Up to 24 million people of all ages and genders suffer from an eating disorders which include anorexia, bulimia and obesity. This is especially an ongoing health crisis in the United States. While any of these three eating disorders can occur in adults (women are more affected by it then men), it is most prevalent among teenagers. According to studies, approximately 50 percent of people who have had anorexia develop bulimia or bulimic patterns. Causes of eating disorders include severe trauma, emotional stress due to the death of a loved one, sexual abuse, depression, family history of anorexia, OCD, or participation in sports or other professions that require a lean body. While all of these can lead to an eating disorder, many times …show more content…
The study also suggested that African- Americans, particularly women, have higher rates of obesity than other ethnic groups. These quick meals are loaded with high calories, cholesterol, saturated fat and carbohydrates. Enjoying fast food occasionally, while not necessarily good for you, is acceptable; however, indulging in this eating pattern too often, regardless of good your health may be, will have very adverse effects on your health as shown in the documentary “Super Size Me”. Both anorexia nervosa and bulimia are considered to be psychiatric disorders with anorexia nervosa having one of the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric disorder. Bulimia can cause long-term health problems including the cardiovascular, digestive, excretory, skeletal, reproductive, and nervous system. Anorexia nervosa causes serious long-term health complications, including congestive heart failure, sudden death, growth retardation, dental problems, constipation, and stomach rupture, swelling of the salivary glands, anemia and other abnormalities of the blood, loss of kidney function, electrolyte imbalances, and …show more content…
The signs of being anorexic are excessive weight loss, thinning hair, dry skin, brittle nails, cold or swollen feet and hands, bloated or an upset stomach, downy hair covering the body, low blood pressure, fatigue, abnormal heart rhythms, and osteoporosis. Those are the physical signs but there are also some physiological and behavioral signs are refusing to eat, depression, not being able to remember things, obsessive- compulsive behavior. Symptoms of bulimia and anorexia are broken down into stages; early stage symptoms, medium stage symptoms, and critical stage symptoms. The early stage symptoms in both are the same in that they include, low self-esteem, feelings of lack of control, unrealistic and distorted image of their body, along with an obsessive concern of weight. However, there are many dissimilar symptoms as well. In bulimia, one of the most common behaviors is that of binge eating and purging of food. Evidence of binge eating includes taking trips to the bathroom immediately after consuming food. Abuse of laxative and diuretics is also a common practice. Those suffering from
Crow, S.J., Peterson, C.B., Swanson, S.A., Raymond, N.C., Specker, S., Eckert, E.D., Mitchell, J.E. (2009) Increased mortality in bulimia nervosa and other eating disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry 166, 1342-1346.
One needs to recognize the combination of physical signs (thinning hair, thick tongue, excess weight, etc.) and common symptoms (fatigue, difficulty concentrating, cold intolerance, etc.).
...disorders in adolescence. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 35, 921-927.
The first area relates to attachment problems which can include difficulties with boundaries, lack of trust, social isolation, relationship difficulties, and lack of skill with taking another’s perspective (Cook et al., 2005). The second area identified is biological problems which include sensorimotor developmental difficulties, balance and coordination difficulties, somatization, and increased medical problems (e.g., asthma, skin problems, autoimmune disorders) (Cook et al., 2005). The third area is affect regulation difficulties which can include poor emotion self-regulation skills, limited ability to label and express feelings, difficulties identifying and expressing internal states, and problems describing wants and needs (Cook et al., 2005). The fourth area is dissociation which is often described as a detachment of the mind from the emotional state or from the body and problems can include forgetting, feeling as though things are not real, distinct changes to level of consciousness, and memory impairments (Cook et al., 2005). The fifth area is behavioural control difficulties which include poor impulse control, problems being self-destructive, aggression directed at others, problematic self-soothing actions, sleep difficulties, disordered eating, substance use problems, overly compliant behaviours, oppositional behaviour, problems
Out of all mental illnesses found throughout the world, eating disorders have the highest mortality rate. Anorexia nervosa is one of the more common eating disorders found in society, along with bulimia nervosa. Despite having many definitions, anorexia nervosa is simply defined as the refusal to maintain a normal body weight (Michel, 2003). Anorexia nervosa is derived from two Latin words meaning “nervous inability to eat” (Frey, 2002). Although anorexics, those suffering from anorexia, have this “nervous inability to eat,” it does not mean that they do not have an appetite—anorexics literally starve themselves. They feel that they cannot trust or believe their perceptions of hunger and satiation (Abraham, 2008). Anorexics lose at least 15 percent of normal weight for height (Michel, 2003). This amount of weight loss is significant enough to cause malnutrition with impairment of normal bodily functions and rational thinking (Lucas, 2004). Anorexics have an unrealistic view of their bodies—they believe that they are overweight, even if the mirror and friends or family say otherwise. They often weigh themselves because they possess an irrational fear of gaining weight or becoming obese (Abraham, 2008). Many anorexics derive their own self-esteem and self-worth from body weight, size, and shape (“Body Image and Disordered Eating,” 2000). Obsession with becoming increasingly thinner and limiting food intake compromises the health of individuals suffering from anorexia. No matter the amount of weight they lose or how much their health is in jeopardy, anorexics will never be satisfied with their body and will continue to lose more weight.
