Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia nervosa, also called bulimia is a possible life threating eating disorder. A person that suffers from bulimia may secretly binge their food. They may eat large amount of food and then purge their food to get rid of the additional calories that they’ve digested. Bulimia is categorized in two ways, purging bulimia and non-purging bulimia. Purging bulimia is when a person regularly self-induces vomiting after eating. Non-purging bulimia is when an individual may use other methods to try to prevent weight gain, such as fasting, extreme dieting, or overly exercising.

With that being said, certain sports put more emphasize on a player’s weight and performance than others. For instance, gymnastics, dancers, wrestlers, divers and long distance runners feature more strain than sports such as basketball, skiing or volleyball. Gymnasts and dancers are highly at risk for developing eating disorders for multiple reasons. The main reason is that their success relies

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.

Eating disorders are a very serious psychological condition that affects your mind so that you are more focused on your food and weight than you are on everything else. The most known and most commonly diagnosed eating disorders are anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder; however, these are not the only eating disorders. Eating disorders cause psychical and psychological problems, which at their worst can even become life threating. Statistics show that more women are affected by eating disorders, but men none the less can still be affected. “Age (most common from teens to early twenties), Family history (hereditary), emotional disorders (people with anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder are at a great chance), transitions (moving, heading to college, or anything that can bring emotional distress), and sports (ballerinas, gymnasts, runners, and wrestlers are at a higher risk) also can play a role in who is being affected by an eating disorder” (Eating Disorders).

Bulimia and anorexia have found their way into the sport of elite, or Olympic-level gymnastics. In a 1992 University of Washington study of 182 female college athletes, 62% of college gymnasts have practiced at least one form of disordered eating. This percentage was higher than that of any other sport. Many elite gymnasts have come forward to admit that they suffer from eating disorders. These gymnasts include: 1970 world medallist, Cathy Rigby, 1972 Olympian Nancy Marshall, 1984 Olympic medallist Kathy Johnson, 1989 junior national champion Erica Stokes and Christy Henrich.

Although disordered eating has historically been considered a female concern, it is on the rise among males. Estimates of disordered eating behaviors in athletes are growing, and are as high as 62% among female athletes and 33% among male athletes. Some athletes may also have eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, related to clinical mental conditions. Characteristics of a possible eating

Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating as well as by self-induced vomiting and/or laxative abuse (Mitchell, 1986). Episodes of overeating typically alternate with attempts to diet, although the eating habits of bulimics and their methods of weight control vary (Fairburn et al., 1986). The majority of bulimics have a body weight within the normal range for their height, build, and age, and yet possess intense and prominent concerns about their shape and weight (Fairburn et al., 1986). Individuals with bulimia nervosa are aware that they have an eating problem, and therefore are often eager to receive help. The most common approach to

Fashion magazines and the media are filled with beautiful women that appear to be extremely thin. Every time someone turns on the television or looks at magazines they see some kind of advertisement for fitness programs or some method of dieting. There is a strong emphasis on dieting and maintaining some ideal weight. Looking at these ads full of “skinny” women gives other women a sense of insecurity about themselves, making them think that thin is the way to be. Society in general tends to think that all women are supposed to appear to look like these surreal images that we see on television and in magazines. You hardly ever see plus size models on TV or in magazines advertising a product. It seems to me that if you are not a Cindy Crawford, Tyra Banks, or Naomi Campbell then you don’t have a chance of succeeding in this fat phobic world.

Bulimia Nervosa refers to when an individual over-eats excessively and then takes action to purge the body of the intake. There are five criteria for Bulimia Nervosa in the DSM-IV, which include: recurring episodes of binge eating, recurring actions of purging, the patterns must continue at least twice a week for three months or more, a huge emphasis on body weight in self-evaluation, and the actions must occur apart

Sports are a factor that can lead to eating disorders. Gymnasts and dancers must maintain a smaller frame than most people are required to. But, there are many other sports where athletes develop eating disorders from trying to stay in shape. Some examples of these sports are track, swimming, cross-country, and youth football, with the addition of a few others. In order to maintain the same weight, people with eating disorders eat less and exercise more. Another problem that causes someone to develop an eating disorder would be a professional or career that promotes being thin and losing weight, such as

Secondly, bulimia affects the victim physically. Bulimia is not something that goes away when the disorder is finally worked through. It leaves lasting and negative effects on the body. There are permanent weight issues, metabolism problems, and

According to the DSM-5, eating disorders are characterized by a persistent disturbance of eating–related behavior that results in non-normative eating patterns which leads to impaired physical and psychosocial functioning, (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Bulimia Nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating with inappropriate compensatory behaviors to prevent weight gain. Binge eating is described as eating an amount of food definitely larger than normal with a sense of lack of control. Compensatory behaviors include misuse of laxatives, self-induced vomiting, diuretics, fasting and excessive exercise, (Comer, 2014) . Another key feature is

symptoms but some of the primary ones are: intake of large amounts of food followed by a sense of loss of control over eating behavior. Bulimics make their selves throw up, fast, and become obsessive to exercise at all times. People with bulimia have an extreme concern with their weight, and body shape. Research has shown that people with bulimia have a chemical imbalance in the brain that affects their behavior. Another cause of bulimia may have to do with genetics. Sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and other events such as being rape can cause someone to lead to bulimia. Bulimics have problem with their bodies and they fear gaining weight so they respond by making their self-throw up.

People everywhere especially young girls, and women look at magazines and dream to one day look like the models in the pictures. They do this because thin, beautiful women are what they are used to seeing everywhere. There are rarely advertisements with curvy, real looking women on them. Plus size models are also scarce and compared to the ultra skinny models, they are not looked up to. What is happening to society? Size ¾ is no longer considered thin. There are double zeros and negative sizes that are taking over the clothing racks. Changes need to be made with the media and the fashion industry immediately. The rampage of being so thin that your rib cage is clearly seen and you suffer from many health issues is not in. Thin is not in! Healthy, real looking girls and women who are happy with their figures is what's in. Being active and enjoying a normal lifestyle is in. There is no need to conform to the so called "perfect body image" when there truly is not one. Psychologists say the fashion industry has gone too far in pushing dangerously thin image in that women and even young girls try to imitate. In recent surveys 40% of first, second, and third graders want to be thinner. 80% of ten year olds are concerned that they will become fat. 50% of children ages eight through ten are unhappy with their current size and more than 50% of nine through fifteen year olds say that they exercise to lose weight and reduce

“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)