Development of Anorexia and Bulimia Essay

There are behavioral similarities among individuals suffering from Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa such as feeling they are in control where they may have lacked power or control in their lives, feeling more confident, and the ability to avoid uncomfortable emotions through disordered eating behavior. However, there are also significant differences. According to the articles, those who suffer from AN consistently communicate this disordered eating behavior makes them feel more attractive, increases confidence and elicits a feeling of superiority, where as those who suffer from BN more often communicate a negative self-image and feelings of shame and defectiveness. BN patients also conveyed their desire to keep their illness a secret whereas AN patients are generally more concerned with their thinness being obvious to others and gaining attention. BN is frequently accompanied by depression, and feelings of self-loathing indicating a high prevalence of comorbidity, and those suffering from this illness experience a disturbance in feeling satisfied with a

Eating disorders are “a mental health issue with devastating effects on one 's physical health and quality of life. Underlying the food and exercise behaviours are distorted and self-critical attitudes towards shape, size and self-worth” (Eating Disorders). Three major types of eating disorders are anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating. They are all disorders; however they differ by how harmful each one is to a person’s body. These eating disorders are monsters because they are potentially life-threatening. The first eating disorder is anorexia, which consists of self-starvation and excessive exercise for weight loss. People who suffer from anorexia think they are over-weight and the only solution to losing that weight is to not eat or exercise too much. The second eating disorder is Bulimia. This disorder is characterized by

While the most important dissimilarities differentiating anorexia nervosa from avoidant / restrictive disorder, an overwhelming and severe fear of gaining weight and a disturbance in how an individual experiences their body shape and weight, are apparent, distinguishing bulimia nervosa from anorexia nervosa has proved to be the most challenging diagnostic difficulty. Bulimia nervosa is defined by “recurrent episodes of binge eating, recurrent compensatory behaviors to prevent weight gain and self-evaluation that is unduly influenced by body shape and weight” and, therefore, the subtype of binge-eating / purging anorexia nervosa falls in the middle of the spectrum between the two disorders. (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Adolescents afflicted with anorexia nervosa and/or bulimia nervosa, often share similar characteristics of family conflict, excessive conformance and regimentation of behavior, and interpersonal insecurity (Herzog et al, 1991; Strober, 1980; Strober et al., 1985). However, adolescents with restrictive anorexia, often maintain a lower body weight while the bulimic and binging anorexic patients tend to be more prone to higher levels of depression, family conflict, self destructive behavior and are usually more sexually active than restrictive anorexic patients (Fisher e al,

The individuals plagued from these disorders are mostly women, socially affected by media, and the obsession of being thin, victims of the Western standards of being beautiful. Clients suffering from Anorexia and Bulimia have a low self-image, they view themselves heavier than they might be. These individuals suffer from biological issues such as anxiety, depression, drug abuse, and often commit suicide. They indulge in binge eating, and feel remorse after, causing guilt and shame, they repeat this pattern over and over. The difference between Anorexia and Bulimia is that suffers of Bulimia are these individuals are more concerned with pleasing others and being attractive to the opposite sex. They tend to be more sexually active (Comer 272). They can become easy frustrated and easily bored. They display symptoms of personality disorders, borderline personality. Unlike females with anorexia, only fifty percent of individual suffer from amenorrhea (Comer 275). But, females suffering from both disorders might have horrible dental

     In America, girls are given the message at a very young age that in order to be happy and successful, they must be thin. Given the value which society places on being thin, it is not surprising that eating disorders are on the increase. Every time you walk into a store, you are surrounded by the images of emaciated models that appear on the covers of fashion magazines. Thousands of teenage girls are starving themselves daily in an effort to attain what the fashion industry considers to be the “ideal” figure. The average model weighs 23% less than the average woman. Maintaining a weight 20% below your expected body weight fits the criteria for the emotional eating disorder known as anorexia.

The purpose of the study is to identify what may be the onset of bulimia nervosa and whether or not it is related to a person being subjected to criticism based on their weight/ shape and eating habits. This is the first of studies that take a look at a year prior to having bulimia nervosa. This study was conducted through a control case study which is a study that looks at both a group that does have a disorder and a group that does not have the disorder. It also determines if a factor affects either of the groups and how that factor affects it. The study observed three separate group of women. The women with eating disorders were recruited from eating disorder treatment settings, which were women who were previously diagnosed with bulimia nervosa. The healthy women along with women with a psychiatric diagnosis were recruited from high schools and university campuses. A total of 180 women were observed. The first group of sixty women was women who had bulimia nervosa and ranged between the ages of 15- 38. The second group, which were the healthy women, their age ranged from 15-39. The healthy women reported not being diagnosed with any disorder. The last group of sixty women’s ages ranged from 14-38 and they were diagnosed as having psychiatric disorders. The study was done on all Caucasian women. Women were excluded if they were pregnant, had physical conditions or psychosis (mental disorder). For the healthy women, they were first evaluated with the DSM-IV to determine no

