner, which shows an unrealistic representation of what a man or woman should look like in today's society. Television commercials are also another problem that individuals have faced because the actors or actresses act as if losing weight will make them happy and free them from all their life problems. the dieting companies drive to make more money makes for a vicious cycle of thinking that lives will be better once one attains a certain weight.
Feelings of stress can turn people into adapting unusual eating habits, making it a constant battle between the two. When individuals feel stressed, they may turn to food to solve their problems. Binge eating is one of the main effects of stress. The feeling of control may result when binge eating to solve stress, which eventually leads to obesity. Anxiety is also a known effect from stress levels rising and can cause many problems to the brain such as low self-image and depression. Other factors such as child, alcohol, or drug abuse can also affect how stressed a person may be if there is a history of abuse in the family. Trauma is a common cause of eating disorders and mental problems can cause the body to result in these psychological disorders.
Family pressure, pop culture, and stress can all contribute to the onset of an eating disorder and young adults need to realize when a problem is beginning. The family is the center of an individual's life and whatever they say, a person takes into consideration. When attention is not received from parents or abuse is occurring, eating disorders can occur. Pop culture in society today is one of the largest influences on eating disorders. Models and celebrities in magazines and on television show an unrealistic representation of the ideal weight of men and women
today. Stress levels can accumulate when abuse or trauma occurs which can make individuals turn to food for comfort. The person feels in control of their life when food is consumed, and the weight adds on, which can result in obesity. Eating disorders are a global issue and young adults need to be educated about the warning signs before it is too late.
