FIRST DRAFT
PEER REVIEW
FINAL DRAFT
Misconceptions About Eating Disorders and Their Impact On Its Individuals
Food could be something you cannot wait to get home to or maybe your worst nightmare. It may sound normal to anyone who does not struggle with an eating disorder to consume food on a regular daily basis, including a meal three times a day. One simple word such as “food” can cause million of thoughts in that person’s head, either delicious meals or struggling thoughts of food. Understanding the minds of people with eating disorders is extremely difficult as food can turn into their enemy, being that it is one of the very first sources we need in order to survive as humans. With a large range of ages of individuals dealing with eating disorders and numerous factors that play a role in the development. The misconceptions of eating disorders include their stereotypes such as having to appear a specific way to fit into being diagnosed with an eating disorder, some believing it’s not a serious matter or only the female gender can have an eating disorder. These misconceptions can lead to cause to fewer diagnoses and may prevent those who are seeking help to receive treatment.
Nowadays, we find young girls and boys wanting to aim to “look” a specific way but come to take extreme actions to achieve their goal without recognizing the damage they are causing to themselves. Now, if these individuals are struggling to recognize the issue themselves, what will become of them when they want to reach for help and feel shut down when speaking out to someone who also has no clue as to what they are saying. Based on the “Journal on mental health”, the importance of “eating disorder mental health literacy” refers to “knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders which aid their recognition, management or prevention” to improve community awareness and understanding of the nature of mental issues. Throughout the text, it is expressed that the public would benefit by knowing what actions to take when being able to identify someone or even themselves with symptoms of mental health problems. Showing that eventually, sharing the right knowledge with the public can help to offer the appropriate help to those who are looking for it. This source was useful to my research topic, as it can clearly help me broaden the end of misconceptions about eating disorders by showing how a more educated public can help to aid individuals with an eating disorder instead of remaining uneducated and believing it’s unimportant. Meanwhile, one person’s help or encouraging words can signify a change in the individual’s life.
We came to accept that we live in a society where thinness is promoted to be the ideal body for young women. This can be considered one of the major stereotypes of an eating disorder as it’s not true but as it is left in the air within our society one is capable of believing it. Based on a document “The fallacy of Eating Disorders- It’s Not Just About Being Skinny” showed developed misconceptions about eating disorders and their stereotypes as to how it has led to misunderstanding those who deal with eating disorders. Preventing them from receiving the help they seek and not being approved to be considered diagnosed with an eating disorder. This text expands beyond just attempting to talk about the importance of understanding an eating disorder but also focusing on the mental perspective of the individual dealing with it. Also, explaining the roller coaster of emotions and critical behaviors since it also shares a personal story of an individual who had dealt with an eating disorder. ‘’As for the body types that are considered “healthy” or “overweight”, less than 45% of participants chose these options for both males and females. It is these stereotypes towards who will develop an eating disorder that prevents individuals from seeking treatment because they feel they do not fit the prevailing social mold.”(The fallacy of Eating Disorders- It’s Not Just About Being Skinny, 2021).. This source is useful to my research topic due to a performed study, it helps me to expand upon the fact of how some individuals did not seek treatment due to specific stereotypes society had placed on eating disorders. This source also allowed me to understand that the mix of people’s beliefs on eating disorders has become the definition of what an eating disorder means to society.
Male representations in individuals diagnosed with eating disorders had been labeled as rare, leading to the stereotype that only females develop an eating disorder. Based on the article “The enigma of male eating disorders: A critical review and synthesis can be shown the underrepresentation of males who developed eating disorders. The text also expands upon the fact that male patients were excluded from treatment studies. As eating disorders were more commonly found in girls/women, it was presented as a rarity for men to be diagnosed with eating disorders, therefore overviewed. This article also presents how eating disorders are identified differently within different genders. It moves across stating a major point being one of the roots of eating disorders in males which is the ideal body showing muscularity, known as muscle dysmorphia, which has also been portrayed by the media such as male models, movie stars, action figures, and computer games characters. This was useful for my research topic as it helped me understand the root of the stereotype and the understanding of males dealing with eating disorders. It also helped me to be more open-minded and reflect that these issues had already existed and are still going on.
