Eating Disorders in Teenagers Eating disorders are a growing problem in teenagers of today. According to an Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) study, eighty-six percent of eating disorder victims report their problem before the age of twenty. The two main types of eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that usually strikes women. There are about seven million women who have anorexia, and many of them will die of complications. This disease is defined as self-starvation, leading to a body weight that is 15% below normal. Accompanied with the weight loss are hyperactivity, hypothermia, and amenorrhea. Hypothermia is when the body's natural insulation deteriorates and the person becomes cold all the time. Amenorrhea is skipping at least three menstrual cycles. Anorexia may be hard to detect. It often starts out as a regular diet. The affected person often begins to engage in excessive exercise so they can loose more weight. In the more dangerous stages of the disease, the victim u...
Many causes are attributed to anorexia, and scientists have studied the personalities, genetics, environments, and biochemistry of people suffering from this disorder. Women most often share various traits--although the more that is learned, the more complex each individual case becomes--low self-esteem, feelings of helplessness, and a fear ...
Imagine looking in a fun house mirror and seeing a distorted image, something that is not really there, an image that does not exist. This happens every day for teenage girls struggling with anorexia nervosa. Anorexia, an eating disorder that causes people to obsess over weight, causes an individual to see a very different image than what the glass reflects. The most prominent effects of anorexia include psychological and emotional stress on the body and body deterioration, both of which ultimately lead to possible death or suicide.
The rising frequency of teen Internet and social media use, in particular Facebook, has cause parents to lose sight of these websites harmful attributes that lead to eating disorders and extreme dieting. Michele Foster, author of “Internet Marketing Through Facebook: Influencing Body Image in Teens and Young Adults”, published October 2008 in Self Help Magazine, argues Facebook has become the leading social network for teens and young adults aging 17 to 25 years of age, and is also the age range that has significant increases in Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa in women. Foster accomplishes her purpose, which is to draw the parents of teen’s attention to the loosely regulated advertisements on Facebook and Facebook’s reluctance to ban negative body image ads. Foster creates a logos appeal by using examples and persona, pathos appeal by using diction, and ethos appeal by using examples and persona.
Anorexia is a psychiatric disorder that is most common in young women. Those who suffer with anorexia have a fear of gaining weight and have an inaccurate portrayal of their own bodies. They see themselves as being fat, even though they are already thin to begin with. They are willing to go to extreme measures to lose weight, but the only outcome is a severely unhealthy body weight. To achieve the weight they want they will either starve themselves or do a tremendous amount of exercise.
Anorexia is a mental illness that can be identified by its victims starving themselves in order to drop weight to dangerous levels. Most often, anorexics will restrict their food or exercise excessively in order to decrease their body weight. Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. This is mainly due to suicide and the complications that occur consequently from starvation. These complications include heart and kidney failure as well as osteoporosis and muscle atrophy. Females may also stop menstruating. The gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and endocrine systems may also be affected. Thus, Anorexia has detrimental effects on a person’s physical and mental health.
Eating Disorders are on a rapid rise in the United States today, they sweep the halls of Junior High School, High Schools, College Campuses and even Elementary Schools. These disorders are often referred to by professionals as the “Deadly Diet,” however you may know them as Anorexia or Bulimia. Eating disorder effect more than 20% of young females and males in today’s society. Ranging in age from thirteen to forty. It is very rare for a child of a young age to not know someone who is suffering from an eating disorder or symptoms that are associated with one. Statistically it has been proven that one out of every five young woman suffer from serious issues dealing with eating and or weight. (Bruch, 25)
Voluntary self-starvation, anorexia nervosa, is physically and psychologically dangerous. Loss of the body fat from the severe weight loss can impair the body by putting stress on the bones from lack of calcium. Dehydration can be deadly because the body needs the correct water balance, and without this proper balance, the kidneys can shut down. Malnutrition can lead to brain damage. Amenorrhea can cause infertility and put stress on tiny bones making them prone to breakage. Amenorrhea can also produce an interference of the reproductive hormone that protects the body against heart failure and osteoporosis. Severe depression in anorexics occurs from hopelessness and shame and can lead to suicide. Even though the behavioral, nutritional, cognitive, interpersonal, and psychotherapy treatment for anorexia is a long-term process, it is crucial to the anorexic person to receive treatment, or the physical consequences and psychological consequences can lead to permanent damage and sometimes death. Notable research on the treatment of the anorexic continues worldwide.
Eating disorders in athletes do not fit neatly into anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, but rather a combination of both. In athletes, anorexia nervosa may often present itself as over-exercising rather than undereating. In the athletic population, it is difficult to define weight a weight loss criteria for an eating disorder dia...
