...Abstract The main purpose of this extended project dissertation is as following: to explore the causes of eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, in particular the biological, psychological and societal causes. Eating disorders are becoming increasingly common in today’s society and the causes of theses disorders are not completely known. This essay explores the symptoms of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, the risks and consequences of suffering from such disorders. The essay also concentrates upon how eating disorders are gradually affecting more and more men and children – something that was not often seen before. The main focus of this project is to discover whether the causes of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa stem from pre-dispositions which are linked with the body and mind or rather stemmed from society. The main biological reasons which the essay focuses on are; damaged hypothalamuses and genetic hereditariness. The main environmental causes of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa that I have studied are media influences and undesirable conditions for raising children. In writing this project I believe that I have developed valuable skills that I will need in my subjects which include; being able to extract key information from large pieces of text, researching, speedy note taking and the ability to weigh up two sides of an argument fairly and without bias. I am also aware that the skills I am developing while writing this dissertation...
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...The two eating disorders that will be discussed in this paper include anorexia and bulimia nervosa. Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder that involves recurring episodes of uncontrollable, excessive eating, which is following my compensatory actions to remove the food. For example, someone with bulimia nervosa would deliberately vomit, abuse laxatives, and/or excessively exercise to remove the food from their body. Anorexia nervosa is also an eating disorder, but it is characterized by recurrent food refusal that eventually leads to dangerously low body weight. In the supplemental article on these two eating disorders, the authors explored the extent to which anorexia and bulimia represented culture-bound syndromes, which is defined as a collection...
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...1. What is an eating disorder? Eating Disorders describe illnesses that are characterized by irregular eating habits and severe distress or concern about body weight or shape. Eating disturbances may include inadequate or excessive food intake which can ultimately damage an individual’s well-being. The most common forms of eating disorders include Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge Eating Disorder and affect both females and males. 2. What are the types of eating disorders? Types of eating disorders, such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder include extreme emotions, attitudes, and behaviors surrounding weight and food issues. Eating disorders are serious emotional and physical problems that can have life-threatening consequences for both women and men. In the eating disorders list below, you'll find these disorders typically involve starvation, purging, and binge eating behaviors. 3. What are the DSM-IV-TR criteria for Anorexia Nervosa? Criteria * Refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height: Weight loss leading to maintenance of body weight <85% of that expected or failure to make expected weight gain during period of growth, leading to body weight less than 85% of that expected. * Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though underweight. * Disturbance in the way one's body weight or shape are experienced, undue influence of body weight or shape on self-evaluation, or denial...
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...What is eating disorder? Psychological: Eating disorders are classified as Axis I disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (DSM-IV) published by the American Psychiatric Association. There are various other psychological issues that may factor into eating disorders, some fulfill the criteria for a separate Axis I diagnosis or a personality disorder which is coded Axis II and thus are considered comorbid to the diagnosed eating disorder. Axis II disorders are subtyped into 3 "clusters", A, B and C. The causality between personality disorders and eating disorders has yet to be fully established. Some people have a previous disorder which may increase their vulnerability to developing an eating disorder. Some develop them afterwards. The severity and type of eating disorder symptoms have been shown to affect comorbidity. The DSM-IV should not be used by laypersons to diagnose themselves, even when used by professionals there has been considerable controversy over the diagnostic criteria used for various diagnoses, including eating disorders. There has been controversy over various editions of the DSM including the latest edition, DSM-V, due in May 2013. Read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eating_disorder Bulimia: An eating disorder in which a person binges and purges. The person may eat a lot of food at once and then try to get rid of the food by vomiting, using laxatives, or sometimes over-exercising. People with bulimia are preoccupied...
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...Abstract Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder which is associated with several adolescent and young adult. This disorder is usually associated with female adolescents, and it is very difficult for an individual to notice that an adolescent has bulimia nervosa. Many adolescents are suffering from bulimia because of poor perception them about themselves, and the media also has great influence for the cause of bulimia. There is a high increase for adolescents who are suffering from bulimia and majority seek help whiles others battle with this disorder without being notice. There are several options for treatment but parent and family has a great influence in treatment for an adolescent with this disorder. The Christian has a little influence on bulimia nervosa and eating disorder among adolescents, because they are more focused on teenager’s alcohol and drugs. Topic Paper: Adolescence and Bulimia Nervosa Most adolescent believe in having good body image. For the adolescent a good image is being skinny, and having size two body types as seem on television. Body image is the subjective concept of an adolescent physical appearance based on their self-observation and their reaction with others. Adolescence perception about their self is based on their inner sensations and functioning as well as their function derived from external environment. Since most adolescents want to have the perfect body type, they will do anything to have the right body image. Most teenagers role...