When an individual refuses to eat enough food to maintain a healthy body weight, he or she is dealing with a serious illness known as anorexia nervosa. People with this illness maintain strict control over food intake. About ninety percent of anorexia nervosa cases are women, particularly teenagers. (Alters & Schiff, 2003, p.37). For every one in one hundred that develops this illness, it most commonly evolves in their high school years. The symptoms of anorexia nervosa are:
Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is an eating disorder with the highest mortality rate of any other mental disorder. The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders characterizes the disorder as “a relentless pursuit of thinness and unwillingness to maintain a normal or healthy body weight”. (2014) Individuals also experience a “distortion of body image, intense fear of gaining weight and extremely disturbed eating behavior.” (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Related Disorders, 2014) As a result, they experience complications physically, mentally and socially. About 80% of individuals with eating disorders suffer from cardiac complications with death due to arrhythmias being the most common cause. This paper will focus on the connection between AN and cardiovascular rhythm disturbances. Individuals with this disorder have an increased chance of sudden death due to cardiovascular abnormalities like bradycardia, myocardial modification including atrophy and refeeding syndrome. (Casiero & Frishman, 2006)
Look in the mirror. Do you like what you see? Most of us have come to appreciate ourselves for who we are. While other’s struggle to achieve the perfect body. They strive to be what is depicted in fashion magazines and movies. The never ending obsession to be the perfect size zero. This inevitably can lead to eating disorders. Eating disorders can cause someone to have an unhealthy image of themselves and food is the enemy. In a national survey at the Mclean Hospital in Massachusetts it was estimated that over 9 million people suffer with eating disorders. They can struggle with anorexia, bulimia or binge eating. A study conducted by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders states that most of these diseases start before the age of twenty. Another growing problem in the United States is obesity. Over 60 million Americans suffer from this disease, this according to the American Obesity Association (gale opposing viewpoints: eating disorders 2010).
All Eating Disorders lead to various health complications and may ultimately result in the death of the sufferer. For instance, Anorexia Nervosa has the highest mortality rate of all psychiatric disorders, as 5 to 9% of Anorexics will die from it (Nolen-Hoeksema, Susan. (2013). Abnormal psychology (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.). Anorexia Nervosa and Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS) in its restrictive/subtreshold Anorexia subtype may cause severe organ dysfunction due to extreme malnourishment. These problems include, but are not limited to, cardiac, hepatic, renal, and neurological failure.
Staff, Mayo Clinic. "Eating Disorders: Causes." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 08 Feb. 2012. Web. .
Imagining having harmed self or others Repeating 3. Imagining losing control of aggressive urges Checking 4. Intrusive sexual thoughts or urges Touching 5.
There are three main eating disorders; anorexia nervosa, binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa. All three do not discriminate against age, gender or race. They can affect anyone at any size, many people do not know they are even suffering from one of the diseases. Anorexia nervosa is described as limiting food intake immensely, fear of gaining weight and self-esteem correlates with weight. Binge eating disorder is consumption of large amounts of food, without trying to get rid of it, feeling out of control and shame when binging. B...
Bulimia nervosa is a slightly less serious version of anorexia, but can lead to some of the same horrible results. Bulimia involves an intense concern about weight (which is generally inaccurate) combined with frequent cycles of binge eating followed by purging, through self-induced vomiting, unwarranted use of laxatives, or excessive exercising. Most bulimics are of normal body weight, but they are preoccupied with their weight, feel extreme shame about their abnormal behavior, and often experience significant depression. The occurrence of bulimia has increased in many Western countries over the past few decades. Numbers are difficult to establish due to the shame of reporting incidences to health care providers (Bee and Boyd, 2001).
Of the three eating disorders, anorexia gets the most attention and has the highest mortality rate of six percent out of any mental illness. According to the International Journal of Eating Disorders, half of the deaths caused by anorexia are suicide. Anorexia is when an individual feels that his or her body is distorted. Anorexia is also when an individual starves himself or herself because of the fear of being overweight (Elkins 44). If an individual suffers from anorexia they will loose anywhere from fifteen to sixty percent of their body weight by starving his or herself. Some of the symptoms of anorexia are heart problems, anemia, and fertility problems (“Eating Disorders”). Another horrible eating disorder is bulimia, which is when a person over eats, feels guilty, and then purges, take...
Some of the complications such as suicide, depression, and many other things are just a few of the many things going on. This can all just be something neurological the person is experiencing, but that alone plays a huge role in the complication the person may experience. Because we can't see what the person really thinks or know what the person is discerning in their own way, it doesn't allow us to force the causes or reasoning behind their actions. Self-harm is a major complication victims do experience. The self-harm people experiment only is it physical but also emotional. Such as when the person isolates him or herself from the world. This is actually where it gets dangerous for the wellbeing of the person and anyone that could be around. Isolation allows the person to get lost in their thoughts. That could potentially bring emotional instability as stated previously, but also alcohol, substance, and physical abuse. This stage is also when the person tends to become addicted to those things. Because the instability it could also affect their financial situation and bring them as low as bankruptcy. And at this point this would just be another reason why the person loses themselves emotionally that could even lead to