Women Eating Disorders Essay

There are many challenges for young girls and boys that lead to major issues like problems with self-image and eating disorders. In numerous studies done, it is easy to see that eating disorders do not have to be permanent. The studies done show that there are many ways to help people struggling with this disorder. Although there is always a change of relapse, bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa are two eating disorders that with time, the desire to get better, and the proper treatment, can be eliminated from a person’s life. Therefore, it is important that on college campuses, there is an organization ran by students for students to help build up self-confidence and decrease the rate of eating disorders.

Every year thousands of students are recruited to be student athletes at colleges and every year approximately 8 million individuals suffer from eating disorders. According to Psychology Applied to Modern Life, eating disorders are defined as “severe disturbances in eating behavior characterized by preoccupation with weight and unhealthy efforts to control weight (Weiten, Dunn, Hammer, 2011, p. 470).” Eating disorders can include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder. With risk factors such as low self esteem, pressure from family, friends and coaches and access to unlimited to food it is no wonder that collegiate athletes have higher rates of eating disorders than regular

Each year millions of people in the United States develop serious and often fatal eating disorders. More than ninety percent of those are adolescent and young women. The consequences of eating disorders are often severe--one in ten end in death from either starvation, cardiac arrest, or suicide. Due to the recent awareness of this topic, much time and money has been attributed to eating disorders. Many measures have been taken to discover leading causes and eventual treatment for those suffering from anorexia. (http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource ...er.html#Causes of Eating Disorders) )

Chronic dieting, low self-esteem, depression and, high levels of body dissatisfaction were among the major issues women face when addressing their body image (Gingras, Fitzpatrick, & McCargar, 2004). The severity of body image dissatisfaction have increased to such a dangerous state that it was added to the DSM-IV as a disorder now called body dysmorphic disorder (Suissa, 2008). One of the main reasons for the prevalence of these conditions in women was due to contemporary Western media, which serve as one of the major agent in enforcing an ultra-thin figure as the ideal for female beauty (Saraceni & Russell-Mayhew, 2007). These images and models presented by the media have become the epitome of beauty, pushing women who internalized these images to dangerous extent to attain these norms. According to evidence from previous studies, contemporary Western cultures have influenced women to an acquired normative state of discontent with their bodies, which have become the source of maladaptive eating practices, negative psychological outcomes, and, chronic health conditions associated with eating disorders (Snapp, Hensley-Choate, & Ryu, 2012). The seriousness of these body image conditions among youths and women have also led to congressional actions.

Disturbed eating behaviors are increasing among college students, and are now being researched. One of the most common eating behaviors among college students

The three nationally recognized eating disorders are identified as Bulimia Nervosa, Anorexia Nervosa, and Binge-Eating Disorder. Eating disorders, although stereotypically viewed as a lifestyle choice, is a serious and often fatal illness that not only cause severe eating disturbances, but adverse psychological and physiological environments for the individual (National Institute of Mental Health, 2006). These disorders typically develop in the mid-to-late teen years and often carry out into early adulthood albeit also existing in late adulthood (Butcher, Mineka, & Hooley, 2004). Treatment for this class of disorder can range from various perspectives, current methodologies for binge-eating disorder point to cognitive therapies and pharmacotherapy (Reas & Grilo, 2014).

Eating disorders are a disease that can impact an individual’s health adversely by causing their emotions and capability to function in the significant areas of their life. There are two most common eating disorders and they are: anorexia nervosa, and bulimia nervosa. These disorders often begin to formulate during the teenage years of an individual’s life and can carry on through their adult years. Research states that “According to the DSM-5 (APA, 2013), eating disorders are characterized by a persistent disturbance in eating behavior” (Butcher et al., 2013, p.294). All of these disorders influences a person’s nutrition and can serious affect their internal organs.

As young women go through puberty, they begin to mature both physically and emotionally. Particularly, women begin to gain weight when they undergo puberty. Throughout their adolescence, women are exposed to harsh opinions others have on their bodies and how they should carry themselves. Most importantly, women are exposed to society’s values through the use of media. Women begin to value their body image and force themselves to conform to society’s idea of the “perfect body”. Personally, I think of body image as a trouble of mine because I struggle to come to terms with not having a flawless figure. Each day, I see women on social media with unrealistically perfect bodies. After being so exposed to the media’s opinion of a good physique,

