I choose to do these weeks health paper on eating disorders. I myself have dealt with an eating disorder and know the effects it can have on those you love and yourself both physically and mentally.
Bulimia and Anorexia are serious, functional eating disorders. There are a lot of similarities between the two, but the few differences differentiate the two. Anorexia is an eating disorder in which a person has an intense fear of gaining weight or becoming obese. This person may eat little or nothing during the day, essentially starving themselves. This disease can cause a lot of damage to the body such as slowed heart rate, lowered body temperature and blood pressure, premature bone loss, loss of menstruation or irregular periods, change in body hair, grayish or yellowish skin and mood changes. According to several resources, approximately .5%-3.7% of females will suffer from Anorexia Nervosa in their lifetime.
Bulimia is a person who binges and purges. The majority of bulimia nervosa patients are female. They will eat a large quantity of food in a short amount of time and then self-induce vomiting or will use laxatives or diuretics. They may also exercise compulsively. This person will can have damaged and discolored teeth, lung irritation, and muscle spasms, electrolyte imbalances that can lead to irregular heartbeats and heart failure and death. They may also have sores on the back of the hand that is for self induced vomiting. According to several resources, approximatel...
Bulimia and anorexia Nervosa, the two most common eating disorders in the world, and neither of them are at all healthy. Even Though bulimia and anorexia are quite similar, they have many differences that set them apart. The main difference between the two is that bulimia is where a person eating an excessive amount of food in a short period of time, followed by purging all of the food out of guilt. Anorexia is where you barely eat, have a strict diet, and workout excessively. Just with a brief description, this just barely scratches the surface of this whole topic of bulimia and anorexia. We will begin by looking at the similarities of bulimia and anorexia.
Bulimia nervosa afflicts mostly women (about 6% of adolescent girls, and 5% of college women). Most individuals with bulimia engage in compensatory activities such as vomiting, laxative abuse, strict dieting, and vigorous exercise (Alexander).
A variation of Anorexia, Bulimia ranges from excessive food intake, to an out of control compulsive cycle of binge eating where extraordinary amounts of any available food, usually of high carbohydrate content, may be consumed. Once having gorged, the victims are overcome with the urge to rd themselves of what they hate eaten by purging themselves, usually by vomiting, and sometimes by massive doses of laxatives. Between these obsessive bouts, most are able to accept some nutrition. Whereas the anorexic sufferer fears fatness from anticipated loss of eating control, and unlike the anorexic sufferer the typical bulimic individual is not emaciated, but usually maintains a normal body weight and appears to be fit and healthy.
Through this research I have learned how serious eating disorders are and that it is very important to identify the problem and then to get help because it is possible to cure them. I enjoyed the process of learning about eating disorders in detail and do not wish to have chosen another topic. I understand eating disorders better now and maybe I can help my friends through their recovery better.
Eating Disorders." Current Issues: Macmillian Social Science Library. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 20 Oct. 2015.
"Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder on an overwhelming dread of becoming fat. The result of this unfounded fear is self-starvation and major weight loss. In addition, the undernourishment may cause hormonal disturbances, anemia, heart problems, brittle bones and many other problems, some of which are life-threatening ("Anorexia Nervosa," 1). Bulimia is an eating disorder that is psychological in origin and can have dire physical consequences. While anorexics starve themselves, bulimics binge on food and then purge by self-induced vomiting. Bulimics also frequently use diet pills, laxatives, and diuretics to reduce their weight.
Eating disorders are described as an illness involving eating habits that are irregular and an extreme concern with body image or weight. Eating disorders tend to appear during teenage years, but can develop at any age. Although more common in women, eating disorders can affect any age, gender or race. In the United States, over 20 million women and 10 million men are personally affected by eating disorders. There are many different causes of eating disorders such as low self esteem, societal pressures, sexual abuse and the victims perception of food. Eating disorders are unique to the sufferer and often, their perception of themselves is so skewed, they may not be aware they have an eating disorder. Media, for quite some time now, has played a significant part in eating disorders. Magazines with headlines ‘Summer Body’, or ‘Drop LB’s Fast!’ attract the attention of girls who may be insecure with themselves. Television productions such as the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show or American’s Next Top Model, show airbrushed and photoshopped women who have body types that may be unachievable. Those who are suffering from eating disorders can suffer dangerous consequences, and it is important to seek help.
An eating disorder is a way of using food to work out emotional problems. These illnesses develop because of emotional and/or psychological problems. Eating disorders are the way some people deal with stress. In today’s society, teenagers are pressured into thinking that bring thin is the same thing as being happy. Chemical balances in the brain that may also result in depression, obsessive compulsive disorders, and bi-polar disorders may also cause some eating disorders. Other causes may be emotional events, illnesses, marital or family problems, manic depression, or ending a relationship. Over eight million Americans suffer from eating disorders. Over 80% of girls under age thirteen admit to dieting, one of the main factors linked to eating disorders. Although eating disorders are mainly found in middle- to upper class, highly educated, Caucasian, female adolescents, no culture or age group is immune to them (EDA HP, n.p.). The three major eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and compulsive over-eating or binge-eating.
The third most common disorder in adolescent is eating disorder (Reijonen, 2003). There are three types of eating disorder. The prevalence rate of eating disorder has been increasing over the past 50 years. They are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. These disorders start as early as adolescence that can cause psychological and medical problems. All three have similar etiology such as biological and sociocultural factors that develops the eating disorder. Even though the three types of eating disorder can overlap with similar characteristics, each type of disorder, there is a specific treatment that works best for one and not the other.
The Huffington Post UK. (2014, April 5). Eating Disorders Awareness Week: Cosmopolitan Launches Campaign Urging Doctors To Review Assessments. Retrieved from Huffpost Lifestyle United Kingdom: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/02/23/eating-disorders-awareness-cosmopolitan_n_4842475.html
An eating disorder is a serious health condition involving extremely unhealthy dietary habits. There are a number of accepted eating disorder treatments that depend on the symptoms and severity of the illness. The most effective treatments involve both psychological as well as physical issues with the ultimate goal being a healthy dietary lifestyle. The team approach to treatment involves professionals with experience in eating disorders that usually includes a medical provider, mental health workers, registered dieticians and case managers. These individuals work together in hopes of avoiding a life threatening situation.
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).
Bulimia is marked by significant cycles in eating habits. Bulimics will often starve themselves (calorie/food/fat intake restriction -- sometimes with the help of diet pills or supplements) for extended periods of time prior to a massive binge, during which they consume abnormal amounts of food in a short period of time. These binges are followed by purging, which generally is constituted by self-induced vomiting. Other methods of purging the body include the use of diuretics, laxatives, and excessive exercising. Bulimics are generally within what is considered to be a "normal" weight range, but see themselves as being overly fat, or suffer from an intense fear of gaining weight. They often do realize that they have a problem, but by that point the cycle has become an obsession. Bulimics usually weigh themselves frequently, even several times daily.
Anorexia nervosa and Bulimia nervosa are described as psychological eating disorders (Keel and Levitt, 1). They are both characterized by an over-evaluation of weight. Despite being primarily an eating disorder, the manifestations of bulimia and anorexia are different. They both present a very conspicuous example of dangerous psychological disorders, as according to the South Carolina Department of Health, “Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness” (Eating Order Statistics, 1). While Bulimia and anorexia are both psychological disorders primarily prevalent in women, anorexia tends to have different diagnostic complexities, symptoms and physiological effects as compared to bulimia.
Purpose: The purpose of this speech is to inform my audience about the eating disorder anorexia nervosa.