The stage of adolescence contains major changes which can bring stress, confusion, and anxiety. Feelings of self-consciousness, low self esteem and comparison with peers start occurring during this time. Along with the physical changes there is also hormonal and brain changes that affect the adolescent physically, mentally, emotionally, and psychologically. During this time a person can feel tremendous pressure to find their place in the world among a great deal of confusion (“Eating Disorders and Adolescence,” 2013). Body image concerns and peer pressure are heightened during the period of adolescence, and are potential risk factors in the development of an eating disorder. While eating disorders can affects males and females of all ages, the average age of onset for Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and disordered eating takes place during adolescence. These disorders are often a coping mechanism for people to attempt to gain control of their situation when they feel helpless among other aspects of life (“Eating Disorders and Adolescence,” 2013). Eating disorders in children and teens can lead to a number of serious physical problems and even death (Kam, n.d.).
Most of you probably already know what anorexia is, however in case you don't anorexia is basically a disease involving self-starvation. Anorexia victims have a very low "ideal" weight. It might begin as a normal diet carried to extremes, reducing their food intake to a bare minimum. Rules are made of how much food they can eat in one day and how much exercise is required after eating certain amounts of food. With anorexia, there is a strong almost overwhelming fear of putting on weight and they are preoccupied with the way that their bodies look. Anorexia sometimes involves use of laxatives, diet pills, or self-induced vomiting to lose or to keep weight off (http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/anorexianervosa.htm). Anorexics may show symptoms such as extreme weight loss for no medical reason. Also, many deny their hunger, chew excessively, choosing low calorie foods and exercising excessively (http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health).
In 1978, Brunch called anorexia nervosa a 'new disease' and noted that the condition seemed to overtake ?the daughters of the well-to-do, educated and successful families.? Today it is acknowledged and accepted that anorexia affects more than just one gender or socio-economic class; however, much of the current research is focused on the female gender. ?Anorexia nervosa is characterized by extreme dieting, intense fear of gaining weight, and obsessive exercising. The weight loss eventually produces a variety of physical symptoms associated with starvation: sleep disturbance, cessation of menstruation, insensitivity to pain, loss of hair on the head, low blood pressure, a variety of cardiovascular problems and reduced body temperature. Between 10% and 15% of anorexics literally starve themselves to death; others die because of some type of cardiovascular dysfunction (Bee and Boyd, 2001).?
Eating disorders are a big issue in society these days. Young adults and adults are starting to have body images that are likely not reachable. More than 8 million people suffer from an eating disorder in America itself. Eating disorders are mental disorders about abnormal eating or not eating enough a day. There many eating disorders including Anorexia nervosa, Bulimia, Binge eating disorders and lots more. All these and more eating disorders is a way people thinking that they can escape their problems.
Approximately one percent of adolescent girls develops Anorexia Nervosa, a dangerous condition in which they can literally starve themselves to death. People who starve intentionally starve themselves suffer from an eating disorder. The disorder, which usually begins in the young people around the time of puberty, involves extreme weight loss. At least fifteen percent below the individuals normal body weight. Many people with the disorder look emaciated, but are convinced they are over weight (Matthew 5).
Of the three eating disorders, anorexia gets the most attention and has the highest mortality rate of six percent out of any mental illness. According to the International Journal of Eating Disorders, half of the deaths caused by anorexia are suicide. Anorexia is when an individual feels that his or her body is distorted. Anorexia is also when an individual starves himself or herself because of the fear of being overweight (Elkins 44). If an individual suffers from anorexia they will loose anywhere from fifteen to sixty percent of their body weight by starving his or herself. Some of the symptoms of anorexia are heart problems, anemia, and fertility problems (“Eating Disorders”). Another horrible eating disorder is bulimia, which is when a person over eats, feels guilty, and then purges, take...
Obesity in adults has recently become a big issue. With more and more adults becoming obese every day it’s pretty obvious why it’s become such a big deal. People everywhere are now exercising more to get fit, but most the time they forget to improve their nutrition. The obesity rate in adults isn’t the only thing to rise greatly. Teenagers and kids are now facing the same problems with obesity as adults are. The main problems that cause obesity are poor nutrition and a lack of exercise. Many people now are focus on exercising and forgetting how big of a role nutrition plays in weight. Obesity hasn’t been too much of a problem in generations before, but now it’s become a really big issue. I believe bad habits that start at a young age are harder to break when we’re older, which is why I want to focus on teenagers and their poor eating habits. I think the poor eating habits of teenagers transfer into adult hood where they become obese because they are no longer growing but still eating whatever they want. I want to know why the nutrition of teenagers now is so poor compared to the generations before us. Being a teenager myself, I can write about the bad eating habits I personally have, in an attempt to fix them by becoming better informed. I hope to completely break my bad habits by totally changing what I eat and my perspective on food.