The Similarities Between Obesity And Anorexia

Anorexia is more of the psychological eating disorder. This is said because they believe they are bigger than what they truly are, however they are not. In fact, the victims are mostly under or below weight according to the body mass index scale.

People with anorexia see themselves as overweight even though they are dangerously thin. The process of eating becomes an obsession to them. Anorexia is a psychiatric disorder, which usually co-exist with other disorder such as, anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. There are many biological and environmental factors that play a major role in developing anorexia. Genetics is one of the biological factors that may play a role. The tie between anorexia and one’s genes is still being heavily researched. Nutritional deficiencies and irregular hormone functions can as while. Some environmentally factors could be like a family or childhood traumas such as sexual abuse. Peer pressure among friends and co-workers to be thin and careers that promote being thin and weight loss such as, ballet and modeling can also play an important

It is probable that most people think about food than any other thing throughout their life time. It is funny to realize that even some people think about the next meal while they are having their current meal. Fresh fleshy fruit can stimulate a craving for food even when a person is on a full stomach. It is true that people and all living things require nutrition to survive. However, some eating cravings are just not normal. This is due to various hunger simulation reasons. The motivation to eat is propagated by more than just the need for body nourishment. The hunger motivation influences are, thus, either internal or external.

Anorexia or bulimia are similar disorders, but different in their own way. Anorexia is an emotional disorder characterized by an obsessive desire to lose weight by refusing to eat; although similar, Bulimia is an eating disorder in which a large quantity of food is consumed in a short period of time, often followed by feelings of guilt or shame which then leads to purging. Some young women can be diagnosed with one or both of the disorders. Unfortunately, I was one who was diagnosed with both of them when I was in eighth grade. The darkness that takes over your brain is exhausted. I saw myself obese and disgusting. However, I was blessed with an extravagant support system who made sure I would be able to get treatment early on with my diagnosis. I was in denial for a period of time; however, looking back on photos during that time, I am horrified. How could a human being see themselves obese when I weight only a little over 85 pounds? I looked to scripture through much of my treatment. I believe reading the bible helped most by seeing myself in the image of God and wanting to

Anorexics put other people’s feelings in front of theirs. They also feel that the only thing in their lives is food and their weight and this shows that they have low self-esteem for themselves. “Signs and symptoms are noticeable weight loss, becoming withdrawn, excessive exercise, fatigue, always being cold, and muscle weakness” (www.mirror-mirror.org 1). There are many more signs and symptoms for this illness. “An estimated 10

Although Selective Eating Disorder and Anorexia Nervosa are similar, there are significant differences between them, specifically, the reason they avoid eating certain food, potential problems, diagnosis, and the age of occurrence. First, selective eaters can not eat certain kinds of food because it will cause them many physical problems. Different from Selective Eating Disorder, Anorexia Nervosa patients avoid eating certain kinds of food to prevent gaining weight by making themselves vomit. Anorexia Nervosa patients commonly have weight problems, whereas selective eaters usually do not. Anorexia Nervosa can be Diagnosed by calculating Body Mass Index, or BMI, while Selective Eating Disorder is difficult to be diagnosed by medical

In fact, the victims are mostly under or below weight according to the body mass index scale. (Anorexics).However, “Someone with anorexia may also have a distorted body image, shown by thinking she or he is fat” (Anorexia Nervosa). Viewing themselves as fat causes them to purge (forcive vomit). Many of the victims are aware of the health effects caused by purging. However, victims of anorexia only consider what they believe is what is truly seen. These victims will do anything to make sure their issue of being “fat” is resolved. The terrible fact about this mentality is that the victim’s mind will not allow them to see anything other than “fat”. So, telling a victim repeatedly that they are not fat will not be an effective solution to their problem. Thus, making anorexia not only a physical disorder but a mental disorder as well.

“Anorexia isn't really about food. It's an unhealthy way to try to cope with emotional problems. When you have anorexia, you often equate thinness with self-worth.” (Mayo clinic). They are usually in denial of their illness and have a psychological problem in which they think of themselves as overweight and obese but they believe this because they think they are perfectionist and need to have the perfect image or if they don’t they are worthless, never being satisfied with their weight (Helpguide.org). In addition, it is believed that causes of anorexia nervosa are correlated with “family and social pressures” (Helpguide.org). In addition, they are blind by this illness and are unable to see their true self, blinding them to see the problem that has emerged, in which leads to denial of there being an eating disorder. “Thoughts about dieting, food, and your body may take up most of your day—leaving little time for friends, family, and other activities you used to enjoy. Life becomes a relentless pursuit of thinness and going to extremes to lose weight.” (Helpguide.org).They are forced to withdraw from friends, family, and normal activities, which also leads to depression. Some of their thoughts come from society that focuses on the perfect image and the way someone should look that contributes to their illness and their obsession of being a certain

