Pulling the Trigger
December 26, 2007 by angelique
Filed under Women's Health
It’s common sense — what triggers one individual to engage in disordered eating does not affect another in the least.
Case in point…
I was heavy for a number of years as a child. The resultant taunts, low self-esteem and desire to look “normal” caused me to go on a crash diet. Add to the mix a tendency toward depression and OCD and… voila! By 13, I was heading straight toward the open arms of anorexia.
Yet not all kids who are overweight are doomed to eating disorders. In fact, many children who are heavy by society’s standards grow up to be perfectly happy, healthy, successful adults. Disordered eating to them is as foreign as Mayan dance music is to me.
So is there a way that we (as a culture) can ”pull” the triggers of eating disorders before they shoot a gal or guy into the world of anorexia or bulimia? Obviously, after the ED begins, it becomes relatively simple to pinpoint the triggers; but is there a way to eliminate those triggers BEFORE the person becomes enmeshed in the condition?
What do you think?
Is there hope that we can stop the ED cycle before it begins, effective jamming the “gun” and causing the trigger to malfunction? Or will EDs always be a condition that has a better chance of being conquered through intervention rather than prevention?
I think that there are certain things that can triger anorexia or bulemia but it doesnt necessarly mean that it can stop a person from doing it. I think that pro anorexia websites need to go. Being anorexic is not somthing that you can just do easily. I am anorexic and have been for 6 years. I still am in outpactient therapy and for some people anorexia goes soo much further and deeper than just being thin. Because the number on the scale doesnt matter to me. Its just a number and I still know the routine everyday.Almost like I am living the same day over and over again. So for some people anorexia is not necessarily trigered. Some people use it as a way to cope with there problems and feelings. They dont want to be that way but its all they have known for so long. Each person with an eating disorder is different and they are not all the same. But girls and women who just want to be thin need to think logically about what it is they are getting themselves into. And they do know. They know exactly what they are doing and they are wanting to look that way and be that way. Wich is a shame. But anorexics who never chose to be that way are very misrible people and they are not happy. If you doubt me ask me. I know. Its not easy to turn off. When you are soo far into it you wakeup every morning depressed and sad, and you want to live but you dont know how. And dyeing just seems easier after awhile. But in some ways I still have hope because I still go to therapy every week. So I really hope that girls and women and can somehow learn to accept themselves as they are and see there is more to a person than being thin. Good luck to all you girls and you are beautifule no matter what.
Annie:
I know what you mean — triggers ARE tough to define, and what triggers one person does nothing to trigger another.
You also made a good point when you said that each person is unique; therefore, each ED is unique to the sufferer. Your anorexia manifests itself in a much different way than another woman’s will. Therein lies the diabolical nature of the condition.
It’s sad that dying seems like an option, especially from my perspective, years away from anorexia’s grip. I see that there is “life after anorexia” (probably a good title for a future post!), but I also know how hard it can be to see a future when you’re depressed, hurt, concerned, anxious, et cetera.
I wish you well! You’re beautiful, too, Annie!