Eating Disorders Essay

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

Eating Disorders we think about are, Anorexia Nervosa, and Bulimia Nervosa. Binge Eating Disorder is lesser known however all three can affect males and females (Gray & Zide, 2013). A definition of an eating disorder is an illness that is characterized by irregular eating habits and an obsession with body weight and shape. This leads the person to develop habits surrounding inadequate or excessive food intake. Eating disorders may develop at any age, but typically develops during teen and early adult years. Eating disorders frequently coexist with other disorders such as, anxiety disorders, substance abuse and depression.

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.

It has been found that eating disorders are most common in the western and industrialized culture where food is abundant. This is because these individuals attach a lot of importance to their physical appearance and are willing to do anything to get the dream figure. An eating disorder is not just watching what one eats and exercising on a daily basis but is rather an illness that causes serious disturbances in eating behaviour, such as great and harmful cutback of the consumption of food as well as feelings of serious anxiety about their body shape or mass. They would start to stop themselves to go out anywhere just so that they could work out and burn all of the calories of a meal or snack that they had scoffed earlier. Two of the most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. The regular description of a patient with either disease would be a youthful white female, with an upper social standing in a predictably socially competitive environment.

The two most common eating disorders are bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa. Both disorders, primarily affect young women, therefore the majority of the research on eating disorders has been done with women subjects. The onset of bulimia is between adolescence and early adulthood while the onset of anorexia is between early and late adolescence. Not only is the onset different but the disorders are unique. Bulimia nervosa is characterized by loss of control over eating which leads to food binges. These episodes are interspersed with episodes of purging, such as vomiting or laxative abuse, to keep weight down. The goal of anorexia is also to keep weight down , but to a

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.

We live in a society where people are judged on the way they look. This urges people especially women to try and look their best. Magazines, social media and tv show that girls have to be skinny to be happy. This is what causes eating disorders in some people. “No one knows exactly what causes eating disorders, but a growing consensus suggests that a range of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors come together to spark an eating disorder.” (Neda 2017) Eating disorders are not when people start to watch what they eat and exercise. Eating disorders are mental illnesses which are psychological and physical in nature. Eating disorders are characterized by

An eating disorder is an illness that involves an unhealthy feeling about the food we eat. “Eating disorders affect 5-10 millions Americans and 70 million individuals worldwide” (www.eatingdisorderinfo.org 1). They also affect many people from women, men, children, from all ages and different races. People who have eating disorders usually see themselves as being fat when they really aren’t. This usually deals with women or teenage girls mostly. They watch television, movies, read articles in magazines, and see pictures of the celebrities whom they want to be like because they have the “ideal body” that everyone wants and craves for. The media makes us all think we need those types of bodies to be happy with ourselves, be more successful

Eating disorders were rarely heard of before the 1980s, but after that, they exploded everywhere. With the media constantly depicted “perfect” bodies, people have set unrealistic expectations for themselves. It is estimated that approximately 36 million women have an eating disorder. Over 5 million of those women are American. Although eating disorders know no boundaries, the majority of the people whom contract either of these illnesses are females ages 15-24. The most common eating disorder is binge eating, affecting about 3.5% of all women and 2% of all men. As the number of those affected continues to increase, so does to mortality rate. As mentioned before, eating disorders are the deadliest mental illness and are 12 times more deadly than all causes of death in females 15-24 years of

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).

Bulimia nervosa, also known as bulimia, is a serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder in which the person secretly eats food. There are two different types of Bulimia that include Purging and Nonpurging. Purging bulimia is where a people regularly vomits or uses laxatives after eating a large amount of food. Nonpurging bulimia is where a people uses different methods such as fasting or excessive exercise to remove calories in order to prevent gaining weight. Some symptoms of bulimia are being worried about body and gaining weight, uncontrollable eating, feeling discomfort after eating, large binge eating episode, vomit or exercise after eating, misusing laxatives, restricting calories, and excessive use of dietary supplements. The exact cause of bulimia are unknown, but some doctors say that it is caused by

Eating disorders affect “5 to 10 million American adolescent girls and women and approximately 1 million American boys and men” (Weltzin 42). Social, physical, mental, and emotional functioning can all be impacted by eating disorders. Kevin Thompson and Eric Stice from the article “Thin-Ideal Internalization” explain that “eating disorders are one of the most common psychiatric problems faced by women, and are characterized by a persistent course, co-occurrence with other psychopathology, medical complications, and elevated mortality. Body-image disturbance…is also extremely prevalent and may be associated with psychological distress” (181). There are three common eating disorders known as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. The typical age of people diagnosed with eating disorders are “between 12 and 18 years of age”(Weltzin 42). Anorexia nervosa is characterized by drastic weight loss, self-starvation, and a rigid exercise routine. Bulimia nervosa is dangerous cycles of binge eating and preceding to purge. Binge eating is characterized by a normal intake of large amounts of food with a sense of loss of control over eating behavior. People who have eating disorders “typically are obsessed with weight, counting calories and fat grams, and dieting” (Weltzin 41). Eating disorders are common in today’s society and can put many people at harm in everyday

An eating disorder is an illness in which people experience severe disturbances in their eating behaviors through their thoughts and emotions. There are three main types of eating disorders: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. “Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that makes people lose more weight than is considered healthy for their age and height. Persons with this disorder may have an intense fear of weight gain, even when they are underweight. They may diet or exercise too much or use other ways to lose weight” (PubMed Health). People with anorexia tend to deny their abnormal eating behaviors and are extremely introverted. People with this disorder have a fear of gaining weight or becoming fat. The signs of anorexia nervosa include: a distorted body image, social withdrawal, denying feelings of hunger, avoiding conversations about food or eating, obsession with dieting, emotional changes,

Eating disorders stem from a combination of psychological, biological, and social factors. Feelings of depression and anxiety along with daily stressors can contribute to

This type of disorder is very common nowadays in adolescents. Eating disorder is something we cannot stop doing and at the same time, we are conscious that we are doing it, and that it is wrong. Somehow it is a lifestyle choice and not everyone is capable of winning that battle. This fatal illness deals with obsessions with body weight and food. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), common eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. These disorders affect both genders and it is seen in teens and young adults. People with anorexia nervosa are underweight but when they look themselves in the mirror all they see is that they are extremely overweight. On the other hand, men tend to be concerned with the lack of muscle and body image. Women typically weigh themselves constantly, calculate the amount of calories they eat and are very strict with what they should eat and when. This type of behavior is caused by psychological and social factors. Their self-esteem is hanging by a thread because they do not feel accepted in the society. How they act and feel is linked to their emotions. They are looking for something greater than them without knowing how beautiful is the life they have