Tag: Environment

Muscle Dysmorphia (MD) is classified as an obsessive-compulsive, body image disturbance disorder that involves excessive exercise as the primary focus with disordered eating as a secondary component. The compulsion is to achieve high levels of muscularity and leanness. It has also been known as ‘reverse anorexia’ called ‘bigorexia’.

If I could sum up what recovery from an eating disorder, or any other kind of addictive behaviour, looks like in just a few words, it would be “Freedom to love who you are.” I believe I am correct in saying that most of us want to be loved unconditionally, yet we place conditions on ourselves. As such, many of us can’t even love who we are unless we stick to these ‘conditions’, even though they are harmful.

The hardest habit for a person suffering from an eating disorder or disordered eating to break is the regime that makes them feel ‘safe’. Even though negative consequences result from regimes such as restricted dieting, excessive exercising and bingeing, or purging, laxative use and the abuse of other substances.

Who is to say what body shape suggests an eating disorder? The best indicator of an eating disorder is how someone communicates.

In the 1970’s and 1980’s, eating disorders were either classified as bulimia nervosa or anorexia nervosa. Anorexia was labelled as the ‘disorder of the decade’ in the 1980’s. The death of singer Karen Carpenter, during this decade, of a cardiac arrest after a battle with anorexia, raised public awareness. Shortly thereafter tertiary institutions established counselling and support services. At this time, media in the 1980’s included television, radio, newspapers and magazines.