i am not to sure.

[dinger]

my friend asked me today if people can purposely make themseves get an eating disorder.
and i didnt know the answer.
because i didnt get my eating disorder intentionaly.

can people force themselves to have one?

[Mzor203]

Well, if someone wants to be bullimic, it is in their own power to make it happen,I believe. If your friend wants an eating disorder they basically have it, I think.

[dinger]

hmmmm...
i guess your right.
no i think she was just asking about it.
but does that mean everyone who has an eating disorder (even me) Consciously does it, even with out knowing?
:S

[Mzor203]

Well, depending on the eating disorder, yeah.Like for bullimia, you do it because you want to lose weight, you just kind of go too far with it. So you are making the choices, in a way, you just can't help it. So the only reason a person would want to get bulimia is if they worry about their weight, you know? So it ends up with them getting into anyways unless they do something.

[dinger]

what about anorexia?

[Mzor203]

Same thing, the person is consciously starving themselves to be more thin. So if you wanted anorexia, basically there is nothing to stop you.You just kind of start starving yourself.

[dinger]

but what about the distorted body image bit?

im sorrry for all the questions, i should know all this, but i dont.

[Mzor203]

Well I guess that seeing yourself to be fat even when you're not is actually a disorder rather than something self-induced, so anorexia isn't exactly the fault ofthe person.

Even so, if someone wanted an eating disorder, all they have to do is do what they would do if they had one, though it might not totally be classified as one of them if it was self induced.

I'm not 100% sure how to answer your question all the way, as this isn;t where I am good at.

But people can force themselves to starve themselves, etc.

[dinger]

yeah i guess i understand it.
is it kinda like saying at start people do it intentially, but then it gets addictive and you cant stop??

(i wonder why my friend wants to know this. do you think she may want an eating disorder?)

[thesphinx]

Eating disorders are a conscious choice to become thinner, and yes it is like any other drug once they get going the like it and keep doing it and it will become an addiction eventually.
Your friend might just be curious about what an eating disorder is, just keep an eye on her.

[Mzor203]

yeah i guess i understand it.
is it kinda like saying at start people do it intentially, but then it gets addictive and you cant stop??

(i wonder why my friend wants to know this. do you think she may want an eating disorder?)

The only reason she would actually want an eating disorder is if she feels bad about her image, which could be the start of one, so as theSphinx said, keep an eye on her and if she starts, do whatever you can to disuade her from it.

[VCSCjosie]

yea i think it's a mental illeness and not a choice yea oyu make the choice to either restrict or purge but after a while of doing it your mind just does what you taught it so it's a choice but also a mental illness. i have had an eating disorder for 5 years and its to me an illness because i have gone so far with it.
-josie