Anorexia Nervosa And Bulimia Nervosa

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).

Most people with anorexia have a distorted image of their body. An anorexic will look into the mirror and see fat, even if they are sickly thin. Most commonly, anorexia begins in the teen years. This may be related to the common self-image problems that many teens suffer from. Anorexia tends to be more common in females than in males, and early intervention seems to be the key when dealing with this disorder. When left untreated, anorexia can lead to a whole slew of physical problems. Health problems related to anorexia include osteoporosis, kidney damage or failure, heart problems, and even death. Anorexia also affects the brain, as a person starves themself their metabolism changes. This change in the body causes a person not to think clearly or make good decisions. As anorexia progresses, a person will begin to have irrational behavior. For example, a person suffering from anorexia will often make rules about the amount of food they are “allowed” to consume. Others may start to purge themselves after eating even the tiniest bit of food, which is known as Bulimia. Anorexia can also bring on another psychological disorder; Depression. Depression is a mental illness that causes a person to feel sad and hopeless most of the time. People that suffer from depression will lose interest in things that they previously enjoyed, speak slower than normal, have trouble concentrating and remembering things, and be preoccupied by death

Eating disorders have become an increasing public health problem once thought to be an affliction amongst young women, now an epidemic across culture and gender boundaries. Anorexia gives rise to serious socio-economic and bio-psychological circumstances of our ever vast, growing society. Awareness of eating disorders have increased but perhaps only in proportion to its advancement of its research and treatment. That which still leaves us in a position for a much greater demand for education and heightened awareness of this perplexing disease.

Anorexia Nervosa is the condition when an individual abstains from food in order to lose weight or prevent more weight gain. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV(DSM-IV) there are four aspects of criteria to be diagnosed with anorexia: a refusal to maintain weight above what is minimally normal for one’s age and height, and extreme fear of weight gain, distorted body image, and (in females) having amenorrhea(missing three or more consecutive menstrual cycles.)(DSM-IV, 2000:589) Anorexia not only affects weight, but also alters bone growth, neurotransmitters and hormones in the brain, and electrolytes.

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

Back in 2005, Amy, at age 17, was diagnosed with Anorexia nervosa after dropping twenty-two pounds for a school dance. Amy had been under a great amount of stress with organizing their school ball, trying to find a partner, and getting a dress. She decided to drop weight before this special occasion. While at the ball, Amy received multiple compliments about her weight loss. This was a contributing factor to her Anorexia. Soon after, Amy’s family noticed she was still dropping weight. Amy was then given the opportunity to meet with an eating disorder therapist (Amy).

Anorexics put other people’s feelings in front of theirs. They also feel that the only thing in their lives is food and their weight and this shows that they have low self-esteem for themselves. “Signs and symptoms are noticeable weight loss, becoming withdrawn, excessive exercise, fatigue, always being cold, and muscle weakness” (www.mirror-mirror.org 1). There are many more signs and symptoms for this illness. “An estimated 10

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.

“An eating disorder is about anxiety and control and healing from trauma and food and weight are just the tools of destruction” (Floyd, Mimms, & Yelding, 2008). An eating disorder is defined as a severe disturbance in eating behavior. An eating disorder, as defined by our text book for class, is psychological disturbances that lead to certain physiological changes and serious health complications. The three most common and most easily identifiable forms of eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. While most people who have eating disorders tend to be women from white middle-class upper-class families, eating disorders span social class, gender, race, and ethnic backgrounds (Floyd, Mimms, & Yelding, Eating Disorders, 2008). It is believed that most eating disorders develop as a way to handle stress. People with eating disorders tend to have low self-esteem, feelings of helplessness, depression, and perfectionism. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, more than 90 percent of people with eating disorders are adolescent girls and young women and the death rate for eating disorders is about one in ten people.

An eating disorder is a physiological illness that involves excessive eating habits. The three main types of eating disorders are anorexia

An eating disorder is then characterized as a psychological problem where people have abnormal eating habits. Mayo Clinic states that, “The most common eating disorders are Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge-eating Disorder” (2015). According to the American Psychological Association, these disorders “are abnormal eating habits that can threaten your health or even your life” (n.d). Most people with these disorders focus too much on their weight and shape of their body. Dr. Beate Herpertz-Dahlmann reports, “Eating disorders are the third most common chronic illness among adolescents, after obesity and asthma” (2015). “The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa Associated Disorders says, “An eating disorder is an unhealthy relationship with food and weight that interferes with many areas of a person’s life. One’s thoughts become preoccupied with food, weight, or exercise” (n.d). Because of this condition, the daily life of a student becomes altered physically, emotionally, and

Eating disorders are severe disturbances in eating behaviors, such as eating too little or eating too much. “Anorexia nervosa affects nearly one in 200 Americans in their lives (three-quarters of them female)” (Treating anorexia nervosa). Anorexia, when translated into Greek means “without appetite” which is not true for all suffering from anorexia most people with this disorder have not lost their appetite they simply have to ignore it. People with anorexia have an intense fear of gaining weight and have convinced themselves that they are overweight even if they are the opposite of overweight. Since the way that they view themselves is in a negative light they starve themselves and put their lives at risk. “In the most severe

Eating disorders are well known in the American culture. It is most likely that people in America know at least one person who has or is currently suffering from an eating disorder. Eating disorders take many forms such as bulimia, anorexia nervosa, binge-eating, and even obesity. The focus of this paper however will be solely on anorexia nervosa. It will breakdown the basics of anorexia as well as compare and contrast the movie Starving in Suburbia with scholarly literature.

“Anorexia Nervosa is characterized by self-starvation to avoid obesity. People with this disorder believe they are overweight, even when their bodies become grotesquely distorted by malnourishment.” (Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia)

     When I think of anorexia, a few things come to mind. I think of really bad episodes of Beverly Hills 90210 and Baywatch in which females, ususally teenagers, starve themselves and take diet pills. The eating problem is always resolved within the timespan of one 30 minute episode. From the research I've done thus far on anorexia, I now know that this is a very unrealistic representation of what is actually a very serious disease.