Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa Essay - 1452 Words

Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa Today, both anorexia and bulimia are the most common eating disorders and affect almost 15 percent of American teenagers. Eating disorders are fifteen times more likely to occur in adolescent girls than adolescent boys. They can be fatal and thousands die from every year but this is one mental illness that can be beaten. Anorexia is increasing more rapidly in developed countries than in underdeveloped countries. Bulimia is becoming the more common type of eating disorder among teens. It is difficult to diagnose because many bulimics are deeply ashamed of their rituals and few share their problems with close friends (4). If these two eating disorders are becoming more and more widespread around the world†¦show more content†¦Losing the insulated layer has consequences such as sensitivity to temperature, dry skin, brittle hair, vitamin deficiency, heart rate slows, and blood pressure falling due to the fact that the body maybe adjusting to the loss of energy intake (1). This behavior has biochemical disturbances as well, which have more serious implications. The main disturbances are dehydration and changes in the levels of some electrolytes in the blood. Potassium and chloride fall causing the blood to become alkaline producing a metabolic alkalosis. Low levels of potassium and dehydration cause weakness and fatigue. Low body potassium and alkalosis can cause irregular heartbeat and alterations in the electro-cardiogram. (1) An anorexics biggest fear is becoming overweight and continue to think they are overweight even after they become extremely thin, are very ill or near death. Often they will develop strange eating habits such as refusing to eat in front of other people. Sometimes the individuals will prepare big meals for others while refusing to eat any of it (5). The goal for an anorexic is to find ways to avoid eating food and exercising for long hours in order to keep the pounds off. Bulimia is known as the binge-purge syndrome and was once considered to be in the same category of anorexia until recently. This syndrome mostly occurs in females starting in their late teens and who say that episodes of bingeShow MoreRelatedAnorexia Nervosa And Bulimia Nervosa1452 Words   |  6 Pagestwo major types of eating disorders are Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa. One of the descriptions of anorexia nervosa was during the 12th and 13th centuries. A woman, Saint Catherine of Siena, ceased her intake of food for a spiritual denial of herself. During the 16th century people who had self-discipline and practiced abstention were suspected to be witches and were burned at the stake. In the 17th century all the way through the 19th century anorexia was perceived to be an endocrine disorderRead MoreAnorexia Nervosa And Bulimia Nervosa1122 Words   |  5 PagesAnorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa are a few of the most common disorders struggled with today. Anorexia Nervosa is a condition of the intense fear to gain weight, which results in consistent lack of eating. Bulimia Nervosa, involves frequent episodes of binge eating followed by throwing up because of fear of gaining weight. The mortality rate for anorexia is the highest of all mental disorders yet the genetic factors relating them were not a huge concern to look into. It is easy to think that Read MoreAnorexia Nervosa And Bulimia Nervosa Essay1944 Words   |  8 Pagesobsessed, that they will start to see themselves as larger than they truly are and will take serious measures to accomplish their dream of being thin. This â€Å"thin fantasy† develops into eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Although anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are both eating disorders where the person has a misperception of his or her own body and relies on starving/fasting, purging, and excessive exercise to lose weight, these conditions do vary in the way they areRead More Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa Essay1163 Words   |  5 Pagescan suffer. But eating disorders, such as Bulimia Nervosa or Anorexia Nervosa, are generally found in adolescent girls and young women. Anorexia Nervosa affects less than one percent of adolescent girls and young women, whereas, Bulimia Nervosa affects two percent. Approximately five percent of people with Anorexia are mal e. One main alleged cause is the media for their portrayal of young men and women and using unrealistic body shapes. Anorexia Nervosa is generally a preoccupation with thinnessRead MoreBulimia Nervosa and Anorexia Nervosa Essay997 Words   |  4 PagesEating disorders are extremely harmful and rising in prevalence. . The two most common eating disorders are Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa. In this essay, I will compare and contrast these two disorders. This essay will also assess the symptoms, causes, health affects and the most prevalent characteristics of people diagnosed with these two eating disorders. â€Å"Anorexia Nervosa is characterized by self-starvation to avoid obesity. People with this disorder believe they are overweight, evenRead MoreEffects Of Anorexia Nervosa And Bulimia Nervosa1150 Words   |  5 Pagesto eating disorders, the media plays an influential role in the lives of many women. Eating disorders are abnormal and serious disturbances in one s eating habits caused by many factors. Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are two well-known eating disorders. The causes of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are difficult to understand but there are a lot of factors that play a role in the development of them. Females are more likely to develop an eating disorder and heightened concern about weightRead MoreBulimia Nervos Anorexia Nervosa2594 Words   |  11 PagesBulimia Nervosa Bulimia originated in Greece, from the word boulimia, which is defined as extreme hunger (the Bella Vita, 2013). Bulimia falls into the category of being a purge disorder, a lot of the time people that struggle with bulimia may have times where they battle with anorexia nervosa, meaning they restrict themselves from eating. There have been so many cases where people battle with bulimia for years upon years, despite the large variety of treatment there is. There are many perspectivesRead MoreAnorexia Vs. Bulimia Nervosa1200 Words   |  5 PagesAnorexia vs. Bulimia In our culture today, people concerned with the way they look to a high extent, how much they weight, their physical appearances and how to change a body part they do not like. Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are eating disorders that affect a person’s weight to an extreme due to wanting to be thinner when in reality they are already thin to the bone. Both disorders have their similarities and differences from their main obsession of body weight to how they try to loseRead MoreEating Disorders : Anorexia Nervosa And Bulimia Nervosa1303 Words   |  6 Pagesdisorder. Out of all the eating disorders, the two most common are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder where people, who are underweight, see themselves as overweight. People with anorexia are obsessed with weighing themselves and eat small portions of a certain type of food. Some people can also have binge-eating disorder by self-vomiting, excessive exercising and extreme dieting. Anorexia is the fear of becoming fat and in order to stay thin, the personRead More Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa Essay examples2484 Words   |  10 Pagesprevalent disorders today are; Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa. Bulimia Nervosa affects 2 to 3 % of all women 15 to 40. Many young women between middle and high school develop often these bad habits to cope with the insecurities developing around them. These two disorders are affecting individuals younger and younger each year. Anorexia generally begins between 12 and 20 and coincides with the beginning and ending of high school. Recent studies have shown that Bulimia tends to affect 5% of all high