Anorexia and Bulimia: And the hardships that come with it
“I hear you when the seemingly unstoppable urge to binge has you by the throat. I hear you when you are frozen in fear of gaining weight and when you must get the number on the scale lower and lower, I hear you when you cannot, will not, must not eat at all.” Groman, Melissa. Better Is Not so Far Away: Decide to Recover from Bingeing, Starving or Cutting / Melissa Groman, LCSW. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.” Bulimia and Anorexia are eating disorders that affect its victims in all possible ways, physically, emotionally and mentally.
In our current society where physical characteristics are frequently used to determine ones beauty and success, people will harm their bodies in hope of changing
The binge is often composed of immense amounts of atypical or unhealthy food. Characterized by the overall lack of control of the bulemics actions, the purge is what makes bulimia so hazardous. Bulimics can “purge” three different ways to compensate for their overeating; self-induced vomiting, the excessive usage of laxatives, or the process of extreme exercise to burn off the exact amount of calories consumed. Unlike anorexia, bulimia has a more difficult diagnosis, as the signs are not as physical. This is because most patients with bulimia have little weight loss and can stay at an acceptance weight for their age and height (“Eating
This book is written from a very personal standpoint, stemming from her real-life experiences on a topic that changed her life forever. Considering her emotional ties to the subject, she is very resourceful in detailing how she felt during each step of recovery. A corresponding source that demonstrates credibility in a different way is the PBS documentary "Dying to be Thin" directed by Larkin McPhee. This documentary not only presents interviews from people that have overcome eating disorders, but various expert opinions from doctors to further support that it is a matter of grave concern. Because it is supported with a mountain of facts and statistics on top of the collection of personal stories, this documentary is slightly more successful in encapsulating eating disorders and establishing credibility.
Anorexia is a pathological fear of weight gain leading to faulty eating patterns, malnutrition, and usually excessive weight loss and a refusal to maintain a healthy weight B. Bulimia is repeated binge eating followed by behaviors aimed at preventing weight gain C. Over eating is the action of repeatedly eating past the appropriate amount of food or eating past the point of fullness II. Ways eating disorders effect people (healthandwellness.edu) A. Weight loss, fatigue, dizziness/fainting, brittle hair and nails, menstrual irregularly B. Dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, heart and other organ problems, tooth damage C. Death III. Ways to treat eating disorders A. Therapy to talk about why they began struggling with an eating disorder 1. Eating disorders are normally present from past issues 2.
Understanding Anorexia is More than a Science In a time when the United States is fraught with social justice issues, frenzy over the impending presidential election, and dramatic, yet often trivial headlines attracting our attention the daily musings of our favorite celebrities, serious issues can easily be swept under the proverbial rug of America’s consciousness. Anorexia is one of those issues that doesn’t always receive the attention it deserves. In her essay on the topic, Katy Waldman, a correspondent for Slate Magazine shares her own experiences with anorexia as well as findings from medical professionals in an effort to dispel commonly held misconceptions surrounding the disorder as well as raise awareness for its presence in society.
Eating disorders are classified as a range of psychological disorders that are abnormal. There are many types of eating disorders that affect people and their families. Society is lead to believe that women are the only ones affected by eating disorders, but in reality, men are affected as well. Eating disorders are about physical problems, as well as,
Burrows et al. (2017) found a correlation between binge eating disorder and food addiction; because binge eating disorder is considered a legitimate disorder in the DSM V, the correlation between the two may lend validity to the idea that food addiction is
They often have an intense fear of fat and gaining weight and often have distorted views of their own body image (Shapiro 2). Thus, they resort to severe food restriction, periods of fasting and even various purging methods for weight loss (Grilo 5). On the other hand, Bulimic patients often binge-eat and then looking for methods to get rid of the food due to guilt by various purging methods (i.e., self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives or diuretics and excessive exercise) (Grilo 5). Although many say that the media causes eating disorders, studies have shown that the media is not the main cause of eating disorders. The media does have a part to play in causing the rise in eating disorders in today’s society.
A childhood friend of mine, I will refer to in this paper as Mike, has struggled with an eating disorder most of his life. Mike weighed 150 pound by the time he was 12 years old. He was only five foot three inches tall. When taken to the doctor for his physical he was told he needed to restrict his diet. According to Peeke (2012), he needed to lose 25 pounds to be at his ideal weight.
Surrounded at the Bronx school lunch table every day, watching people left and right eating like they have never eaten before. I sit here watching them because what else should I do? Eat? I don’t think so, I sit here with the same moldy lunch that hasn’t been touched in weeks. The secret of my anorexia isn’t that hard to keep from people because no one even really notices me anymore after the way I treated them.
This targets the unhealthy eating behaviors of anorexia and bulimia and the unrealistic, negative thoughts that fuel them. One of the main goals is for you to become more self-aware of how you use food to deal with emotions. The therapist will help you recognize your emotional triggers and learn how to avoid or combat them. Cognitive-behavioral therapy for eating disorders also involves education about nutrition, healthy weight management, and relaxation techniques (Eating Disorder Treatment and Recovery). Using these methods help recover or treat this disorder and also learning and establishing healthy eating methods help anorexia nervosa.
In 1994, a near Olympic gymnast named Christy Henrich died at the age of twenty-two from a severe case of anorexia (Pace). Her body underwent months of self-starvation and destruction, which eventually led to multiple organ failure (Pace). When Henrich passed away, she was only sixty-one pounds, an improvement to the previous forty-seven (Pace). Since then multiple research and case studies have been done to see if there is a link and if so how to stop it
Do you know what eating disorder is? You probably don’t know a lot of people get it. I know I haven’t had an experience with it in the past. I want people to know they're not alone. I want to help people that have these problems and I want reader to help them out with the problem and them to know they’re not alone.
As it is known that stress is common in our world today, it is not common knowledge how we are all on the verge of getting an eating disorder that is not as easily identifiable as the rest. The Binge Eating Disorder is not widely known among the society, however, its effects and coverage is growing as our population increases as well. The Binge Eating Disorder is the compulsive overeating of people or their consumption of large amounts of food in recurring episodes.
Changing unhealthy thoughts and patterns – The second phase of bulimia treatment focuses on identifying and changing dysfunctional beliefs about weight, dieting, and body shape. You explore attitudes about eating, and rethink the idea that self-worth is based on
Eating disorders is a subject that I have always had an interest in. Throughout my adolescent years, I have been around several people that suffer or have suffered from an eating disorder. This even led me to pursue a bachelor’s degree in psychology, so that in the future I can help people that have these issues. I am a big believer in self-confidence and self-acceptance, therefore I wish to positively influence those suffering from an eating disorder to have this confidence and be at peace with themselves. I specifically chose binge eating disorder (BED) because I feel as if it is an eating disorder that is often invalidated and people don’t consider it a real disorder.