Eating Disorders Persuasive Research Paper

Eating disorders especially bulimia serves as coping mechanisms among women in response to traumas, stress, sexual abuse, poverty, racism etc. The prevention and treatment of bulimia pertains to patient’s access to health services and economic stability. There is high financial cost of treatment and prevention of bulimia that restricts people living in underserved areas, below poverty line and with low income (Reed, 2015). Hunger and starvation kills more people worldwide due to poverty and lack of availability of food in developed nations. It is important to maintain food security because food insecurity for longer periods of time can led to poor food consumption and nutrition. People who don’t have access to food or have limited food options may adopt maladaptive behaviors and may act aggressively or anxiously around food and in turn will develop eating disorders like bulimia. It is not possible to change their socio-economic status, their environment or situations, however, it is important to spread awareness about the various eating disorders like bulimia. It is a mental illness and more treatment options should be explored (Karges,

Nowadays, when people emphasis more and more on healthy lifestyles, both exercise and food intake have become a big part of the consideration. With the goals of being fit and losing weight, some people eat irregularly or do not eat at all. As a result, eating disorders seem more often on news and reports. However, some people still view it as a joke. With the increasing number of people diagnosed with eating disorders, people should raise awareness on the effects of eating disorders and treat them seriously.

In my research, I explored the world of eating disorders. I wanted to see if there was anything specifically encouraging eating disorders and if there was a way to stop it. Eating disorders affect the community greatly because often times, they go unchecked or unrecognized. As a recovered anorexic, I feel it’s very important to address this issue. It’s a very big problem that is often not addressed at all, or is seen as normal, like counting calories. I hoped to find a way to improve the way that eating disorders are viewed and explain to people about what defines an eating disorder, because many people will never know if it is not explicitly explained to them. My study’s purpose is to bring light into the dark world of eating disorders

II. [Topic Justification] Eating disorders are one of the most deadly mental illnesses in the United States (Farrar).

Eating disorders are in no way, to be considered “no big deal”. It affects the lives of many poor unsuspecting human beings and in some cases, fatally takes lives. This topic presents many things that most people don’t know. Such as the fact that bulimia nervosa has similar symptoms to using the drug heroin! Rotten teeth, pale and dry skin, and even failing organs are usually signs that someone may have bulimia. There are always key signs and factors to recognizing an eating disorder. Eating disorders are serious. We all should be aware of the affect it has on an individual, and if anyone knows or sees a person struggling with an eating disorder, outreaching and a simple hand in the right direction can save a life. Eating disorders get in the mind of an individual, then ruin the body, then finally ruin the mind.

Eating disorders are a very common topic of concern among parents and doctors in an age of endless information. However, the topic is also swiftly judged as taboo in the same breath it is condemned. The refusal to acknowledge the problem is reminiscent of “The Mask of the Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe in which naïve elitists turn a blind eye to a horrifying plague. Though Poe’s Red Death may be a fictitious disease, the similarities between the effects of an inescapable plague and an eating disorder resonate on a very real level.

“Worldwide, at least 2.8 million people die each year as a result of being overweight or obese and an estimated 35.8 million (2.3%) of global DALYs are caused by overweight or obesity” (Global Health Observatory data, 2017). With the help of others, adults and teens in the world will strive in their goals to achieve weight loss. What are the causes and history of obesity? What routines, diet, treatment are available for the overweight individual? Are there support groups for obesity?

Bulimia has cost the lives of many around the world, but it still does not seem to stop spreading its influence. This type of eating disorder shares similar emotional triggers found in those suffering from anorexia and excess fasting. “This illness is associated with premorbid perfectionism, introversion, poor peer relations, and low self-esteem.” (Garfinkel) Of course, these characteristics are a direct result of the person’s environment. As stated by Pigott once she got back home from her trip to Africa, “ I reverted to my natural state: one of yearning to be slimmer and more fit than I was. My freedom had been temporary. I was home, where fat is feared and despised.” (Pigott, C., pg.93) Bulimia, unlike anorexia, is characterized by a person binge-eating, or consuming a large amount of food in a short time lapse, but then “purging” themselves by either “self-inducing vomiting, taking enemas, or abusing laxatives or other medications.” (“The Eating Disorder Foundation”) This eating disorder is known to cause depression, kidney damage, dental damage, and anxiety disorders if left untreated. (“The Eating Disorder Foundation”) Despite its devastating effects, bulimia cases worldwide are increasing rapidly, showing the public’s ignorance in choosing to conform with the norm rather than taking care of themselves.

When thinking about the causes of eating disorders, I used to think about the media and the emphasis put on being thin. Although that can play a role in the cause for some people, many times there is a deeper rooted cause. This video allowed me to hear the perspectives from the point of view of someone who experienced a severe eating disorder. In the case of a dancer, many times they are told at a very young age that they need to lose weight. They were expected to look a certain way and put a high priority on maintaining a weight that many times, is 15% below the normal weight for their height. Not only is this physically damaging, but it is psychologically damaging as well. Girls begin to think that they are not good enough or that skinny is better and starvation is the price of

Food. It is essential for survival. Without it, people die. However, oddly enough, many struggle to live without it to accomplish the standards that our culture has created for us. We are taught that being thin is perfection and will lead to a happier life. However, lurking are the health risks that one pays for obtaining the “perfect body”. Still, along with a distorted body image, others struggle with keeping weight down and fall into the diet fads that the world parades. From movies, magazines, and television, the media also sends us messages that being fat is bad and unhealthy while being thin and beautiful is acceptable. The impact of such influences has increased eating disorders in America. These disorders do not

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.

Behaviors of eating disorders have been around for centuries, but it has only been two hundred years since eating disorders have been named and considered a mental illness. Eating disorders can be a fatal illness that can affect a person's eating behaviors. Doctors have established over a dozen types of eating disorders, the two main types that patients are most often diagnosed with are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. According to the new statistics found that almost “ 50% of people in the world either know someone who is suffering from an eating disorder, or they are suffering from an eating disorder” (The Center Of Eating Disorders). When these people get

A combination of genetic, physical, social, and psychological factors may contribute to the development of an eating disorder, such as Anorexia. Anorexia is an emotional disorder characterized by an obsessive desire to lose weight by refusing to eat. Eating disorders effect ten million females and one million males in the United States. Also 0.3 percent of the eating disorders occur in teenage children.

Intro: So.. I as said eating disorders are all around us. I mean I can’t even go for a walk without seeing and anorexic or bulimic or many disorders without

Each year millions of people in the United States are affected by serious and sometimes life-threatening eating disorders. The vast majorities are adolescents and young adult women. Approximately one percent of adolescent girls develops anorexia nervosa, a dangerous condition in which they can literally starve themselves to death. Another two to three percent develop bulimia nervosa, a destructive pattern of excessive overeating followed by vomiting or other " purging " behaviors to control their weight. These eating disorders also occur in men and older women, but much less frequently. The consequences of eating disorders can be severe. For example, one in ten anorexia nervosa leads to death from starvation, cardiac arrest, or