Eating Disorders: Do These Genes Make Me Look Fat?

We are a society obsessed with looks. It's much more than just worrying about a bad hair day, it's millions of dollars spent on skin treatments, botox, plastic surgery, diet pills, models too fat, models too skinny, beauty pageants, make-up, hair implants, workout videos, gym memberships, liposuction, personal trainers. As a society, we seem to have OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) about our looks.

So it is no surprise that eating disorders are so prevalent. We probably all know someone, or know of someone, who struggles with one or more of these disorders every day. Some important facts to note: There is a proven genetic component to eating disorders, people may be pre-disposed to struggle with it, and eating disorders often start in the teen years, but don't be fooled into thinking that it's only teens who have it. Adults can and do have eating disorders as well, but generally are better at hiding the signs.

February 25-March 3 is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week.

People with eating disorders spend 80% to 90% of their day, every day, fretting and obsessing about their appearance, according to Theresa Fassihi, PhD. Dr. Fassihi is a psychologist with the Menninger Clinic's Eating Disorders Program. And 40% of those with eating disorders also suffer from a distorted image of their bodies, clinically called body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). Any treatment, therefore, for eating disorders should also include efforts to re-focus body image on the real rather than distorted image. This is the objective of the Menninger Clinic program.

(Houston's Menninger Clinic is a nonprofit psychiatric center, ranked among America's Best Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report for 16 consecutive years. They provide psychiatric treatment, research, and education.)

Body Dysmorphic Disorder