Anorexia And Bulima
Anorexia nervosa is a disorder of self-starvation which manifests itself in an
extreme aversion to food and can cause psychological, endocrine and gynecological
problems. It almost exclusively affects adolescent white girls, with symptoms involving a
refusal to eat, large weight loss, a bizarre preoccupation with food, hyperactivity, a
distorted body image and cessation of menstruation. Although the symptoms can be
corrected if the patient is diagnosed and treated in time, about 10-25 percent of anorexia
nervosa patients die, usually after losing a least half their normal body weight.
Anorexia nervosa patients typically come from white, middle to upper-middle class
families that place ...
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their
thinking, in their need for parental approval, and in their lack of independence.
Psychologists theorize that the patient's desire to control her own life manifests itself in
the realm of eating--the only area, in the patient's mind, where she has the ability to
direct her own life.
In striving for perfection and approval, a person with anorexia may begin to diet in
order to lose just a few pounds. Dieting does not stop there, however, and an abnormal
concern with dieting is established. Nobody knows what triggers the disease process, but
suddenly, losing five to ten pounds is not enough. The anorectic patient becomes intent on
losing weight. It is not uncommon for someone who develops the disorder to starve herself
until she weighs just 60 or 70 pounds. Throughout the starvation process she either denies
being hungry or claims to feel full after eating just a few bites.
Another related form of anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder known as "bulimia."
Patients ...
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Type: -- The person regularly engages in self-induced vomiting or the misuse of
laxatives, diuretics, or enemas
•Non-purging Type: -- The person has used other inappropriate compensatory behaviors,
such as fasting or excessive exercise, but has not regularly engaged in self-induced
vomiting or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas.
Whom Does It Affect?
Most researchers agree that the number of patients with anorexia nervosa is
increasing. Recent estimates suggest that out of every 200 American girls between the
ages of 12 and 18, one will develop anorexia to some degree. Therapists find that persons
with anorexia usually lack self-esteem and feel they can gain ...
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Anorexia And Bulima. (2005, July 5). Retrieved November 23, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Anorexia-And-Bulima/29610
"Anorexia And Bulima." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 5 Jul. 2005. Web. 23 Nov. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Anorexia-And-Bulima/29610>
"Anorexia And Bulima." Essayworld.com. July 5, 2005. Accessed November 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Anorexia-And-Bulima/29610.
"Anorexia And Bulima." Essayworld.com. July 5, 2005. Accessed November 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Anorexia-And-Bulima/29610.
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