Eating Disorders

Eating Disorders are extremely prevalent in today's society. Anorexia

Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa are characterized by gross disturbances in eating behavior. These disorders typically begin in adolescence or early adult life, affecting as many as "1 in 100 females between the ages of 12 and 18 (Bronwell & Foreyt 312)."

Anorexia Nervosa is a complex disorder where the individaul refuses to maintain body weight over a normal weight for age and height. Also present, is an intense fer of gaining weight or becoming fat (Waller,

Quinton, & Watson 127). People of this disorder say they "feel fat" even though they are obviously underweight or even emaciated. They become preoccupied with their body size and are usually dissatisfied with some feature of their physical apperarance (Bronwell & Foreyt

322). Weight loss is accomplished by a reduction of food intake. Self- induced vomiting or use of laxatives or diuretics are also common methods used to achieve weight loss. Many people with this disorder minimize the severity of their illness and are uninterested in, or resistant, to any type of therapy (Waller, Quinton, & Watson 152).

Severe weight loss may eventually lead to hospitalization to prevent death by starvation.

Bulimia Nervosa is a disorder in which the individual has recurrent episodes of binge eating. Self-induced vomiting usually terminates the binge (Browwell & Forey 335). Vomiting decreases the physical abdominal pain that occurs after an individual binges. Although binges may be pleasurble, self-criticism and a depressed mood often follow. People with this disorder exhibit great concern about their weight and make repeated attempts to control it by dieting, vomiting, or the use of diuretics (Bronwell & Forey 342). Weight fluctuations are common due to alternating fasts and binges. These people often feel that their life is dominated by conflicts surrounding eating.

The Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) is a reliable and valid measure of symptoms commonly found in an eating disorder. The test was designed by

Garner and Garfinkle in 1979. It was designed as a screening device for the detection of clinical eating disorders (Boyadjieva & Steinhausen

1996). Many clinicians have suggested that eating disorders are caused by extreme body focus. The EAT-26 is a twenty-six item test which focuses on body self-evaluati...

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... likely to gain internal control by disturbed eating patterns. Once again, the EAT-26 was given to 406 girls who attended sxhools in England. As a result, the Asian girls had more unhealthy eating patterns overall. Parental overprotection showed a significant effect upon the results. Ethical differences did remain significant (McCourt & Waller 1995). Poor eating attitudes are also a product of the contradicting social pressures that affect the whole family. Asian girls found their mother to be overcontroling, thus it was the mother who attempted to control the children's behavior. It is not yet known whether these perceptions are correlated with reality.

However, the possible influences may be used during family therapy

(McCourt & Waller 1995).

Eating disorders are prevelant in many different kinds of cultures.

There are many internal and external factors that play into the disorder. The EAT-26 is a reliable test used in detecting possible disordered eating patterns in individuals. With this disorder on the rise, these tests are needed in the detection of the unhealthy patterns. Detection leads to education, which leads to intervention, which leads to eventual termination.