Persuasive Essay On Bulimia And Anorexia

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

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.

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.

There are many types of eating disorders but the one of the most commonly known one are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. People who suffer from anorexia are underweight due to deprivation of food and people who suffer from bulimia eat excessive amounts of food then purge all of that food via self-induced vomiting or laxatives. Sufferers from anorexia and bulimia experience emotional and physical problems which can lead to a detriment to their health. Though both diseases are different, sufferers of anorexia and bulimia both have low self-esteem. The reason why I find this disease worth looking into because the results of both of these diseases can be be highly dangerous; either leaving permanent damage to the body or damages that are difficult to reverse.

“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?

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).

According to The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) website, eating disorders are actually serious and often fatal illnesses causing serve disturbances to a person’s eating behaviors. People with eating disorders often have obsessions with food, their body weight, and their shape. There is, however, a difference between an eating disorder and a diet. It is important to know the difference. Eating disorders are a daily struggle for 10 million females and 1 million males in the United States (Eating Disorder Hope). An eating disorder is a compulsion to avoid eating in order to lose weight while a diet is cutting down eating or healthier eating in order to lose weight. The three types of an eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. All three disorders are important and they all deserve immediate treatment. No matter what eating disorder someone has, it can resort in organ damage and sometimes even death.

In Trick of the Light by Lois Metzger, Mike Welles feels his life is spiraling out of control. His father left them for some other woman, and his mother can barely get out of bed. He feels like he is all alone. That is, until he hears this voice in his head, telling him if he would just work out, he can make him better and stronger than before. Then he meets Amber-

Bulimia nervosa is a condition where a person is so preoccupied with their body weight and physical appearance that they develop an unhealthy habit of binge eating, and then use extreme methods of to counteract the effects. (Bacaltchuk & Hay, 2001). The most common method of counteraction is purging by self-forced vomiting, however, other methods are also used such as abusing laxatives, emetics, and diuretics. While anyone can suffer from bulimia, about 95% of people suffering from it are female, and most of them are white from the middle and upper classes (Yager, 1991). Bulimia is a dangerous and sometimes fatal issue

There are two categories of Bulimia Nervosa and both are serious and life threatening: Purging bulimia is where the patient regularly self-induces vomiting. The patient also misuses laxatives, diuretics or takes enemas after eating large amounts of food. The second type of bulimia is non-purging bulimia where the patient uses fasting, strict dieting or excessive and prolonged exercise in order to not gain weight. Both types of bulimia are an attempt to avoid gaining weight by purging what was consumed (Hay). Bulimic patients are preoccupied with their weight and body shape and judge themselves severely and harshly for self-perceived flaws. Because it's related to self-image, and not just about food, bulimia can be hard for the patient to overcome (Mayo Clinic Staff). Risk factors are being

Anorexia and bulimia are the most common eating disorders. People with anorexia disorder suffer from a tendency to skip meals, follow unhealthy diets, have abnormal eating habits and are obsessed about weight. Whereas people with bulimia disorder indulge in binge eating or overeating and then resort to purging what they have eaten by vomiting or using laxatives. Both can be considered as a kind of mental illness that takes a toll on the mental health and self-esteem of people. While these two eating disorders are similar in some ways, they are also vastly different.

While bulimia and anorexia are eating disorders, they aren’t necessarily about the food. People who suffer from bulimia and anorexia lack a sense of control and strength in their everyday life (Suszynski). Through not eating, bingeing and purging, these individuals feel like they have control over their weight and/or what is going into their body. Not only does this provide

Take yourself back to when you were 9, running around, careless about getting dirty, and craving the sweets that you were forbidden to eat. Your mom wants you to eat every meal and your dad says otherwise. You want to please both your mom and your dad but how are you, a nine-year-old child supposed to choose between your mom and your dad? Now picture this, instead of being outside playing in the dirt and burying your face in chocolate donuts, you’re inside doing research. Research on how to eat, but not gain the weight. You are researching this with your father’s words in the back of your head, “You need to watch what you eat and not eat so much, you don’t want to be fat like your mom.” Bulimia is the solution that continues to cross the computer screen. But the question is, is bulimia worth the pain that one must endure, just to avoid gaining weight? Bulimia causes you to lose so much more than just weight.

It seems today that eating disorders are on the rise. While this may be true, the numbers may appear to grow only because more cases are being brought out into the open. The purpose of this paper is to discuss eating disorders and prove the these disease, specifically Anorexia Nervosa, continue to plague of women due to psychological and environmental factors along with pressure from the media. The term “Anorexia Nervosa” is misleading. It means “loss of appetite due to nerves.” But people with anorexia don’t actually lose their appetite until the late stages of their starvation. Until, they do feel hungry, but they just won’t eat. People affected by anorexia have an extreme fear of gaining weight. In addition to drastic dieting, they

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