"Food can become such a point of anxiety - not because it's good, but just because you have anxiety. That's how eating disorders develop."-Vanessa Carlton. Dietary problems influence an undeniably vast number of individuals, particularly young people, in today's advanced society. The most common sorts of this issue are anorexia and bulimia. Anorexia generally happens when an individual declines to consume, takes diuretics to decrease weight, or causes him or herself to regurgitate any nourishment that he or she has consumed. Bulimia includes gorging on food and afterward making oneself throw up. Both sorts are mental issues in which the individual misperceives his or her real weight and expects that weight must be lost in place for the individual

Over the past years, the pervasiveness of eating disorders, Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa, has risen notably amongst women in the Western World. Eating disorders (EDs) are mental disorders “characterized by a persistent disturbance of eating or eating-related behavior that results in the altered consumption or absorption of food and that significantly impairs physical health or psychosocial functioning” (American Psychiatric Association (APA), 2013). The most well-known types of eating disorders are Anorexia and Bulimia. Anorexia is characterized by these three attributes: “persistent energy intake restriction; intense fear of gaining weight or of becoming fat, or persistent behavior that interferes with weight gain; and a disturbance in self-perceived weight or shape”( American Psychiatric Association (APA), 2013). Bulimia is distinguished by the following: “recurrent episodes of binge eating, recurrent inappropriate compensatory behaviors to prevent weight gain, and self-evaluation that is unduly influenced by body shape and weight” (American Psychiatric Association (APA), 2013). In the United States alone, approximately 0.5-3.7% and 1.1-4.2% of women respectively suffer from Anorexia and Bulimia in their life time. The alarming statistics brings this question to light, “what is the cause of an eating disorder?” Numerous academic research and studies by scholastic specialists have pointed that the etiology of eating disorders can be traced to not one, but several

What is anorexia? Is it just skipping dinner? Or maybe not having that last slice of pizza? It is a disease that can’t be cured with any medication because it is an idea. The idea that if you don’t lose the weight you will never be loved by anyone. It isn’t something people joke about or even talk about in reality. You hear stories about people who die from it, but it does not stop newbies from succumbing to the idea.

After completing research on this topic I learned many things. For example, I learned that they just diagnosed Bulimia Nervosa twenty five years ago. It is a much newer disease. Anorexia and Bulimia are both eating disorders. Bulimia is very dangerous because a person is destroying the acid in our stomach. It also damages our teeth and esophagus because of the throw up. Anorexia is different because the person just stops eating. They don't eat in public, they only eat very little in private. Both of these eating disorders are very dangerous and life threatening.

In a majority of the research articles studies were done on both patients with anorexia nervosa and patients with bulimia nervosa. During the research, as we will see, there was some difference in the comorbidity of personality disorders depending on whether the subjects were anorexic or bulimic.

Anorexia nervosa and bulimia are eating disorders that severely affect both men and women around the world. The cause of the eating disorder usually derives from psychological, biological and social forces. Eating disorders have become an epidemic in American society, twenty-four million people of all ages and genders suffer from an eating disorder in the U.S. (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders.\, 2011). There are many ways to address and treat an eating disorder. There have been multiple studies conducted to test the effectiveness of different types of treatment. My central research question analyzes the relationship between the continuation of the eating disorder with the presence of intervention or some

Anorexia and Bulimia are formed by a melting pot of factors. These include, but are not limited to; genetics, hormones, biology, psychological and sociocultural factors. But which factor carries the most weight, and how heavy does it weigh on an individual? Those who are at risk are aready especially vulnerable to the effects of media. The media alone cannot be responsible for eating disorders, but can certainly be a factor in the severity and timing of its manifestation. It can lead to the internalization of societal pressures and add stress to a person already concerned with their weight and

The definition and categorization of bulimia nervosa (BN) are addressed in the beginning of the paper. As there are many medical concerns that influence and accompany treatment, a brief overview of these concerns is provided. Next, the focus shifts to the population most affected by the disorder and risk factors for development of BN. A discussion of co-occurring disorders follows due to the fact that BN sufferers often experience one or more co-occurring disorders or differential diagnoses that may further complicate a clinician’s plan for treatment.

Learning About Anorexia Anorexia. What is it? The dictionary describes anorexia nervosa as ''a mental illness in which a person has an intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted perception of their weight and body shape''. In simple terms, this means that people with this illness believe themselves to be fat even when their weight is so low that their health is in danger. Also, a person with anorexia nervosa strictly controls what he/she eats and usually becomes extremely thin.