abuse and anorexia

Since abuse can also be classified as someone hurting their own body, anorexia is a good example. Anorexia can be classified as an eating disorder characterized by self starvation due to a fear of gaining weight. When someone is anorexic they are harming their body. People with anorexia go to extremes­ to reach and maintain a dangerously low body weight. No matter how thin an anorexic becomes they will never be happy with their weight, and it isn't good enough for them. When someone becomes anorexia they are physically abusing their body. Some physical effects that happen when someone is anorexic are lack of energy, low blood pressure, abdominal pain, dizziness, and insomnia. Anorexia can also cause emotional symptoms as well as physical. Emotional effects include depression, anxiety, and isolation. The behavior of an anorexic may also change. Anorexia can lead to serious health problems or even death. So by becoming anorexic, a person is abusing their own body.


An article I read shows that an ordinary person may acquire anorexia and die from it. This story is about a musician named Karen Carpenter. Karen was a popular musician in the 70s, guest starred on TV shows, and was on the front cover of magazines. Underneath all the fame, she suffered from anorexia. At that time nobody knew of anorexia and what it entailed. The death of Karen opened the eyes of the world to this life-threatening disease. The article goes on to tell more about her and exactly what happened at the time of her death.

self-mutilation/self abuse

Abuse isn't just child abuse or physical, emotional, or sexual abuse. Abuse can also be classified as abusing your body. Many teens are deliberately hurting or abusing themselves, which is also known as self-mutilation. Self-mutilation is the practice of cutting, burning or otherwise injuring one's own body. This afflicts as many as two million people in the U.S. alone. Researchers say that this isn't a sign of suicide but rather just a sacred secret. There are many types of self-mutilation but the most common is cutting or burning.

So why do people turn to self-mutilation? There are many explanations on why people abuse themselves, but there are only a few that are widely accepted. Abuse can lead to feelings of self-hatred, worthlessness, abandonment, and anger, so they may turn to self abuse as an outlet for their emotions. By cutting or burning themselves it might make them feel better and be able to deal with their emotions better. Another explanation is that some self mutilators report feeling like their life is being controlled by everyone but themselves. Cutting or burning is a way for them to express that they are still in control of something (the pain that they feel). Out of the teens who cut or burn themselves, the vast majority keep it a secret from everyone, even close friends. So self-mutilation isn't a sign of suicide but rather just a way people can deal with their emotions.

What do you do?

When child abuse is occurring, there are several ways to report it. If a child is in immediate danger from child abuse or neglect, obviously someone should call 911 immediately. Also anyone suspected that a child is being abused can report it to their state child abuse hotline or call the Childhelp National Abuse Hotline. The hotline is dedicated only to child abuse and has accumulated over 2 million calls since it began in 1982. If someone isn't sure if they want to report abuse officially or they just need support, there are different hotlines and child advocacy centers. If a child reports or talks to their parents about abuse, there are a few suggestions to keep in mind. As a parent, they can avoid denial and remain calm, don't interrogate, and reassure the child they did nothing wrong. It takes a lot for a child to come forth and talk about abuse so those are some ways to help them. People often get scared to report child abuse because many things are going on in their minds. Some common questions/comments people have before reporting child abuse is, I don't want to interfere with someone else's family, what if I break up someone's home, they will know it is me if I call it in, and it won't make a difference what I have to say anyway. To me it seems as though people shouldn't worry about those things and get the child safe. Calling a hotline is anonymous, so that wouldn't even matter. Also the effects are lifelong whereas the other things are just short-term and wouldn't keep a child safe at all. If someone doesn't interfere with someone else's family then a child is just going to suffer. Also everything someone has to say will help in one way or another so a report should always be made.