People with Anorexia have a desire for self control. As Demi quoted, "I think it was definitely a control thing. Some people just don't want to feel the emotions that they have. I think a lot of it is just me numbing myself out so I didn't have to deal with certain problems or trauma.” The desire for self control also goes along with puberty and growing into a certain body type that the person has. That self control allows the specific person to completely wreck their self image and self

Anorexia is a sickening disease where a person feels so uncomfortable with their body that they feel the need to starve themselves to look good. People with anorexia often struggle with body image and are Fearful of what people think. 1 Anorexic people are so afraid that they are going to be fat that they starve themselves. No matter what they always see a fat person staring back at them even if they are so skinny you can see their bones. About 69% that's more than half of anorexic patients have combined anxiety disorders. 2 People who have anorexia also have very high stress levels. They often feel suicidal and that no one can help them. No food will ever hurt you as much as a eating disorder. Anorexia isn’t a illness of the body but

The eating disorder anorexia nervosa is one of complex nature that is caused and sustained by many interconnected factors of life. Characterized by strict dieting, an unrealistic perception of body image, excessive exercise, depression, and OCD, this disorder has the ability to boycott the lives of many individuals (Pinel, 2014). In order to understand the effects that this disorder has, it is essential to look at the socio-cultural, psychological, and physiological factors this disorder can entail. In addition, gender discrepancy is evident in relation to anorexia nervosa, with females presenting anorexia nervosa more often than males due to the differing “ideal” body types of both sexes.

A person who tends to have a constant battle with an eating disorder can have unrealistic self-critical thoughts about body image, and your eating habits may begin to disrupt typical body functions and affect daily activities. Eating disorders are not just about food and weight. People begin to apply food as a coping mechanism to deal with abnormal or painful emotions or to help them feel more in control when feelings or situations seem over-whelming. If you have an eating disorder, you are very concerned about your body image, and you use food to control your emotions. You want very much to be thin and are afraid of becoming fat. The life threatening diseases, anorexia and bulimia come from an unknown cause but have been known to run in families. Young women with a family member who has an eating disorder are more likely to develop a disorder themselves. Then there are psychological, environmental, and social factors that may contribute to the development of anorexia. “Psychological effects include: low self-esteem, mood swings or clinical depression, refusal to accept that one’s weight is dangerously low despite warnings from friends or health professors” (eatingdisorders.org.all). When you have anorexia, you unreasonably limit calories or use other methods to lose weight, such as excessive exercise, using laxatives or diet

Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are two common recognized eating disorders. It is possible for a person to suffer from both disorders. Those with anorexia have a tendency to skip meals, adopt highly restrictive and unhealthy diets, obsess over thinness and food, and present abnormal eating habits or rituals. Bulimia presents itself in the form of binging, or overeating, followed by purging, often either by vomiting or using laxatives. One similarity that goes along with both eating disorders is the obsession with food, weight, and a "thin" body image; an extreme fear of weight gain; compulsive exercise; depression and anxiety; low self-esteem. Another Similarity is that there is no official cause. It can be related to culture, family life,

Men with anorexia sometimes display other psychological problems. While affected women tend to be more perfectionistic and displeased with their body. Children and adolescents who suffer from anorexia are at risk for a slow growth and development.“Anorexia tends to affect the middle and upper socioeconomic classes and Caucasians more often than less advantaged classes and ethnic minorities in the United States” (Stockwell, 1990). “People with anorexia lean towards compulsive behaviors, obsession with food, and or addiction characteristics in efforts to overly control their food intake and weight” (Harries, 1992). According to ANAD, statistics show that “0.9% of American women suffer from anorexia in their lifetime.1 in 5 anorexia deaths is by suicide”. (Carney, 2009)

There are many causes behind why people suffer from anorexia. The first one would be that it is genetics that involves the risk for some sort of eating disorder. This would make a person more vulnerable to having this mental illness more than someone without these genetic factors. Another common cause is that someone in a person's family suffers from anorexia. This allows a person to become adjusted to this mental illness, thinking of it as a social norm. They don't understand the risk factors involving anorexia. Although social media does have an effect on some types of eating disorders, it has been proven that anorexia is indeed a biological illness, and the best treatment that can come from this is a biological approach.