just out of interest

[roxie_09]

how many of you would class eating disorders as a mental illness? or think those that suffer with it bring it on themselves? xx

[joeluke]

People with genuine mental illnesses can't help themselves, those who are undernourished and way too thin can

Eat the right amounts of the right foods and they would become healthier

[cazzz1975]

I would go with the NHS's description, not because I believe in it, but they have put the work in and know what they are talking about ;)

[cazzz1975]

so why are people suffering with obesity not classed as mentally ill? they are just told they are greedy?

[roxie_09]

as i've just done my module on eating disorders, they were defined as using food to control emotions, so comfort eating is classified as an eating disorder (however they do need to reach a certain criteria to be diagnosed with an eating disorder), but this in the longer term could result in obesity? therefore being a mental health issue? x

[Mick-Talbot]

anorexia and bulimia mental illness
Obesity, (in most cases) just shear stupidity. IMO.

[daffy654]

IMO not a mental illness but a behavioural disorder.

[roxie_09]

yes karen i agree, i just used dieting as an example (should have pointed that out sorry). i do think that its a lot more complex than people give it credit for, that it isnt just a case of "well just eat food", for people that havnt eaten properly for a long period of time, just eating 'normally' can put them at great risk x

[cazzz1975]

just like the 70 stone bloke was told, well stop eating pies then...

if anorexia and bulimia are classed as eating disorders, why isnt serious obesity?

[sandyRoe]

And people who are obese, you couldn't say: Just eat a bit less. Or alcoholics, stop after 1 drink.

[joeluke]

They are just another way for people to be classed as having a disability so they can get out of working and get extra benefits

[ummmm]

Yes Joe....people will get so fat they can barely walk just to get benefits.

[roxie_09]

cazzz, obesity is classed as an eating disorder x joeluke, you've obviously never spoken to someone that has or is suffering from these illnesses, as most of them that i work with, do not even see anything wrong with what they are doing, so how would that fit in wanting benefits etc, and others that do have insight, none of them that i have spoken to anyway, have wanted to be like this and want a 'normal' life. Not typical of your people that just want to sponge

[Mick-Talbot]

Lots of people who are obese have their parents to blame.

[joeluke]

Roxie.....I'm not suggesting people deliberately become anorexic or obese just to get more benefits, more like these people ain't too bothered about becoming 'better' because they are happy living off the state

[cazzz1975]

there is a distinct lack of sympathy for people who get themselves in to a state where they are 70 stone than someone who has got themselves on to a state at 5 stone.

technically both are life threatening and both are self inflicted

[roxie_09]

I honestly do not believe that getting benefits even comes into the equation in relation to them getting help and getting better. It starts off as a need to be able to control something as karen has said previously, but then the illness starts controlling them, they are a slave to the illness so money isnt an issue that they would be thinking of.
Cazzz what about the underlying issues that have caused them to use food as a coping strategy? I guess the only thing i can describe it as is self harming. x

[joeluke]

Of course the benefits question comes into it, I once knew of an obese man who got a mobile phone off the government (in the days when mobiles were just becoming fashionable) just because he didn't have a landline and was too fat to fit into a phone box

[roxie_09]

sorry joe, i should state that im referring to obese/anorexics that do have an underlying issue. some people are obese just because they eat too much crappy foods. x

[joeluke]

So there are people who are obese because they haven't over indulged on crappy foods?

[roxie_09]

yes, especially in mental health. a few of the medications have a side effect of putting rapid weight on. steroid based drugs and a load of others. x