Eating Disorders

Eating Disorders

Introduction

Opioid denotes a category of drugs, including illegal substances, for instance, heroin, synthetic opioids like pain relievers, and fentanyl. Pain killers and fentanyl are available legally in chemists and are also available through doctors’ prescriptions.  In Tennessee alone, there were 1269 overdose fatalities in 2017, and this indicated 19.3 deaths due to overdose per 100,000 individuals. This rate is far much higher than the national rate of 14.6 deaths per 100,000 people. Specifically, the class of opioids that resulted in numerous mortalities was synthetic opioids, for instance, fentanyl. Fentanyl related deaths had a sharp death increase of 77 deaths recorded in 2012 to 590 deaths recorded in 2017. Heroin deaths also increased from 50 to 311 deaths in the same time frame. Opioid addiction also has a relation with eating disorder (ED) instances. This paper, therefore, examines the connection and cause of eating disorders under opioid addiction.

Definition of the topic

            In light of Berg et al. (2012), eating disorder is more than food alone. These even include complex mental health circumstances that usually need the intervention of psychological and health experts. Berg et al. (2012) also affirm that in the USA, about 20 million to 10 million individuals have experienced this condition before. Gianini, White, and Masheb (2013) states that eating disorders scale from psychological conditions leading to unhealthy eating trends. These conditions may commence with food obsession, body shape, or weight. What is more, the authors attain that eating disorders cause complex health issues leading to the death of the patient if left untreated. Stice, Becker, and Yokum (2013) argue that individuals experiencing food disorders have numerous symptoms; conversely, the most common signs include, purging behaviors, for instance, over-exercising plus vomiting. Other common characteristics include food binges and severe food restrictions. Stice, Marti, and Rohde (2013) state that eating disorders are common to every particular individual irrespective of age, gender, or social background. Nonetheless, this condition is commonly reported in adolescents plus young women. Additionally, Stice and the colleagues affirm that up to 13 percent of youths have a possibility of experiencing one eating disorder by 20 years of age. Treasure and Nazar (2016) states that a facet of issues influences ED. A combination of biological, social, and psychological factors is believed to be the cause of this condition. Instances of natural objects include irregular hormone operations, nutritional scarcities, and genetically caused. Treasure and the colleague also affirm that psychological causes include, poor self-esteem and nugatory body image. Correspondingly, social causes include family and childhood trauma instances, peer pressure, stressful changes in life transitions, among others.

Gearhardt et al. (2012) maintains that there are high instances of substance abuse for like opioids among individuals experiencing eating disorders. There exist a high degree in patients with eating and feeding disorders. Purging signs of opioid use disorders and eating disorders with bingeing signs may be elevated as 49 percent. Examples of an eating disorder include bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. Individuals under eating disorders usually misuse other drugs and alcohol (Lichtenstein et al. 2014). These individuals may also have the trend of abusing substances that are not prone to abuse, for instance, diuretics and laxatives.

Discussion

            Eating disorder significantly positions a social problem in copious ways. To begin with, Caglar et al. (2014) associates stigma with this condition. Stigma denotes a disgrace mark related to a specific circumstance of an individual. Consequently, the author considers not the meaning of stigma but rather are negative social implications it causes. Stigma also relates to images, feelings, plus thoughts which relate to shame, humiliation, and guilt. Individuals who indicate signs of ED experience stigma; these include those women, children, and men who show symptoms of bulimia, anorexia, and binge eating disorder. These also include those individuals trapped in a struggling relation with food and others who conflict to see their bodies conform to the required social standards. Additionally, the victims have not chosen to indicate specific signs. However, these signs are language indications of low self-esteem, shame, guilt, and feelings of fear.

Cardi et al. (2013) maintain that environmental, physiological, plus social factors combined give rise to eating disorders. Despite this, environmental or psychological factors alone cannot lead to ED. Cardi et al. (2013) suggests social factors are the prime cause of this disorder. For instance, there exist social pressures forcing people to have in mind thinness as socially acceptable and attractive. It is not a surprise that the worth in which society places on thinness can influence individuals already at the danger of eating disorders. For instance, Tchamturia et al. (2012) maintain that in North America, individuals grow up knowing that becoming successful requires one to be fit and thin. Stores also have skinny and buff dummies. Additionally, cover fashion magazines indicate pictures of muscular and pinched women. And so, teenage girls and boys thus starve themselves trying to manage body shapes offered by fashion magazines. Also, 4 out of 10 boys often undergo gym sessions trying to match the body instances that they believe to be ideal in society. Contemporary society is thus filled with weight, food, and dieting.