Eating Disorders And Substance Abuse Essay

Eating Disorders are a set of serious disorders with underlying psychiatric foundations. An eating disorder occurs when exercise, body weight and shape become an unhealthy obsession (Stein, Merrick, & Latzer, 2011). People with eating disorders take physical concerns to the extremes that they take on abnormal eating habits. There are a variety of cases that lead to an eating disorder and can affect both men and women, however its prevalence primarily occur in adolescence (Ison & Kent, 2010; Stein et al., 2011). The complexity and challenges that occur during adolescents predisposes teens to developing an eating disorder. The period of adolescence is one of intense change, which can bring with it a great deal of stress, confusion and anxiety (Allen, Byrne, Oddy & Crosby, 2013). According to Wade, Keski-Rahkonen and Hudson (2011) 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS). There are three main categories of eating disorders, anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS). Individuals with AN loose more weight than what is considered to be healthy for their particular height, age, gender, and development (Allen et al., 2013). In BN individuals binge eat and purge to compensate for the excessive eating. Purging may include induce vomiting or intake of laxatives that lead to bowel

Many people are unaware of the background of eating disorders. Women are more likely than men to develop an eating disorder and they usually develop in childhood before the age of 20 (Ross-Flanigan 1). Women as well as men can develop an eating disorder; it is just more likely for a woman to develop one. Eating disorders are usually developed in adolescent or childhood years when a person is influenced the most. Also “Eating disorders are psychological conditions that involve overeating, voluntary starvation, or both. Anorexia nervosa, anorexic bulimia, and binge eating are the most well-known types of eating disorders” (Ross-Flanigan 1). Many people assume that an eating disorder is when a person staves themselves; they do not realize that it can involve overeating as well. Some eating disorders also involve purging, but not all. People with an eating disorder fear gaining weight even when they are severely underweight. They do not lack an appetite (Ross-Flanigan 1). These people are

The mean age of the subjects was 32 years and 7 months and they were equally divided among the upper two social classes. The goal of this research was to examine the past and present eating habits of female alcoholics to determine whether or not a correlation between the two disorders existed. Two methods of research were used to evaluate the subjects: an interview and a questionnaire. One of the authors interviewed each subject individually. The interview consisted of two parts: (1) a detailed assessment of past and present eating behaviors and (2) an evaluation of drinking patterns. The first part of the interview based eating disorders on a variety of patterns, including binge-eating behaviors that lasted for at least 6 months. The second part of the interview used a pre-determined interview created by Stockwell et al. to determine levels of alcohol dependence. The questionnaire consisted of the Eating Attitudes Test, which is "a standardized measure of anorectic and bulimic behavior" (Lacey et al., 1986: pp. 390).

Anorexia nervosa is starving oneself, sometimes even to death, because of a personal believe that one is unattractive or unlovable. People with anorexia have a six fold increase in mortality rates compared to people who aren’t. And many of the deaths are sudden due to irregular heartbeats or coma induced by low blood sugar. Bulimia nervosa is eating and then Vomiting soon afterward or using a laxative to get rid of food in order to avoid weight gain. About 1 to 3 percent of adolescents and college aged women have bulimia. Binge eating disorder involves binge eating but not purging afterwords. About 3.5 percent of all women have this disorder, and it is more common in obese people.

The prevalence of binge drinking in 2012 for females was in the middle-performing 50% for all counties with 8.7% of females engaging in binge drinking, while the prevalence of binge drinking in 2012 for males was in the middle-performing 50% for all counties with 24.6% of males engaging in binge drinking. To compare, the national average in 2012 was 12.4% for females and 24.5% for males. The change from 2002 to 2012 for females was in the best-performing 25% of all counties while the change for males was in the middle-performing 50%, with females experiencing a decrease of 0.3 percentage points and males experiencing an increase of 0 percentage points. To compare with the national average, females had an increase of 1.6 percentage points and males had an

Researchers say that the exact cause of Bulimia is unknown. There are many factors that could play a role in the development of this eating disorders, including biology, emotional health, society high expectations of a woman’s body and other mental issues. Researchers were able to pinpoint some of the most common causes of Bulimia which include low self-esteem, extreme drive for perfection and a distorted body image. There are many symptoms of Bulimia including binge eating, purging, lack of control when eating, exercise obsession, and dehydration. People suffering from Bulimia may need several types of treatment including psychotherapy, journaling, yoga, and art therapy.Researchers say keeping busy with relaxing activities helps the person suffering to get over the disorder. Bulimia is a terrible disease linked to many deaths and it is important to know the causes, symptoms, and

