Eating disorders and athletes
“More individuals die of [eating disorders] than any other psychiatric illness” (ANAD 2003). Although eating disorders are not new subsets of mental illness, they are increasing in number and severity. Approximately seven million women and one million men have an eating disorder (ANAD, 2003). Although many believe only models and actresses are affected by society’s pressure to be skinny, athletes are largely affected by this as well. ... Bulimia, the second most common eating disorder among athletes, is described as binge eating, where a person might take in several thousand calories during a single meal, and then force him or herself to vomit. ... One who suffers from an eating disorder is very self-conscious and most likely has low self-esteem, which is largely influenced by her weight. ... There are many social causes for eating disorders. ... Coaches play an active role in female athlete’s eating disorders. Coaches of gymnasts as well as figure skaters have been known to weigh athletes and announce their weights in front of their peers in order to motivate them to lose weight. The effect has been athletes starving themselves, using diet pills, thyroid pills, or misusing laxatives in order to drop down to dangerous weights.