Eating disorders are classified as mental illnesses that are characterized by abnormal eating habits. These eating habits can include severe restriction of food intake, binge eating, and purging. Eating disorders typically develop during adolescence or young adulthood, but can occur at any age.
There are three main types of eating disorders: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. Anorexia nervosa is characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss. Bulimia nervosa is characterized by binge eating followed by purging (self-induced vomiting or use of laxatives). Binge eating disorder is characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating without purging.
Eating disorders can have serious physical and psychological consequences. They can lead to malnutrition, organ damage, and even death. Eating disorders can also cause anxiety, depression, and social isolation.
If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, there is help available. There are many treatment options available, including therapy, medication, and support groups. Treatment can be effective in helping people recover from eating disorders and live healthy lives.
Eating disorders are a pressing global concern, with an estimated 5-10 million Americans and 70 million people worldwide experiencing some form of disordered eating (www.eatingdisorderinfo.org 1). Anyone can develop an eating disorder, regardless of age, gender, or race. People with eating disorders often have a distorted body image, seeing themselves as larger than they really are.
They also tend to not eat right, or they will purge what they have eaten by making themselves throw up. Some eating disorders include: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder.
Anorexia nervosa is when someone starves themselves because they are afraid of getting fat. “About 1% of American women suffer from anorexia” (www.nationaleatingdisorders.org 1). They weight themselves a lot to make sure that they aren’t gaining any weight, and if they see that they are, they punish themselves by not eating or by making themselves throw up. Anorexia nervosa is dangerous because it can lead to death if the person doesn’t eat.
Bulimia nervosa is when someone binges on food, and then they purge it by making themselves throw up or by taking laxatives. People with bulimia nervosa are usually of normal weight, but they still see themselves as being fat. “It is estimated that 8 million Americans have bulimia” (www.nationaleatingdisorders.org 1). Bulimia nervosa is also dangerous because it can lead to death if the person doesn’t eat or if they purge too much.
Binge eating disorder is when someone overeats, and they feel like they can’t control how much they are eating. People with binge eating disorder are usually overweight. “
This is often dealt with in women or pre-adolescent females. They watch television, movies, read articles in magazines, and look at photographs of celebrities they wish to be like because they have the “perfect body” that everyone desires and covets. The media makes us all believe we must have those bodies to be happy with ourselves, get more success, and be adored.
The eating disorder anorexia nervosa is when a person does not eat or very little because they are obsessively afraid of gaining weight. This usually happens to girls between the ages of 12-18. It is more common in girls than boys, but it still happens to boys as well. Once they develop this eating disorder, they will often become isolated from friends and family.
The eating disorder bulimia nervosa is when a person overeats and then vomiting or taking laxatives to prevent themselves from gaining weight. This usually happens to women between the ages of 18-30. It is twice as likely to happen to women than men. Binge eating disorder is when a person overeates without making themselves throw up or taking any type of laxatives.
This usually happens to men and women between the ages of 25-44. It is more common in women than men. All of these eating disorders can be very dangerous and even life-threatening if not treated correctly and on time. It is important to seek help as soon as possible if you or someone you know may be suffering from an eating disorder.
Nevertheless, to achieve this we must avoid fixating on what others have that we lack. We should cease purchasing magazines and diet products, stop staring at people in television and movies, and simply be ourselves. Let us exude more confidence so that we may show other individuals what we are capable of obtaining — regardless of our physical imperfections.
Eating disorders come in many different shapes and sizes (literally). There are three main types of eating disorders: Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge Eating Disorder. While there are many similarities between the disorders, each one is unique and requires different treatment.
Anorexia Nervosa is characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss. People with Anorexia have an intense fear of gaining weight and become obsessed with calorie counting and exercise. This can lead to serious health problems, including heart damage, bone loss, kidney failure, and even death.
People who suffer from Anorexia Nervosa are afraid of gaining weight, and as a result, they do not eat regularly or eat little amounts of food or don’t eat at all. People believe themselves to be overweight when they are in fact thin. “Anorexics generally strive for perfection” (www.mirror-mirror.org 1).
The physical effects of Anorexia Nervosa are that they stop having menstrual cycles, brittle nails and hair, dry skin, low blood pressure, and slow heart rate.
If Anorexia is not caught early enough it can result in death due to starvation. Anorexia is treated with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which helps the patient change their eating habits and teaches them how to keep a healthy weight, as well as to work on any underlying issues that may be contributing to the eating disorder.
Bulimia Nervosa is when people “engage in binge eating followed by purging” (www.mirror-mirror.org 1). This means that they eat a lot of food in a short period of time and then they purge, which is either done by vomiting or taking laxatives. People with Bulimia see themselves as fat even though they are a normal weight or even underweight. The physical effects of Bulimia Nervosa are swollen salivary glands, calluses on the knuckles from self-induced vomiting, erosion of the tooth enamel, and irregular heartbeat.