Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia
Eating disorders are real, complex, and devastating conditions that can have serious consequences for health, productivity, and relationships. Eating disorders are serious, potentially life threating conditions that affect a person’s emotional and physical health. (National Eating Disorders Association) Extreme weight loss and believing that one is fat despite excessive thinness are key features of anorexia nervosa. Another eating disorder that is also harmful is bulimia which consists of binge-eating and preventing any weight gain by purging; such as vomiting, abusing laxatives, and exercising excessively. (Mental Health America) Mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, and alcohol/drug addiction are sometimes
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The signs and symptoms are red flags for friend and family members to take action. (Eating Disorder Hope) Some manifestations of anorexia are chronic dieting despite of being underweight, thin appearance, absence of menstruation, obsession with calories and fat contents of food, and avoiding of social events, family and friends. (Eating Disorder Hope) Individual may also become isolated, hiding food, and eating alone. With bulimia, signs and symptoms may not be noticed since the individual may look normal weight or slightly overweight. Indications of bulimia include constantly worrying or complaining of being fat, going to the bathroom right after eating or during meals, and exercising too much. (Mayo Clinic Bulimia) Being unaware of the underlying cause can be a dangerous …show more content…
At the physician’s office exams and tests can be done such as a physical exam, lab tests such as CBC to check electrolytes, urine tests, check for function of liver, kidney, and thyroid, psychological evaluation, and check for bone density. Both disorders are classified under the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). The criteria for anorexia include restricting food intake, fear of gaining weight, and problems with body image. Criteria for bulimia is having recurrent episodes of eating a large amount of food then most people would eat in an amount of time, binging and purging at least once a week for at least three months, and getting rid of calories by vomiting, excessive exercise, and laxatives. (Mayo Clinic Anorexia & Bulimia) Doctors use this system to diagnose the disorder and come up with treatments that will treat the underlying cause. Treatments depend on the severity of the disorder. Each individual is different and may need options to deal with the
In “Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia: The Development of Deviant Identities", which was published in 1987, the researchers utilized the labeling theory in their study on anorexics and bulimic victims. The current appearance norms in society demand thinness for women and muscularity in men. Social and Individual factors were considered in the studies which were conducted by the authors, Penelope A. McLorg and Diane E. Taub. Advertising has become the primary agent of socialization which promotes the slimness of both genders in our society. The researchers noted conformity in the behavior of the anorexics' and bulimics' families tend to conform to the norms by making close relations. In the study, the researchers found that parent’s opinions on
Anorexia is an eating disorder that struggles with the fear of gaining weight and refuses to be healthy. Another eating disorder is Bulimia, which is when you overeat followed by forced vomiting and excessive exercise. Binge Eating is one of the most common eating disorders along with Anorexia and Bulimia, Binge eating is when you lose control over one’s eating. All of these common eating disorders all suffer from guilt or depression. “Individuals with bulimia and binge eating eat large amounts of food to reduce stress” (CEDC). They also could have risky behaviors, such as dealing with drugs or alcohol or even death. People with Anorexia or Bulimia are very concerned with being overweight or in other words fat.
Anorexia is a serious mental health condition. It is an eating disorder where people try to keep their body weight as low as possible. DSM5 outlines the key diagnostic features for anorexia. Firstly, people with anorexia will restrict behaviours that promote healthy body weight. This could mean that they are consequentially underweight and this can be due to dieting, exercising and purging. There will also be a significant fear of weight gain, but this fear will not be relieved by weight loss. There will be a persistent fear that interferes with weight gain. Lastly, there will be a disturbed perception of ones weight and/or shape and denial of underweight status and its seriousness. Anorexia accounts for 10% of eating disorders in the UK and has
To be diagnosed with eating disorder, someone must meet certain criteria. The criterion for diagnosis slightly varies depending on if you are referring to people who (A) fear gaining weight, and have significant weight loss,(B) eating a huge amount of food , then use laxative to remove the binged food, (C) the use of excessive exercise and fasting in order to remove or to reduce the amount of calories consumed, and (D) distorted body image, no matter how thin they become, they still see themselves as fat, or not thin enough. The onset of of symptoms begins usually in early adolescence with the diagnostic of disturbed Body image.
Anorexia is a very serious eating disorder that causes your mind and your body to be completely obsessive about staying thin; also there have been a few cases where patients have taken self-starvation so far that it becomes life threating. There are many signs and symptoms to anorexia, a few include but are not limited to, “the refusal to eat, the denial of hunger, social withdrawal, unhealthy thin appearance, and lack of emotions” (Eating Disorders). Bulimia eating disorder is
Bulimia has many symptoms. Bulimics have a preoccupation with food and are usually secretive about their addiction to food. A bulimic’s self-evaluation is unduly influenced by body shape and weight. Bulimics suffer from internal bleeding, including gastric ulcers due to trauma from forceful vomiting. Bulimics have tooth and gum decay caused by stomach acids. They also have swollen salivary glands, and broken blood vessels in their eyes, as a result of self-induced vomiting. Bulimics are typically high achievers.
Eating disorders affect millions of men and women every day. Bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, and binge eating disorder are three main types of eating disorders that can have detrimental consequences on the human body. These eating disorders not only deteriorate one’s body, but also eradicate the mind. “Inherent to anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are a plethora of medical complications which correlate with the severity of weight loss or the frequency and mode of purging” (Mehler, 2015).