As society places its labels based on appearance, eating disorders were identified as “skinny” just by one look. Without knowledge about eating disorders, it becomes difficult to understand how they can be addressed as mental illnesses. Based on the article “ Taking a bite out of eating disorders: Facts and Myths”, it is shown the obstacles individuals face when seeking treatment. Society’s misconception is that eating disorders are viewed as only physical illnesses. A myth presented such as it can only happen to specific people by their physical appearance, therefore these individuals who are unidentified are dismissed and untreated. The lack of research on eating disorders has led to a lack of understanding of the individuals. This source enabled me to become knowledgeable that there are individuals who are based on their appearance left untreated.
The importance of clarifying misconceptions even within mental health-related topics such as eating disorders is greater than just spreading awareness of the existence of eating disorders. These fake stereotypes have created a specific fit “checklist” that approves if you are dealing with an eating disorder, instead, this is creating more damage by rejecting their scream for help. As a result, misconceptions prove to be a major cause of misunderstanding in the individuals dealing with an eating disorder and not providing the appropriate aid.
- Christensen KA and Hagan KE (2020) Taking a Bite Out of Eating Disorders: Facts and Myths. Front. Young Minds 8:545034. doi: 10.3389/frym.2020. 545034
2) Lahaie, Mercedes, et al. The Fallacy of Eating Disorders -It Is Not Just about Being Skinny. Apr. 2021.
3) Murray, Stuart B., et al. “The Enigma of Male Eating Disorders: A Critical Review and Synthesis.” Clinical Psychology Review, vol. 57, Nov. 2017, pp. 1–11, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027273581730137X, 10.1016/j.cpr.2017.08.001. 4) Mond, Jonathan M. “Eating Disorders ‘Mental Health Literacy’: An Introduction.” Journal of Mental Health, vol. 23, no. 2, Apr. 2014, pp. 51–54,
SELF-ASSESSMENT
The first-course learning outcome was, “Explore and analyze, in writing and reading, a variety of genres and rhetorical situations”. In the process of writing my exploratory essay, I found myself developing this skill majorly as we had to read various articles that would support our topic of interest. I had to summarize and define the message behind long articles and find specific details that would provide me with narrowed information for my essay. However, I did find myself struggling as I had difficulties finding my sources. I was confused with my topic as I knew I had to narrow down my information and stay within the topic but I kept going out of topic due to a large amount of information. Eventually, finding good sources and reading very closely helped me to put together the purpose of my essay and not be disorganized with my ideas, even when I come to encounter a large amount of information.
The second-course learning outcome was “Develop strategies for reading, drafting, collaborating, revising, and editing”. Within the process of writing my exploratory essay, I noticed I had to repeatedly read over my words and make changes in order to present a solid argument to the reader instead of confusing them. Also, while reading various articles I would prefer to take out the strong points made by writing many notes aside from coming to a conclusion about the article and how it can back up my essay. I found myself getting better at concluding articles and focusing on the main points for my topic instead of driving me away from my topic. Lastly, the third-course learning outcome was,” Locate research sources (including academic journal articles, magazines, and newspaper articles) in the library’s databases or archives and on the Internet and evaluate them for credibility, accuracy, timeliness, and bias”.As I mentioned earlier within my first two-course learning outcomes, having good sources helped me majorly in completing my exploratory essay. Finding sources that complement my argument but are also credible, including data from experiments. I majorly used journal articles as they presented me with a good amount of information that was helpful for my argument. It also helped me to expand my topic as I was learning a lot more about my topic in the process. I would write papers before, but the sources I would rely on wouldn’t provide much but an opinion, and now I attempt to look for data for my argument to rely on.
