Eating Disoreders Essay Research Paper Chris FigueredoAnalytic

Eating Disoreders Essay, Research Paper

Chris Figueredo

Analytic and Persuasive Writing

Eating Disorders

Eating Disorders are becoming commonplace in American society. Many factors are leading people into eating habits that are dangerous to their health. “The four main types of eating disorders are; Anorexia nervosa, Bulimia, Anorexia athletica, and Binge Eating” (Zerbe 2). A person who has one of these disorders is in risk of serious health problems which could eventually lead to death. Regonizing the warning signs and detecting the problems early are two ways the disorders can be treated and individuals can rehabilitate back to a normal life.

There are many causes of eating disorders. The factors can be biological, psychological, family factors, or social factors. Biologically a person who is suffering from an eating disorder may have been predetermined due to genetics. Certain personality types such as obsessive compulsive and sensitive avoidance can be vulnerable to eating disorders. People with an abnormal levels of brain chemicals can be at risk of getting a certain disorder. The level of brain chemicals leads the person to anxiety, perfectionism, and obsessive-compulsive thoughts and behaviors. A person already displaying signs of an eating disorder such as bingeing, purging, and starving can alter the brain chemicals and prolong the disorder. People with eating disorders use food to medicate themselves from painful feelings and depressing moods.

A person with an eating disorder has psychological factors that are involved in the cause. The person may try to be a perfectionist. This is when one is never satisfied with their appearance and are always trying to look better. This may be unrealistic and yet they keep trying to accomplish the impossible. They view things as either everything is going good or it is going bad. They have succeeded or they have failed. There is never any room for failure. If they do fail, they may go back and look for food to help cheer them up. It’s a dangerous cycle that keeps going until they get help. They thrive to become as skinny as possible. They think of fat as being bad and the thinner the better no matter how unhealthy it may be. These behaviors can be used to avoid sexuality, while others use these behaviors to help find themselves and take control of their lives. These are usually strong people who display strength on the outside but inside they feel weak and powerless. They are in search of an identity to call their own. “They hide their anger on the inside because they fear the criticism that may be expressed if they state it”(Whitaker 120).

Family and social factors are two contributing reasons people have eating disorders. Some parents overvalue appearance and disregard what is really important. Character should be high on the list instead of outward appearance. This can create conflict, which most parents aren’t adept in resolving. They sometimes use critical comments that may result in the start of an eating disorder. Young people often time take things too seriously and cannot handle harsh criticism.

“TV, movies, and magazines are three examples of how the media flood people with messages about the advantages of being thin…Goodness, success, power, approval, popularity, admiration, intelligence, friends, and romantic relationships all require physical beauty in general and thinness in particular”(Anred).

Triggers are events that can lead a person to an event that the person doesn’t know how to handle. It can be anywhere from a childhood teasing too as serious as a rape. These events put the person at a place where they are confronted with a problem they don’t know how to solve by themselves, therefore they may alter their eating habits in order to feel better about themselves. “Triggers can come in all different ways, they may be starting a new school, beginning a new job, death, divorce, marriage, family problems, and graduation into a chaotic world”(Anred).

The four most common eating disorders are Anorexia nervosa, Bulimia, Binge eating disorder, and Anorexia athletica. A simple definition of each would be the relentless pursuit of happiness through weight loss. Each disorder does have different qualities that make the person afflicted unique. Anorexia nervosa can be defined with particular examples. A person displaying anorexia traits does not maintain a stable weight for their size and age. A woman that has Anorexia loses her menstrual cylce and men often experience a fall in sexual hormones.

A person with Anorexia will be in denial of a weight problem. They feel they are still fat and need to lose more weight. They are in constant fear of becoming fat and will do everything in their power to stay thin. As a result of these behaviors, the person becomes depressed, isolated, and irritated easily. They are not happy or content with their bodies.

A person with the disorder Bulimia will binge and purge. This is when a person will go for a long period of time without eating. When they do eventually eat, they eat uncontrollably and later vomit. This situation gets out of control and becomes addictive. Laxatives, vomiting, dirt pills and excessive exercise are common elements associated with bulimics. Behavior can change with this disorder. A person who usually is good may become promiscuous,abuse alcohol, and start shop lifting