The Problem Of Eating Disorder Recovery - 3374 Words

Maria and Katy Campbell were 11-years-old when they overheard their father say to their mother, â€Å"Gosh, those girls are becoming young women, aren’t they? They’re getting hips.† Devastated by the seemingly normal remark a father would make of his preteen daughters, the twins made a pact that night to help each other â€Å"lose their hips†, and lose their hips they did. For the 22 years that would follow both women would advance their education to receive their doctorate degrees, and try to live somewhat normal lives- all while weighing less than 84 pounds and suffering in and out of eating disorder recovery clinics. At 33, both women are hopeful that they will someday recover; however, due to the societal misunderstanding that those with eating†¦show more content†¦Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder distinguished by its psychological, physiological, developmental, and social components. The disorder is characterized by binge eating shortly followed by harmful compensatory behaviors, such as abuse of laxatives, diuretics or enemas, stimulants, vomiting, fasting, or excessive exercise. This is known as the â€Å"Binge-Purge Cycle†. Unlike anorexia nervosa, those with bulimia nervosa fall within a normal or slightly overweight weight range and usually perform their eating disordered behaviors in secret due to the severe feelings of shame and disgust which accompany the binge-purge cycle. Due to the intensity of the combined mental and physical assault bulimia has on the body, complications of bulimia can stay with a patient long after recovery is achieved. Such complications include, but are not limited to: Decaying tooth enamel (tooth rot) due to the stomach acid constantly eroding the protective layering on the teeth; those who have suffered from this eating disorder for more than seven years (the average time of recovery for those with bulimia nervosa) have a great likelihood of rupturing either their stomach o r