According to the Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association, “40% of female college students have eating disorders.” This may not seem like an alarming number, but eating disorders are becoming a serious problem on high school and college campuses. Most people know of anorexia but are not fully aware of what it is and what it entails. Anorexia can be defined as “severe weight loss due to extreme food reduction” according to the Canadian Mental Health Association. Even though there is no single cause anorexia, it can result from psychological and interpersonal factors, as well as media influence. Symptoms of anorexia include dieting to the extremes,

Eating disorders are complex illnesses that are affecting adolescents with increasing frequency [1]. They rank as the third most common chronic illness in adolescent females, with an incidence of up to 5% 1, 2 and 3. Three major subgroups are recognized: a restrictive form in which food intake is severely limited (anorexia nervosa); a bulimic form in which binge-eating episodes are followed by attempts to minimize the effects of overeating via vomiting, catharsis, exercise, or fasting (bulimia nervosa); and a third group in which all the criteria for anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa are not met. The latter group, often called “eating disorder not otherwise specified” or EDNOS, constitutes the majority of patients seen in referral centers treating adolescents [4]. Eating disorders are associated with serious biological, psychological, and sociological morbidity and significant mortality. Unique features of adolescents and the developmental process of adolescence are critical considerations in determining the diagnosis, treatment, and outcome of eating disorders in this age group. This position statement represents a consensus from Adolescent Medicine specialists from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia regarding the diagnosis and management of eating disorders in adolescents. In keeping with the practice guidelines of the American Psychiatric Association [5] and the American Academy of Pediatrics [6], this statement integrates evidence-based medicine,

Eating disorders are prominent within younger children mostly involving problems that arise in childhood and adolescence. Many times eating disorders could be less prevalent, but throughout today’s era eating disorders have increased significantly; the most common eating disorder, anorexia nervosa has increased three times over the past forty years (Bäck, 2011). Moreover, overweight and obesity within children and adults has increased significantly over the past twenty years (Bäck, 2011). These dramatic statistics are influenced from parent-child interactions. The relationship the parent has with their children reflects back to the child’s emotional stability. If the child has body dissatisfaction, has a low self-esteem, or is crying out

Today’s modern, prevalent culture is driven by media and fastidious standards of beauty and perfectionism. The demand to attain the ideal body and weight that meets the unrealistic standard encumbrances individuals in a myriad of ways. These pressures can be felt in the hallways and classrooms of our schools. Eating disorders are a potential and critical concern that students may encounter in schools. Eating disorders include the categorical diagnosis of bulimia nervosa. Hoek and van Hoeken (2003) reported that the prevalence of bulimia nervosa has tripled from 1988-1993 for woman ages ten to thirty-nine. Many people who develop eating disorders do not seek the essential help they need and attempt to mask the serious illness. Thus, the estimated reports of bulimia nervosa are presumably subordinate (Heok & van Hoeken, 2003). It is important for school counselors to understand bulimia nervosa in its entirety. The knowledge of the disorder’s etiology, course, gender and diversity issues, and treatment approaches will further develop school counselors’ ability to advocate for students affected by this disorder and provide adequate support services.

Eating disorders are psychological problems marked by an obsession with food and weight. There are four general categories of eating disorders these are; Anorexia nervosa, Binge eating and Bulimia nervosa. However this disorder affects individuals of various age groups; it has become more popular among teenagers these days. For the purpose of this research plan the writer will focus on age group of ages 15 to 19 because teenagers most vulnerable to eating disorders fall into this age group. Moreover, in doing so it will also be possible to determine the significance of this research and apply it to today’s lifestyle. Anorexia is a medical condition in which youngsters, mainly during the onset of puberty, begin to starve

It has been proved that overweight college students take a bigger risk of binge-eating disorder (Herbozo, Schaefer, & Thompson, 2015). According to Napolitano and Himes (2011), the incidence of serious binge eating symptoms has been assessed at 44% and binge-eating disorder has been assessed at 8.4% among college students. They are considered as a more vulnerable community to binge-eating disorder due to the average age of binge-eating occurrence is between 18 and 25 (Stice, Killen, Hayward, & Taylor, 1998). Besides, college students have bigger risk to gain weight (Lloyd-Richardson, Bailey, Fava, Wing, & Network, 2009), which could cause obesity.

One in three of the state’s adolescents admit that pressure to look like super-slim celebrities is their top concern. With such pictures throughout magazines of models, people who we look up to. These images are accused of provoking numbers of young women into starving themselves to try to achieve extreme thinness, or what they call “the perfect body”, but is it? Is this young idea of femininity acceptable?