Anorexia And Bulimia Nervosa Essay Research Paper

Anorexia And Bulimia Nervosa Essay, Research Paper

Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa

“When she was fourteen, a modeling agency said that her face was too fat.

It was a death sentence.” (Toronto Sun, 1994)

Sheena Carpenter died in November 1993. She was found on the kitchen

floor of her apartment by her mother. She was twenty-two years old. . . and

weighed only fifty pounds. Sheena was just one of the alarming numbers of young

women who become obsessed with the shape and size of their bodies, and suffer

harmful, or in this case, fatal effects from eating disorders. At any given time,

almost one out of every two women is on some sort of a diet, and this statistic

is apparently reflected the revenues of the diet industry, currently a $33

billion a year industry. It should be noted that this estimate does not include

profits generated by exercise or workout programs, gyms, health clubs, or

cosmetic surgery.

A recent national survey in the US reveled that the majority of women,

when asked what would make them happiest, choose thinness over all other choices,

even such thing as job promotion, romance, prestige and power. In fact, more

women feared becoming fat, then feared dying. These statistics revel an alarming

social problem that is reaching epic proportions.

Although the topic of eating disorders has gained a larger audience

within the last decade, the number of cases of eating disorders continues to

rise at a resounding rate. Today many scientists are looking into possible

causes for the onset of an eating disorder. The most prevalent and influencing

factor is the media and society’s view. They act as a controlling presence for

susceptible individuals. . The socioculture pressure on today’s adolescent and

young women to be thin and attractive also play an important role in the

development of eating disorders. Thinness in today’s society is associated with

self-control, attractiveness, intelligence, happiness , wealth and success. The

media, fashion, and the diet industry exploit this myth by bombarding us with

products and services designed to push us towards losing weight. As a result, it

is not surprising to find that adolescents who are undergoing uncontrollable

body changes and the onset of new emotional and sexual drives seek dieting in

order to enhance their sense of self-control and acceptance by others..

Recently it has been discovered that a possible cause for eating

disorders is due to an defective hormone. That hormone serotonin, said to

activate in response to food, is still a mystery and even though it has some

value as a blood clotting factor, but its functions have yet to be totally

understood. At the current speed of progress however, it has been said that we

should expect definite information as to the cause of an eating disorder in

about a decade. Following soon after will be a better form of treatment to help

all who have become effected by this dreadful disorder.

Both Anorexia and Bulimia have effects and differences on the

body that causes the body to take drastic measures to sustain the life of the

individual. (for the sake of brevity and to avoid redundancy the abbreviation ED

will be used in pace of eating disorder)

The lack of any digested food to become a useful ingredient to the body

has detrimental effects to the body as a whole. With each disorder, Anorexia and

Bulimia Nervosa, you will see how each contributes to this problem.

A variety of changes in thought and perception accompany Anorexia

Nervosa. Notable behavioral changes, however, center around food. The

individual with anorexia often divides her foods into .good. and .bad.

categories. Good foods are hypocaloric which includes fruits and vegetables,

while bad foods are hypercaloric, such as carbohydrates and sweets. The

hypocaloric foods are eaten while hypercaloric foods are avoided. Mealtimes are

usually skipped or small amounts of foods may be eaten, leading to low daily

calorie intake levels. To an anorexic, every act of eating may be governed by

rules such as cutting the food into small pieces, taking hours to eat, or

hoarding food. This person also becomes obsessed with exercise in yet another

attempt to lose weight. Physically, the disorder causes the body to slowly

deteriorate. Obvious signs to look for are excessive weight loss in a short

period of time and continuing dieting of a bone thin person. The body, in its

amazing capabilities, begins to protect itself by shutting down non-life

sustaining processes. The heart rate and blood pressure slow, very fine hairs

called lanugo grow on the body to prevent loss of body heat, and the skin

becomes dry and yellow. The master gland, the thyroid, slows, which in turn

slows development. Amenorrhea begins, stopping the menstrual cycle in women. Due

to nutrient restriction and electrolyte imbalance, the heart and kidn

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