People Who Suffer From Eating Disorders Essay

Eating disorders are mental disorders that can have a serious physical complications. There are two main types of eating disorders anorexia and bulimia. These are complex disorders focusing on issues of eating, body weight, body shape. People who intentially starve themselves suffer from an eating disorder called anorexia this disorder usually begins in young people around the time of puberty, involves extreme weight loss due to starving themselves . People with bulimia consume large amounts of food and then rid there bodies of the excess calories by vomiting abusing laxatives, taking enemas or over exercising.

Eating Disorders we think about are, Anorexia Nervosa, and Bulimia Nervosa. Binge Eating Disorder is lesser known however all three can affect males and females (Gray & Zide, 2013). A definition of an eating disorder is an illness that is characterized by irregular eating habits and an obsession with body weight and shape. This leads the person to develop habits surrounding inadequate or excessive food intake. Eating disorders may develop at any age, but typically develops during teen and early adult years. Eating disorders frequently coexist with other disorders such as, anxiety disorders, substance abuse and depression.

Bulimia nervosa is a second eating disorder that needs attention drawn to it. Bulimia was pretty much unknown before the mid 1970’s (Dippel, N. & Becknal, K., 1987). Bulimia consists of binging and purging (eating as much as possible and then throwing it up). In a study that was conducted it was found that after bulimics had attempted several diets without success, they then became aware of vomiting or laxatives as a means to weight loss (Herzog, 1982). The symptoms of bulimia heave to do with preoccupations with food, weight, body image, and ridding themselves of ingested food (Dippel, N. & Becknal, K., 1987). Most people throw up because they feel guilty for consuming all the foods they know they shouldn’t have. They vomit not only to get rid of the food but to get rid of any unwanted feelings and emotions. Most patients begin purging approximately 1 year after the binge eating has started. As scary as the facts may sound, what is even scarier is the affects

With Anorexia Nervosa, there is a strong fear of weight gain and a preoccupation with body image. Those diagnosed may show a resistance in maintaining body weight or denial of their illness. Additionally, anorexics may deny their hunger, have eating rituals such as excessive chewing and arranging food on a plate, and seek privacy when they are eating. For women, they go through immediate body changes from abnormal to no menstruation periods and develop lanugo all over their bodies. Characteristics of an anorexic individual also consist of extreme exercise patterns, loosely worn clothing, and maintain very private lives. Socially, to avoid criticism or concern from others, they may distant themselves from friends and activities they once enjoyed. Instead, their primary concerns revolve around weight loss, calorie intake, and dieting. In regards to health, many will have an abnormal slow heart rate and low blood pressure, some can develop osteoporosis, severe dehydration which can result in kidney failure, and overall feel weak (Robbins, 27-29). It has been reported that Anorexia Nervosa has one of the highest death rates in any mental health condition in America (www.NationalEatingDisorders.org).

Eating disorders are characterised by an abnormal attitude towards food that causes an individual to change their eating habits and their behaviour. There are several types of eating disorders that can effect an individual physically, psychologically and socially. The two eating disorders which I will be discussing is anorexia and bulimia.

Eating Disorders are defined as deviations of eating behavior that can lead to extreme weight loss (cachexia) or obesity, among other physical problems and disabilities. The main types of eating disorders are Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa. These two diseases are closely related because they represented some symptoms in common: a prevalent idea involving

What exactly is an eating disorder? There are multiple different types of eating disorders: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, eating-disorder-not-otherwise-specified, and binge eating disorder. These are just some of the more common eating disorders people can suffer from. Anorexia nervosa according to National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), is “characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss.” In other words a person who suffers from anorexia nervosa refuses to eat in hopes to lose weight at an excessive pace. Bulimia nervosa is “characterized by a

The most well-known eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge eating disorder, but new diagnoses are emerging such as orthorexia nervosa. Anorexia is characterized by an overwhelming fear of gaining weight, an obsession with weight in general, and involves a

There are many different types of eating disorders. The most common eating disorders are anorexia, bulimia and binge eating but there are many other ones. One type of eating disorder is called anorexia athletica this is a “disorder characterized by

While Bulimia is known by many names, the term “bulimia” did not enter the English language until the 1970s, “perhaps representing lingering uncertainty about its essence” (Gordon, 2000). Bulimia, as we know it, is a modern disease, however, there is some evidence of binging and purging in ancient times; for example, in ancient Egypt, “physicians would recommend periodical purgation as a health practice” (Gordon, 2000). There has also been documentation of wealthy families in the middle ages vomiting during meals in order to continue eating large amounts of food. At this point, you may be wondering why these examples are not considered Bulimia Nervosa. According to Dr. Richard Allan Gordon, author of Eating Disorders: Anatomy of a Social

An eating disorder is an illness that causes serious disturbances to your everyday diet, such as eating extremely small amounts of food or severely overeating. A person with an eating disorder may have started out just eating smaller or larger amount of food, but as some point, the urge to eat less or more has gotten out of control. Severe distress or concern about body weight or shape may also signal an eating disorder. Common eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and a binge-eating disorder. Eating disorders do not discriminate on whom it may affect. Everyone is susceptible to the life altering disease. Men and women, straight or gay, old or young, black or white, all are able to be a victim. Media is more commonly known to push for the practices of an eating disorder. We live in a society that reinforces the idea to be happy and successful we must be thin. Today, you cannot read a magazine or newspaper, turn on the television, listen to the radio, or shop at the mall without being blatantly or subconsciously given the message that fat is bad. Eating disordered behavior can be seen as a defense mechanism, in many cases a way to express something that the individual has not found another way to express. Much like how alcoholics depend on alcohol, individuals with eating disorders like bulimia or compulsive overeating syndrome us binging or purging as a way of coping with emotions and feelings that they cannot control.

There are many different types of eating disorders such as binge-eating, bulimia, and anorexia. All three eating disorders are very similar, but they are also differ with the issue they cause. Eating disorders can be harmful to a persons’ body because when they keep vomiting, it causes certain parts of the body to deteriorate over time. Each disorder has many symptoms, causes, warning signs, and health problems. All disorders differ with the way they affect people and how the person is treated.

The correlation between eating disorders and other psychological disorders is very important for our understanding of the causes and possible treatments for eating disorders. It is known that many people with eating disorders also fit the criteria for several DSM-IV psychological disorders. If researchers can find patterns of comorbidity between these two types of disorders they may be able to better diagnose and treat patients with both of these disorders. The question that I pose it what is the relationship between eating disorders and personality disorders(axis 11 disorders in DSM-IV)? It is important to look for comorbidity between the two disorders to determine the impact they have on each

The elementary definition of an eating disorder surrounds the characterization of such disorders, and a general overview of the symptoms. Most commonly recognized are three specific types of disorders: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder. Anorexia nervosa is the restrictive form, where the intake of food is limited severely. In bulimia nervosa, the patient binges on food and then tries to minimize the effects by forcibly vomiting, fasting, and catharsis or over exercising (Staff, Parenting Today). Binge-eating disorder is characterized by a loss of control over a patient’s eating. Contrasting to bulimia nervosa, periods of binge eating are not

“Bulimia Nervosa is characterized by massive food binges followed by self-induced vomiting or use of diuretics and laxatives to avoid weight gain.” (Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia)