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Eating Disorders and the Psyche

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Eating Disorders and t Eating Disorders and the Psyche
Jacqueline Nwaeke
University of Houston Introduction Psychological disorders have long since been recognized as a serious health threat. An estimated fifty-four million people suffer from a psychological disorder of some sort. One of the most common is eating disorders, although they were not widely recognized as a physiological disorder until 1973, when Hilde Bruch published Eating Disorders: Obesity Anorexia Nervosa and the Person Within (Michel & Willard, 2003). Eating disorders affect people of all ages, races, classes and genders, although more than ninety percent of anorexia and bulimia nervosa cases occur in females, with a majority of them being from middle and upper class backgrounds (Michel & Willard, 2003). Symptoms include a refusal to keep a healthy body weight, an intense fear of weight gain or being fat, feeling fat even though the person is underweight and extreme concern with one’s body weight and image. Feeling out of control after a binge, frequent dieting and purging after a binge are exclusive to bulimia.
It is not known for sure how or why an eating disorder occurs because there is no single cause. People who suffer from anorexia look and behave alike once their condition has advanced to certain point (Lucas, 2004). It is suggested that it is a result of biological, cultural and psychological influences – the biopsychological approach.
Biological Effects
Although it is difficult to say how much of an eating disorder is due to genetic influences, studies show that immediate relatives of those with anorexia have a greater chance of developing an eating disorder than their counterparts in the general population, thus supporting genetic vulnerability (Michel & Willard, 2003). A study done by Judy Silberg and Cynthia Bulik on twins identified a common genetic factor that

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