Eating Disorders : An Eating Disorder

Hello everyone. My name is Ruth and I want to talk to you guys about eating disorders. An eating disorder is essentially an illness that disrupts a person’s every day diet which can cause a person to pretty much stop eating or over eat, depending on the illness. These illnesses are more apparent in the teenage years and in to young adulthood (Pinel, 2011), which makes sense because this is when we start becoming more aware of our bodies as well as other people’s bodies. We might want to look like the model we just saw on TV and will do anything to get that body, right? But an eating disorder is not the way to go; we will get in to the effects of

Malnutrition and the horrid effects of not feeding one’s body properly account for the high mortality rate of individuals who have Anorexia Nervosa. Examples of these consequences include severely low blood pressure, extreme osteoporosis, damage to the kidney and the liver, and heart failure. Those with Anorexia Nervosa will continue to starve themselves until they die unless they get some sort of help to recover.

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

Eating disorders are described as any abnormal eating habits and can range from minor to life-threatening. They result in people making very unhealthy decisions, which cause harmful effects on the mind and body including the “Psychic-emotional, gastrointestinal, endocrine, and reproductive systems.” (Health and Illness PG. 247) It is important to bring attention to this topic because more and more people are being diagnosed with eating disorders every day. Without proper help, people who fall victim to these disorders continue to get sicker. Not only do eating disorders harm one’s body physically, but they can also cause mental or emotional pain. There needs to be more focus on educating society about eating disorders. There also needs to be a push to treat the victim’s disorders so that they can continue to live a healthier lifestyle.

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

In the United States, 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder at some time in their life (“Get The Facts on Eating Disorders,” NEDA). This is in the United States alone. Imagine how many people are affected by eating disorders in the world. Even Though there is a plethora of people with eating disorders, many people don’t speak out and if they ever do it may be too late. Eating disorders can kill you and affect other factors of your health so it is important to find help. Although eating disorders are crucial, scientists, school, etc are trying to help people suffering and prevent others from having an eating disorder.

“The eating disorder is a very jealous and abusive partner. It requires a lot of devotion in the extent that you have to devote yourself to tending to the anorexia. There 's not a lot of time left over for adult life,” was stated by Dr. Doug Bunnell, a specialist in eating disorders. Eating disorders effect a variety of people. Age, race, and gender aren’t role playing keys in eating disorders. Not everyone gets an eating disorder, but if they do then, it will more than likely destroy their lives. The person with the eating disorder is affected and so are their families, and friends. Even though there are hundreds of programs to help with eating disorders, thousands of people still suffer from them.

In our society, there has a been a significant concern of all eating disorders. This is very sensitive subject to majority of people. Everybody should be aware of the issue, it’s an issue that society should be more aware of. Eating disorders can result from genetics, environmental factors, society and social media. In today’s world, unfortunately there is so much social pressure of what beauty is. It is portrayed that being slim is the ideal. In addition, clearly the media has an influence, regardless of the gender, eating disorders and body dysmorphia can happen to both genders. I also learned that family attitudes concerning body shape and eating habits can have a profound effect too. Psychological issues such as depression, anxiety or substance abuse can also be a factor to eating disorder. Teenagers and adults also spend a great deal on social media sites that provide self-comparison of unrealistic expectations and media promotes a weight stigma by stereotyping other body types. In fact, so all this creates a controversial issue in my perspective. Throughout the years there has been a significant increase in eating disorder and 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).

The media’s false portrayal of body image has a great influence on the development of eating disorders. There are three types of eating disorders; anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge eating. Eating disorders are major issues in today’s society. Instead of people using the media to influence good eating habits, they use it to influence bad eating habits. The numbers of people who have an eating disorder are rising at an alarming rate. It affects not only women, but also men, teens, and young children of all ages. It is not surprising that the number of young children who have an eating disorder is increasing each year. This is an issue that people do not take seriously. The media gets the attention to continue to

Many people, both women and men of all ages, suffer from the psychological disorder, eating. Up to thirty million people in the world suffer from some kind of an eating disorder. There a two types of eating disorders, anorexia and bulimia, and have several methods of treatment.

Bulimia Nervosa is the diet-binge-purge cycle. It is an illness that is mostly found in young females. This cycle involves a strict diet, uncontrollable eating and then unhealthy strategies to get rid of the food and therefore the guilt. This addictive eating disorder is based on guilt. The individual tends to under-consume and thereby becoming very hungry. Once the individual gives in and allows one’s self to eat, the person begins to over-eat. After finishing the large quantities of food, the individual begins to feel immense

Bulimia nervosa is mental illness where a person has a distortion of body image and has an obsession with wanting to lose weight. Someone with bulimia will over eat and purge, what will follow is a period of depression, and they will induce vomiting. After they consume a large amount of food, they will have feelings of guilt or shame. This disease is self-diagnosable. A person will binge eat then take steps to avoid gaining weight. Although they usually purge, they can exercise excessively and fast.

Bulimia is diagnosed when a person eats large quantities of food and then immediately vomits or purges the food. For example, a person may consume a whole pizza or cake all at once and then the feeling of guilt or depression settles in, so then they begin to purge and vomit the food. According to Feldman (1989), “constant binging-and-purging cycles and the use of drugs to induce vomiting or diarrhea can lead to heart failure.”

When the body is not fed correctly it suffers and some organs may shut down. This can cause permanent problems or death. People with anorexia may also start lossing the hair on their scalp. And they might also start growing really thin hairs on their face and arms this is the body's way of keeping them warm because of the lack of muscle on their body. This makes people with anorexia very sensitive to the cold. Girls with anorexia may also lose their menstruation cycle because their body feels they do not have enough weight to grow a healthy baby. The kidneys may also be permanently damaged, because of vitamin deficiencies. Anemia may also develop, causing extreme weakness and fatigue. A big effect that anorexia has on your body goes to your heart. Too little fat in the body deprives the heart of vitamins and minerals it needs to function correctly. This can weaken the heart and result in a heart attack. Anorexia does not just affect your physical health it may also have an effect on your mental health and your relationship with friends and