preview

Anorexia In America Essay

Decent Essays

One out of every 200 Americans suffers from anorexia. It can be a lifetime issue that many have to deal with, seventy-seven percent of individuals with eating disorders report that the illness can last anywhere from 1 to 15 years or even longer in some cases. It is estimated that approximately six percent of serious cases die from the disease. Anorexia is an eating disorder that causes people to obsess about their weight and what they eat. Anorexia was introduced into the world around 138 year ago. An esteemed English physician named Sir William Withey Gull introduced it at the Clinical Society of London. The disorder reached public awareness around the 1970’s. It was very popular in the upper class. There are two major types of anorexia. The restriction type and binge eating/purging type. The restriction type is when the person restricts their food intake on their own and does not engage in the other type. The other type, binge eating/purging, is when the person self-induces …show more content…

People with anorexia see themselves as overweight even though they are dangerously thin. The process of eating becomes an obsession to them. Anorexia is a psychiatric disorder, which usually co-exist with other disorder such as, anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. There are many biological and environmental factors that play a major role in developing anorexia. Genetics is one of the biological factors that may play a role. The tie between anorexia and one’s genes is still being heavily researched. Nutritional deficiencies and irregular hormone functions can as while. Some environmentally factors could be like a family or childhood traumas such as sexual abuse. Peer pressure among friends and co-workers to be thin and careers that promote being thin and weight loss such as, ballet and modeling can also play an important

Get Access