A great range of people have keen interest in their body shape. However, it becomes a problem when your effort to have an envious physical appearance becomes an obsession. When this obsession falters, you began to lose control of your life and the people affected turn to one of two paths: excessive eating, or self-starvation. This compulsion of food and a physical appearance is also known as an eating disorder. Eating disorders slowly deteriorate your body, beginning with your brain, leading to the start of mental illnesses. Although people suffering with eating disorders know that their body is degenerating, they become ignorant towards their disease and fail to recognize their problem until it is too late. Eating disorders come in many forms, with the three main types being Anorexia Nervosa (Anorexia), Bulimia Nervosa (Bulimia), and Binge-Eating. They each differ in the way that the person affected deals with the food presented. Anorexia, meaning without appetite according to Random History, is an eating disorder where one fears gaining weight, so one self-starves (Rust). Bulimia, the more advanced stage of anorexia, consists of a rapid consumption of food followed by purging attempts using laxatives, excessive exercise, and self-induced vomiting (Rust). Binge-eating, on the other hand, is when one periodically goes on a long binge but does not vomit afterwards (Rust). This eventually leads to obesity. Eating disorders may cause physical and emotional complications. Anorexia, Bulimia, and Binge-eating can indicate, but are not limited to: increase in body hair, dry/scaly skin, constipation, abdominal pain, anemia, depression (Anorexia); bruised knuckles, dental enamel erosion, menstrual irregularities, constipation (Bulimia)... ... middle of paper ... ... adolescents look towards them to manipulate how the kids should act. If models were not bone skinny, or if the main actors were not “perfect” than maybe our society would start to show their true colors and love each other, promoting self-love instead of self-loathe. To sum it up, although eating disorders are frowned upon by society, not many people are trying to solve the problem. If you know of someone in need of assistance, do not be afraid to lend a hand. Works Cited “A Fear of Food. A History of Eating Disorders.” Random History. n.p., 13 Dec 2008. Web. 28 Jan 2014. Rust, Jeanne. Mirasol Eating Disorder Recovery Centers. 2014. Web. 30 Jan 2014. DMH. “Eating Disorder Statistics.” SCDMH. South Carolina Department of Mental Health, 2006. Web. 7 Jan 2014. Christine. “How Eating Disorders Start to Grow.” Phoenix Revolution. Word Press, 2014. Web. 6 Feb 2014.
Eating disorders are not caused by a single source, such as control, but are due to an accumulation of factors including genetics, upbringing, culture, and personality.
The National Institute of Mental Health: Eating Disorders: Facts About Eating Disorders and the Search for Solutions. Pub No. 01-4901. Accessed Feb. 2002.
Worsnop, R. L. (1992, December 18). Eating disorders . CQ Researcher, 2, 1097-1120. Retrieved from http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/
Look in the mirror. Do you like what you see? Most of us have come to appreciate ourselves for who we are. While other’s struggle to achieve the perfect body. They strive to be what is depicted in fashion magazines and movies. The never ending obsession to be the perfect size zero. This inevitably can lead to eating disorders. Eating disorders can cause someone to have an unhealthy image of themselves and food is the enemy. In a national survey at the Mclean Hospital in Massachusetts it was estimated that over 9 million people suffer with eating disorders. They can struggle with anorexia, bulimia or binge eating. A study conducted by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders states that most of these diseases start before the age of twenty. Another growing problem in the United States is obesity. Over 60 million Americans suffer from this disease, this according to the American Obesity Association (gale opposing viewpoints: eating disorders 2010).
The three most commonly known eating disorders of today are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating. Anorexia nervosa is a disease connected with abnormal eating; it is not brought on by excitement, delusions, overactivity or a bad habit, it is a mental illness. Development of anorexia usually starts in the early teenage years, however it can go undiagnosed for thirty to even forty plus years. Another eating disorder is bulimia, people who are bulimic have no time to think about daily life; all that is on there mind is their next meal. Someone who has bulimia often l...
"Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder on an overwhelming dread of becoming fat. The result of this unfounded fear is self-starvation and major weight loss. In addition, the undernourishment may cause hormonal disturbances, anemia, heart problems, brittle bones and many other problems, some of which are life-threatening ("Anorexia Nervosa," 1). Bulimia is an eating disorder that is psychological in origin and can have dire physical consequences. While anorexics starve themselves, bulimics binge on food and then purge by self-induced vomiting. Bulimics also frequently use diet pills, laxatives, and diuretics to reduce their weight.
Overall, eating disorders are a very sensitive topic and can be suffered by anyone no matter their background, weight, age or gender. Anyone has the ability to be diagnosed with an eating disorder. It is important to teach children young healthy habits with eating and exercise.
Eating disorders are a group of conditions characterized by severe disturbances in eating behavior with either an extreme reduction or an extreme increase of food intake, which negatively affects the individual's mental and physical health. There are two main types of eating disorders – anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. There is a third category of eating disorders called “eating disorders not otherwise specified”. Binge eating disorder is categorized under this. Eating disorders mainly appear during adolescence and early adulthood and affect women and girls much more than males. Eating disorders are not self-inflicted diseases, but real illnesses with biological and psychological causes. They often co-exist with other disorders such as depression and substance abuse and can lead to a number of other health complications such as kidney failure, heart problems and even death.
"Causes of Eating Disorders." Mental Help. N.p., 2 Feb 2007. Web. 20 Feb 2014. .
(Thesis Statement)Eating disorders are something that are very common among all people. However, they are not often talked about or understood and this is something we need to fix as a society.
Shapiro, C. M. (2012). Eating disorders: Causes, diagnosis, and treatments [Ebrary version]. Retrieved from http://libproxy.utdallas.edu/login?url=http://site.ebrary.com/lib/utdallas/Doc?id=10683384&ppg=3
The media can impact people’s lives in many ways, whether it’s fashion, movies, literature, or hobbies. One of the impacts is how women view their bodies. Movie stars and models feel pressured to catch attention and to look good in order to have a good career in their respective field. People tend to judge how someone looks based on their body composition. The result of this “judgment” is that Hollywood is getting skinny. Since models and actresses serve as role models for people, people tend to want to look like them. The result of this seemingly harmless model of behavior is in an increase in eating disorders.
Work or school can become hard to go to or even to participate in it. The fear of being fat can overtake someone’s head and can make their social life hard. This can also lead to depression with the eating disorder still at hand. Muscle weakness is another complication in eating disorders because of lack of vitamins. This will follow with pain all around the body because of the muscle weakness. With all this complication the worst one is dead because of all the loss of vitamins and minerals that are the need in your body. The body will eventually give out go into cardiac
Matthews, John R. Library in a Book: Eating Disorders. New York: Facts on File Inc. 1991
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...