It wouldn't surprise me if it is or can be a combination of both. I believe that some anorexia, etc., is caused by feelings of low self-esteem, societal views, etc., while others can be genuinely caused by chemical imbalance or mental or physical impairment. I Pray that a child of 3 would not be anorexic due to self-esteem issues, if they are, I would be checking for abuse issues. Sometimes a problem begins by being one of choice (sub-conscious or otherwise) and becomes a very real problem in terms of chemical imbalance. Not the same problem, but I know someone who began having anxiety attacks, and as they progressed untreated, it became a full-blown chemical imbalance that has taken about 2 years to overcome. A simple case of how an issue can turn into a medical problem. Perhaps anorexia (etc.) can be the same way... It is also possible that a physical disorder could cause a person to appear to have anorexia when in actuality they are medically ill......

Forgive my turns of phrase if they are inappropriate or too vague. You would think that I would be able to express myself more clearly, but sometimes I have difficulty connecting my brain to my fingers - I tend to do too much editing between the thinking and the typing.... (I think mainly because I am used to thinking with someone else's words and editing those as they are spoken in my ear)

[ June 19, 2002, 08:10 PM: Message edited by: Mrs Sarah Moss ]

HI!

I asked a friend last summer to what degree could Satan infiltrate our being. He said in every way possible. So when another friend told me that anorexia was demonic, I swallowed in fear, knowing that he was probably right. I did not want to post it right away because sometimes you think it can not be, but when I thought about the disease and how hard it is to overcome, why would not it be?

I could see how this fits in with sin, selfishness and death. Since the Garden of Eden eating and women have had mixed terribly. It is not surprising that Satan would take something like fasting, which is supposed to bring us closer to God, and take it to the extreme such that it would cause people to turn inward to such a point that they hate themselves, and "surely" end with death.

Isaiah 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

It is very difficult to overcome anorexia with purely medicinal ie. psychological treatment possibly due to the lack of spiritual support which is what needs to be present for victory.

1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

In answer to your question of "why?", Daryl, because for Satan "why not"- why not allow people to loathe their physical appearance, to feel inferior- isn't that what he felt? It is very unfortunate that such infiltration can happen to small children but because they are being exposed to things of the world at younger and younger ages and because, like Sarah mentioned, they are abused, they are vulnerable. Our only protection is God. Our minds are so complicated; only God knows how they work. Only He can protect them.

I hope this provides some insight.

Lorelei

I work with mentally ill people every day, and in large numbers. While the consequences of sin are satanic, mentall illness is not demon possession. I know there is real demon possession, but it doesn't have regular symptoms like, say, schizophrenia. Anorexia and bulimia are related to OCD - obsessive compulsive disorder - and as such are illness, and must be treated as a brain thing, and not purely behavioural.

I once worked with a young woman who was a classic anorexic/bulimic. She would hoe into chocolate cake, disappear to throw up, then return, with her breath constantly smelling of acetone. She was waiflike, pale, and completely obsessive in her work, burning out quickly because she had no "brakes" to apply for self preservation. It was very tragic. She'd had a traumatic past, but so have millions of people who don't become anorexic, so that's not the only factor.

I agree that exposing our children to awful media and images breaks down their minds and wills, and can have devastating consequences.