- Types of eating disorders.
There are two common types of eating disorders:
• Bulimia nervosa — characterized by a cycle of binging and
purging. Binge-eating is
the uncontrolled consumption of large amounts of food lasting a
few minutes to several
hours. This is followed by purging, or a ridding the body of food
eaten during a
binge, either through self-induced vomiting, laxatives, fasting,
severe diets, or vigorous
exercise.
• Anorexia nervosa — self-imposed starvation. People with anorexia
refuse to eat and
con- sider losing weight paramount in their lives. They may try
different methods of
purging to further lose weight.
People who are bulimic eventually recognize they have a problem.
People who are anorexic
will deny their behavior is abnormal. People who are bulimic
usually maintain a nearnormal
weight, while people who are anorexic become shockingly thin. A
person with
anorexia may turn to bulimia as an alternative form of weight
control. This is called buli
marexia.
- Who it affects.
While eating disorders affect both men and women of all ages, the
typical person with an eating
disorder is a woman whose abnormal eating behavior began in her
teenage years. She is most
likely a perfectionist and a high achiever, concerned about her
appearance and how she is perceived
by others, but emotionally insecure, often frightened, and lonely.
The woman with bulimia binge-eats in response to feelings of
loneliness, anxiety, or anger. Feeling
guilty over subsequent weight gain, she turns to purging as a way
to alleviate those feelings. The
cycle of binging and purging becomes a part of her daily life and
she may binge just so she can
purge. This cycle continues until she recognizes she needs help.
The woman with anorexia may equate being the best with being the
thinnest because dieting is
something she finds she can do successfully. She may do this in
reaction to a fear of growing up or
in rebellion against parents or other authority figures.
- Physical effects.
The abnormal eating habits of someone with an eating disorder can
seriously affect his or her
physical health:
• Vomiting can lead to erosion of tooth enamel, perforate the
esophagus, lead to internal
bleeding, and cause infections of the salivary glands and throat.
• Purging upsets the balance of fluids, hormones, and nutrients
needed by the body to
function properly, leading to muscle cramps, stiffness in the
limbs and joints, ulcers,
cramps, an irregular heart rhythm or heart failure, damage to the
kidneys and liver,
diabetes, and amenorrhea (absence of menstruation).
• Binging can lead to ulcers and a fatal rupture of the stomach.
• Excessive use of laxatives can damage the digestive tract and
lead to colitis.
• Severe fasting — as in anorexia — starves the body of needed
nutrition, leading to
shrinkage of vital organs, irregular heart rhythm or heart
failure, and infertility. Some of
these effects, if not detected in time, can be permanent or fatal.
• Anorexia can lead to constipation and difficulty in urination,
muscle cramps, swelling of
joints, nerve and tendon damage, digestive problems, and loss of
concentration.
Because people with bulimia use food as an escape, they may turn
to other substances, such as
alcohol or drugs, to both escape and to break the binge-purge
cycle. This practice can lead
to substance abuse and addiction.
- Warning signs.
Any of the following may be a warning that someone is bulimic or
anorexic:
• Secrecy, especially in bulimia, where a person hides their
binging and purging
• Leaving the table immediately after eating to use the restroom
(to purge)
• Abuse of laxatives
• Severe weight loss or dramatic fluctuations in weight
• Depression brought on by a poor self-image
• Severe dieting and excessive exercise
• Abnormal interest or obsession with food (in bulimia)
• Unusual eating habits, such as taking only tiny bites (in
anorexia)
• Absence of menstruation
• Cavities and gum disease (caused by vomiting or poor nutrition)
• Hair loss or dull, stringy hair (due to lack of protein)
• Excessive body hair (to compensate for heat loss) and extreme
sensitivity to cold
(in anorexia)
- Treatment.
Both bulimia and anorexia can be treated with a combination of
medical and psychological approaches
to deal with the physical effects of abnormal eating and the
underlying psychological
problems that may have caused it.
In a society that discriminates
against people, particularly women, who do not look slender, many people
find they cannot – or think they
cannot – meet society's standards through normal, healthy eating habits
and often fall victim to eating disorders.
Hasminee Uma K. E. NIM: 12410215.
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