Many people are suffering from eating disorders these days. The most common eating disorders are Anorexia Nervosa (anorexia) and Bulimia Nervosa (bulimia). Both are very dangerous eating disorders that may even cause death. Eating disorders usually occur on the background of emotional instability, confusion, loneliness, depression and low-self esteem.
Anorexia Nervosa is characterized by unusual behaviors related to food consumption, the refuse of keeping a body weight appropriate to one’s physical build, age and sex, the development of obsessions regarding food and weight and a false perception of one’s body image. People with Anorexia Nervosa are always preoccupied with their physical appearance, carefully weighing their meals and counting the calories they consume. Although people with Anorexia Nervosa sustain constant efforts to lose weight by following drastic diets and exercising excessively, they are never pleased with their accomplishments, always aiming to lose even more weight. Persons with Anorexia Nervosa, despite being underweight, may actually see themselves as fat.
There are two kinds of Anorexia Nervosa: the restrictive and the compulsive kind. People who suffer from Restrictive Anorexia Nervosa usually have a very low body weight. They indulge in acts of self-starvation and also tend to burn the little food they eat through physical exercise, in order to lose weight. Compulsive Anorexia Nervosa, also referred to as Binge and Purge Anorexia, resembles the symptoms of Bulimia Nervosa. Bulimia is characterized by the consumption of large amounts of food and then getting rid of it by purging it from the system. Just like in the case of Bulimia Nervosa, Compulsive Anorexia Nervosa implies and alternation in eating habits, people suffering from it fluctuating between periods of scarce eating or abstinence from food and periods of binge-eating and purging.
The persons with this kind of Anorexia Nervosa purge the food out of their bodies by vomiting or by taking laxatives and diuretics. They also tire themselves through long, sustained physical exercise in order to lose weight. Unlike people with Restrictive Anorexia Nervosa, the ones confronted with the second type of disorder aren’t always underweight. People with Binge and Purge Anorexia experience a lot of changes in their body weight. They resemble bulimics in physical appearance and behavior.
Actually, Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa have a lot of things in common and in fact, people who suffer from Anorexia Nervosa may later become bulimics.
Anorexia Nervosa, just like other eating disorders causes a lot of harm to people affected by it. A very disturbing fact is that young people, especially adolescents are the most exposed to the development of eating disorders. Both sexes are susceptible to the threat of Anorexia Nervosa, but particularly girls and young women develop forms of Anorexia Nervosa, due to their constant preoccupation with looks.
The causes of eating disorders haven’t yet been determined. It is considered that Anorexia Nervosa is purely a mental condition. However, studies sustain that there are also physical factors involved in the development of the illness. Also, a disturbing fact reveals the hereditary character of eating disorders like Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa.
Binge eating was a frenzied hectic behavior for me - where food became the primary focus and everything else was ignored. A binge might last from 1 - 4 hours and during that time everything - even the food would become a blur. The only thing on my mind was eating another bite of something I considered a "forbidden" food such as chocolate, or caramel, or high calorie full fat haagen dazs ice cream, or deep dish pizza, or potato chips, or nachos with loads of cheese.
If you are wondering if you might be a binge eater answer the following questions: Do you choose to eat when you are not hungry? Do you overeat or binge on food when you feel stressed out? Do you binge on food when you are bored? Do you eat food as a form of comfort? Bulimia is a Severe Eating Disorder
Bulimia is but one of a growing number of eating disorders recognized in our modern society. Depression, low self-esteem, and extreme perfectionism are common in people with these symptoms. Bulimia can also cause tension with family and friends, interrupting the lives of people with the disorder.
The eating behavior can look normal but after a short while, he or she feels disgusted with their eating and uses different methods of eliminating it. Many people, if not most, with bulimia will not admit that they have an eating disorder, but this understanding is crucial to their recovery. Anorexia is another growing eating disorder among young women where they starve themselves to become thin. Bulimia is also a popular eating disorder that commonly affects women who have an extreme fear of gaining weight.
Anorexia Nervosa
With more and more teenagers suffering from anorexia nervosa, it almost seems that we can do nothing but blame ourselves for creating a society in which anorexia seems necessary for a young person. When a teen begins to suffer from anorexia nervosa, it is never just a random snap into having the disease. There are always conditions that have led up to the teen feeling like he/she can't be good enough, and ultimately leads to anorexia. These conditions come from every single aspect of a teen's life.
The main culprit blamed for anorexia among teens is the media. Many media images depict people as being extremely thin. This is an image that seems to pervade through the media, and may create the delusion in young people that this is how they were meant to be.
Lots of people are naturally a bit chubby during their younger years. When an anorexia suffererlooks at his or herself in the mirror and compares this image with the magazines and TV ads that they are constantly assaulted with, it can seem like there is a huge deficiency. This makes it harder for anorexia sufferers to feel good about their own self-image. Is it any wonder that so many people suffer from anorexia?
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