You’ve heard about it on the radio, read about it on every front page, and seen it on every news station. The tragedy of Terri Schiavo’s case has become the most hotly contested issue of the day. While the facts of the trial and the specifics of our American court system have been examined in detail, one very important topic has been overlooked and even ignored by most media sources. Terri was not terminally ill, nor was she suffering from a genetic disorder or illness. At 27, her heart complications were caused by an ever-growing epidemic. Terri Schiavo had an eating disorder.
Interestingly, the controversy surrounding the Schiavo case focuses on whether a feeding tube should continue to keep her body alive. This case comes down to a simple fact of life: one must eat to survive. The irony of this case is undeniable. Like so many young women in the United States, Terri learned that feeding oneself is sinful. Sadly, eating enough to fuel the body is considered overindulgence. Women feel guilty for quenching hunger, naughty for snacking and ashamed for consuming anything that might be pleasurable. In a world that tells young women that thinness is godliness, Terri resorted to bulimia, self inducing vomiting after meals. The heart can only take so much abuse, and the body can only function without nutrients for so long. Terri’s constant vomiting produced a potassium imbalance causing her heart to stop and cutting of blood flow to the brain. Sadly, like most deaths cause by eating disorders, Terri’s case will not be recorded in the statistics which, even though inaccurately low, remain astounding. According to Anorexia Nervosa and Relating Eating Disorders, Inc., approximately 10 million women and 1 million men suffer from eating disorders; 4% of college aged women are bulimic; and what’s more, the mortality rate for eating disorders is higher than that of any other psychological disorder: eating disorders are in fact the number one killer of young women. What might seem shocking is that Terri’s parents refuse to believe that their daughter was suffering from an eating disorder and deny the suggestions that Schiavo engaged in any self-destructive behavior. However, USA Today reported that at least one of Schiavo’s friends testified they knew she was bulimic because after meals, she always immediately excused herself to go to the bathroom. Her husband was also aware of Terri’s peculiar eating patterns but did not understand they were dangerous. USA today also reported that Schiavo visited the doctor a few months before her collapse because she had stopped menstruating. Her lawyer called it “a silent cry for help,” yet Schiavo’s doctor did not evaluate her complete medical history that might have revealed her bulimic patterns.
Even more disturbing is the fact that Schiavo’s settlement payment was reduced by $4,000 upon discovering Terri’s eating disorder. According to professionals, Schiavo’s heart failure was her own fault. Having a life-threatening mental illness is now considered one’s own fault. The truth is that eating disorders, while rampant, don’t seem to be on our radar screens. Too often severe eating disorders go unnoticed and untreated. Plainly put, a woman’s weight or appearance says nothing about her relationship to food. And in a society where drastic weight loss and extreme dieting among women is constantly praised and glorified, symptoms of eating disorders are frequently misdiagnosed, many women remain untreated, and many more are blamed for the long term health repercussions. It is not our fault!
Congress and state legislators have disregarded individuals with eating disorders, long before their health is as seriously compromised as Schiavo’s. In fact, many women are refused treatment until their condition is critical, which is simply too late. And even still, the majority of women in treatment are denied total or partial insurance coverage.
So the question begs to be asked: why has this been ignored!? Where is the outcry, the backlash and anger from women throughout the United States? How can US citizens overlook the ever growing epidemic that is plaguing young women? How can the media turn a blind eye? How can women be held responsible for their own pain and anguish!?
There is a way to help. Urge your representatives and state legislators to provide insurance coverage for eating disorders. Bring the issue into the public eye. Don’t let it be swept under the rug. Too many women are suffering and can’t afford the treatment they need. Help insure that they find they healing they need before it’s too late. Visit www.congress .org to e-mail your local representative.
Write a letter to your local newspaper and speak out about the dangers and realities of eating disorders!
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