The Deadly Diet Of Eating Disorders

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

Thesis statement: Young adults and adolescents are the ones who are the most susceptible to develop an eating disorder. The exact causes for eating disorders might vary with every person, but the most controversial ones are social media, unhealthy eating habits and genetics.

In certain cases, some adolescents develop an eating disorder. They forget that being healthy is the most important thing during this time of their life. A lot of adolescents go through puberty and if they do not eat properly, it can cause harm to their growth. In the movie, Regina wanted to lose 3 pounds. She did not eat and decided to only eat the protein bars that Caty gave to her. Regina thought the protein bars would help her lose weight. However, adolescents do not know that a healthy diet and exercise can actually help them lost weight. Instead, adolescents choose to become anorexic or bulimic. Anorexia is when an individual “voluntarily undereat and overexericis, depriving their vital organs of nourishment” (Berger, 2008, p. 459). The National Institute of Health states that “Young people with anorexia nervosa, for example, have difficulty maintaining a minimum healthy body weight. Anorexia affects one in every 100 to 200 adolescent girls and a much smaller number of boys” (National Health, 1999). Bulimia

Image is very crucial for a teenager; the pressure of school and fitting in with there classmates and friends can be very difficult for a teenager. It is when a teenager starts taking image to the extreme and starts harming themselves by starving themselves. More and more teenagers are becoming anorexic and bulimic and it is not only affecting girls but boys are starting to come out and say they have an eating disorder. Anorexia and bulimia is a disorder that can not be taken lightly and needs to have more focus and the dangers to be taught to youth.

Many children and adolescents not only express dissatisfaction with their figure, shape and weight, but also exhibit disordered eating behavior, such as binge eating (eating a large amount of food with a sense of lack of control), food restriction, laxative abuse and vomiting. For children and adolescents, eating disorders can overlap in many instances. As an example, some children alternate between periods of anorexia and bulimia. Eating disorders typically develop during adolescence or early adulthood. However, research has shown that they can start in childhood, too. Females are much more vulnerable. Only an estimated 5% to 15% of people with anorexia or bulimia are male. With binge eating, the number rises to 35%

There are several categories of eating disorders and the etiology differs among individuals. Weight and physical appearance has a direct relation to the food we ingest. Young women often seek an ideal look and weight. This perceived image is often a product of media influences such as televisions, and magazines, as well as generalized peer pressure. Women are more apt to suffer from eating disorders. Young women are specifically affected. Historian John Brumberg concluded that about 95% of people who suffer from eating disorders are women between the ages of 12 to 25. The Food and Drug Administration reported only 5 to 10% of the population that is afflicted with an eating disorder is males (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders).

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

The fact is, one in three adolescent girls has suffered or is suffering from some form of an eating disorder, from severe dieting or excessive exercise, to actual starvation (Steinhausen, 95), and six out of ten high school girls diet, along with one in four high school boys (Berg, 17). These percentages are ridiculously high, and show that there is definitely a problem in our society.

With children as early as age 7 showing dissatisfaction with their body, and as young as 9 starting dieting, eating disorders are a serious issue in our society. Taking a look at perceptions, behaviors, and medical issues associated with the disorders of anorexia and bulimia, scholars have tried to categorize and find answers to the problems which certain adolescents suffer. In this paper I focused on the two major eating disorders of anorexia and bulimia.

Anorexia statistics show that the disease mostly affects young women. “Between 10 and 20 percent of people with anorexia die from heart attacks, other complications and suicide; the disease has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness"( Brown, H. (2010).Brave Girl Eating: A Family's Struggle with Anorexia. New York, NY: Haper Collins Publishers).Only about 10% of all sufferers are male.Statistics on anorexia show that between 1 – 5% of all female adolescents and young women suffer from anorexia. The average age of onset is 17. It is rare, but not unheard of, for children under the age of 10 to have the condition. An older woman can have it as well, although it is usually diagnosed in the teens or twenties.

Increasingly more girls recently have begun to take up eating disorders at younger and younger ages in attempt to keep up with present day trends. Girls as young as five years old have been found to possess these eating disorders. As Dr. Ira Sacker has explained to ABC News, his patient, Justine Gallagher, began at the age of five when she started to eat paper and avoid meals in an attempt to lose weight. As Justine stated, “I thought if I ate my regular meals that I would get heavy and people would make fun of me.”

Age. Although people of any age can have binge-eating disorder, it often begins in women’s late teens and

(Intro to Psych,p.300). Anorexia can be developed at any age, but it is most commonly developed between the ages of 13 and 30. (Intro to Psych,p.300). That information was also found in the article. Teens who developed anorexia tend to have more suicidal thoughts, and abuse drugs. Alcohol is the most common depressant use among teens with anorexia. (Jung, 2002; Maidanik Tam, & Wiser, 2007). Overall I enjoyed reading the article, because I have nevered learned about males with anorexia, I thought it was something that only females developed. The article had a lot of great information on both genders, and also taught me new stuff about anoxia. That it is more then not wanting to eat, that it involves psychological factors

The numbers of girls having eating disorders in the United States are “jumping off” the charts. Millions upon millions of young teens suffer from eating disorders especially anorexia. Girls are more likely to suffer from it than guys. Anorexia is a life-threatening eating disorder. People who suffer from it stop eating due to self-thoughts about their body.

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