Eating disorder is a term used to describe several psychological disorders characterized by abnormal eating habits. Some of the most common eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. Anorexia nervosa is probably the most well-known of these. A person suffering from anorexia nervosa will obsess over weight gain and show unusual anxiety related to weight gain. Depending upon the type (binge-eating/purging type or restricting type) a person will either consume food and then attempt to “purge”, a term used to describe a method of forced removal of food from the body such as self-induced vomiting, or they will restrict the amount of food consumed. In most cases the person will be under healthy weight and often see themselves as average weight or even overweight. In bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorders the affected person will eat excessive amounts of food. People suffering from these diseases report feeling out of control during their binge eating episodes. In bulimia nervosa binge eating episodes are followed by some method of purging whereas in binge eating disorder they are not, although the person normally expresses feelings of guilt or embarrassment afterwards. People suffering from bulimia nervosa are usually average weight which can make detection difficult. Those with binge eating disorder are normally
Some common eating disorders are anorexia and bulimia. Anorexia is an emotional disorder that is characterized by an obsessive desire to lose weight; and ways of achieving this is the refusal to eat. Bulimia is when one performs extreme overeating that is followed by depression and self-induced vomiting, purging, or fasting; it is an eating disorder in which a large amount of food is consumed in a short period of time, and then the person attributes feelings of guilt or shame, leading to the induction of vomit. Both of these disorders are caused by anxiety disorders, whether it be “OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), social phobia, specific phobia, and generalized anxiety disorder in childhood, before they developed an
"Food disorders" (eating disorders) are mental health disorders in which a person's relationship to food, motor activity, physical imagery or other ideas about the negative impact on him Health. Symptoms of eating disorders include, for example, dangerously small or, conversely, excessive use, vomiting or obsessive physical activity.
The disorder is similar to Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), in that in involves faulty cognitions and perceived deficits in appearance, though is unique in its pattern of behaviors and severity. The DSM 5 criteria for anorexia are, “restriction of energy intake relative to requirements leading to a significantly low body weight in the context of age, sex, developmental trajectory, and physical health,” “intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though underweight,” and “disturbance in the way in which one's body weight or shape is experienced, undue influence of body weight or shape on self-evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of the current low body weight.” Binge eating and restriction are also facets of the disorder. Because of the vast number of physical symptoms accompanying the disorder (ranging everywhere from amenorrhea to abnormal heart rhythms), anorexia can often be diagnosed by a physician through the use of urine and blood
Advancements in technology has allowed for leaps and bounds in the medical field, in science and just our day to day lives. With the media at an all time high, our youth is surrounded by it constantly. With their smart phones, and computers, not to mention TVs, they can't seem to get away from it. Young women are bombarded with photos of stick thin models, the stores they shop at have borderline underweight manikins modeling their clothing. It is quite fitting that these young girls want to be like them. They have to be thin like the pretty girls on the magazines. Only what they are trying to achieve does not exist. With all these new photo shopping techniques, these models are nearly unrecognizable in person. So these women are
“As many as one in every six females who have anorexia may die from it, this is the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder” (Kalodner). There are two types of anorexia known as restricting and binge eating/purging, restricting anorexia is characterized by a girl avoiding food and over exercising, during the binge eating and purging cycle a girl will over eat then cause themselves to vomit or use the bathroom more by sticking objects in their throat to vomit or misusing laxatives, diuretics, or enemas. Most people see the binge eating and purging cycle as bulimia but that is false, “if a person is of low weight has not had a menstrual cycle in three months, she meets the criteria for anorexia” (Kalodner). Bulimia Nervosa better known as bulimia can be identified by recurrent episodes of binge eating, inappropriate ways to prevent weight gain, binge eating and weight gain prevention occur regularly, self-evaluation of body size and shape, and it does not occur exclusively. Bulimia is usually caused by depression and the fear of being fat known as procrescophobia, the two types of bulimia are purging and non-purging. Purging consists of binge eating then using medications or other objects to cause vomit or diarrhea, non-purging includes fasting for long periods of time and avoiding food. Serious physical consequences come from these eating disorders, parts of the body that may be affected are “skin, salivary glands, teeth, hair, muscle, heart, liver, kidneys, bones, stomach and uterus.” (Frissell and Harney) Emotional consequences occur like depression, anxiety, irritability, concentration and memory, physical consequences can be weight gain, swelling, high blood pressure,
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders 5th edition defines anorexia nervosa as an eating disorder characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss; it is a serious and potentially life-threatening disorder. According to the DSM 5, the typical diagnostic symptoms of anorexia nervosa are: dramatic weight loss leading to significant low body weight for the individuals age, sex, and health; preoccupation with weight; restriction of food, calories and fat; constant dieting; feeling “fat” or overweight despite weight loss and fear about gaining weight or being “fat.” Many individuals with anorexia nervosa deny feeling hungry and often avoid eating meals with others, resulting in withdrawal from usual friends and activities
Bulimia Nervosa is characterized by binge eating which is the uncontrolled consumption of large amount of food, negative self-evaluation which is determined by body shape and weight and finally regular compensation behavior which could include self-induced vomiting and laxative misuse. Patients suffering from this disorder have body weight that is typically normal or low normal. At the same time, the disorder has associated general psychopathology and psychosocial impairment. It is most common in young girls. Bulimic patients have alterations of the neurotransmitter systems that highly contribute to neuroendocrine function, moods and modulation of feeding. The brain is affected in such a way that there is an increased cerebrospinal fluid concentration