On average, women are more likely to experience an eating disorder. Although, men are not eliminated from eating disorders. Eating disorders pertain to a patient who is unsatisfied with one’s current body image. Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are the most common eating disorders. These two eating disorders are similar in ways that are characterized by low self esteem, body dysmorphia, and signs of depression. However, anorexia, anorexia nervosa, and bulimia nervosa should not be confused. Anorexia is the

Eating disorders are sweeping this country and are rampant on junior high, high school, and college campuses. These disorders are often referred to as the Deadly Diet, but are often known by their more popular names: anorexia or bulimia. They affect more than 20% of females between the age of thirteen and forty. It is very rare for a young female not to know of someone with an eating disorder. Statistics show that at least one in five young women have a serious problem with eating and weight (Bruch, 25).

The social issue that is going to be discussed in this paper is Bulimia Nervosa. Bulimia nervosa is defined as “an often-debilitating eating disorder with a bio psychosocial set of risk factors.” (Bernacchi, 2017). Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorders that effects approximately 1 to 1.5 percent of the population within a 12-month period. “It is estimated that between 5 percent and 10 percent of all post pubescent girls and women suffer from an eating disorder in the United States (Kimmel, 2013).” A primary diagnostic characteristic of this disorder is experiencing recurrent episodes of binge eating, which is then followed

Research on eating disorders has revealed a greater incidence of substance use and/or misuse in women with eating disorders than in the general population. Most of the research agrees that substance misuse is more common in patients with bulimia nervosa and the binge eating/purging subtype of patients with anorexia than in women with the restricting subtype of anorexia nervosa. Researchers and specialists have proposed a range of theories to account for the strong association between substance misuse and bulimia nervosa. Experiments have not provided evidence to conclusively support any one theory. However, studies conducted in the past decade have enabled researchers to refine

An interesting fact that I did not know is that 50% of individuals with an eating disorder abuse drugs and alcohol. It’s not shocking to me that bulimics would abuse drugs and alcohol, not only because it can be used as an escape from the world and themselves, but also because numerous drugs and alcohol effect appetite, usually in a negative way, aiding to weight loss. This disorder really is a never ending cycle. First the body distortion image develops, then the binge eating occurs, followed by guilt that leads to purging, vomiting, etc., which turns into depression that is commonly coped with through drugs, alcohol, or food, which in turn starts the cycle over again.

Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are two common recognized eating disorders. It is possible for a person to suffer from both disorders. Those with anorexia have a tendency to skip meals, adopt highly restrictive and unhealthy diets, obsess over thinness and food, and present abnormal eating habits or rituals. Bulimia presents itself in the form of binging, or overeating, followed by purging, often either by vomiting or using laxatives. One similarity that goes along with both eating disorders is the obsession with food, weight, and a "thin" body image; an extreme fear of weight gain; compulsive exercise; depression and anxiety; low self-esteem. Another Similarity is that there is no official cause. It can be related to culture, family life,

In the article, the authors mentioned testing for psychiatric disorders that might be associated moderators to sexual abuse and alcohol dependence. Why might anorexia and bulimia be associated with sexual abuse later in one's life? Anorexia and bulimia be associated with sexual abuse later in one’s life because it is used to make the physical appearance “less attractive”. To turn to food for “comfort” and become “de-sexualize”, so the traumatic event can be put to an end. According to Copeland, Magnusson, Goransson, and Heilig (2010) stated: “Severe sexual abuse continued to have an independent effect on alcohol dependence status even after accounting for these potential mediators. Of the five psychiatric disorders tested, anxiety, anorexia

Eating disorders are a major category of mental disorders affecting persons in today’s world. Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder are the most prevalent examples of eating disorders experienced present-day. Anorexia nervosa is where individuals “maintain a starvation diet despite being significantly underweight” (Myers 640). Both bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder are similar in that they are highlighted by excessive consumption of food in a limited time frame however episodes of binge-eating are not followed by behaviours, such as forced vomiting, fasting, or excessive exercise as practised in bulimia nervosa. It is important to be kept abreast about eating disorders and its respective examples as it can be diagnosed

Drunkorexia has been observed as a growing trend among the young adults who indulge in binge drinking and self-imposed starvation to keep a tab on the total calorie intake.