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...Eating Disorders What do you imagine when you think of a celebrity? What comes to mind when you imagine a magazine cover or a television commercial? The media is plagued by images of glamorous, beautiful, happy people who have perfect bodies. Anorexia is the third most common mental health disorder affecting teenagers, and close to half of the American population personally knows someone who is battling an eating disorder. Cases of eating disorders are on the rise and many blame the media for the increase. With eating disorders becoming so prevalent it is important to know the classifications, signs, and symptoms associated with this mental health disorder. Eating disorders can be classified into four categories Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified (ED-NOS). Eating disorders are a serious issue that one should be knowledgeable about. Anorexia Nervosa is what many people think of when they hear about eating disorders. According to the DSM IV-TR anorexia nervosa is classified as “Refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height, for example, weight loss leading to maintenance of body weight less than 85% of that expected or failure to make expected weight gain during period of growth, leading to body weight less than 85% of that expected, intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though underweight, and disturbance in the way one's body weight or shape is experienced, undue influence...
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...of Bulimia Nervosa Bulimia Nervosa (BN) is one of the leading eating disorders worldwide alongside anorexia nervosa and continues to pose a major health threat as sufferers experience psychological and medical symptoms that most often lead to complications (Le Grange & Lock, 2007, p. 4). One of these complications is the tendency of bulimic patients to commit suicide because of aggravating sense of despair and loss of hope. According to Pompili, Girardi, Ruberto & Tatarelli (2006), “suicide in anoxeria nervosa and bulimia nervosa is a major cause of death” (p. 1). Aside from suicide, one of the disturbing realities about bulimia nervosa is how it tends to affect women and adolescents. The usual onset or starting point of bulimia is set at adolescence (Le Grange & Lock, 2007, p. 3) when young adults are starting to form their own self-identity, a process tied to the notion of body image. The seriousness of bulimia nervosa compels one to understand the ‘entire story’ of this eating disorder that includes knowing its history and nature, the etiology, symptoms and prognosis as well as the innovative treatments that have emerged in the recent years that can solve the case and problem that is bulimia nervosa. Bulimia Nervosa: At a Glance Characteristics and symptoms often associated to BN are known to have existed and observed in the ancient times. Emperors Claudius and Vitellius of ancient Rome are found to have exhibited the typical features of bulimia nervosa (Willer...
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...In today’s society, eating disorders have been found to affect a large number of people. The disorder does not discriminate against gender, age group, or socioeconomic status although it’s more common in the female gender. The three most common types of this psychological disorder include Anorexia, Bulimia, and Binge eating. Anorexia is found in a person who refuses to eat or eats a minimal amount to cause severe weight loss. Bulimia involves a person who consumes a large amount of food and then seeks to purge himself of the caloric intake. Most commonly this is accomplished by vomiting. The third type, binge eating, is similar to bulimia accept in this particular case there is no attempt by the individual to compensate for the caloric intake. In the following research paper the causes, clinical findings, and treatment of each of these disorders will be discussed to determine how each varies from one another. Anorexia nervosa is a psychological disorder that is caused by self-induced starvation resulting in severe weight loss. It is considered a psychological disorder because it primarily affects healthy young individuals, mostly commonly young women, who have developed an obsession with becoming thin. It is estimated that 0.5 to 3.7 percent of females suffer from anorexia nervosa in their lifetime (Stunkard, J. A., & Wilson, T., 2008.) The exact cause is not known, but attitudes towards physical appearance and family issues effect its development. Feasting on large...
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...develop an eating disorder? Socio-cultural influences have traditionally been thought of as the leading cause of disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. However, this explanation alone doesn’t seem sufficient. We are all exposed to the same “thin is in” messaging and to live in a westernized society more or less means residing in a virtually inescapable landscape that pushes thinness as a valuable possession. Yet, anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa affect only an estimated 0.3 to 0.7 percent, and 1.7 to 2.5 percent, respectively, of females in the general population (Berrettini, 2004). Through my research, which...
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...Individual Programmatic Assessment: Bulimia Nervosa Introduction Psychological disorders occur frequently. A common psychological disorder, selected, is bulimia nervosa. Bulimia nervosa has several therapeutic interventions that can help when treating the disorder. Therapeutic interventions can be helpful, but have different measures of effectiveness. The measures of effectiveness consist of validity, efficacy, symptom, behavior management, and recidivism. These measures should be identified, prior to deciding which therapeutic interventions can be most helpful to the individuals, diagnosed with the psychological disorder. Many common symptoms are associated with bulimia nervosa. Rates of symptom reduction or management have been reported with the three treatments. Furthermore, the neurophysiological underpinnings of diseases and disorders have to be identified, along with the contemporary attitudes towards the three treatments chosen. Psychological Disorder: Bulimia Nervosa Bulimia nervosa is known as an eating disorder. This eating disorder brings about the effects of bingeing and purging. People, suffering from bulimia nervosa, frequently eat a lot of food at one time. A short period after eating the food, the person, then, attempts to remove the food from his or her system by vomiting, through medication that creates bowl movements, or by working out. Working out would lead them to throwing up. People diagnosed with bulimia nervosa are, often, lacking self-esteem. Many...
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...Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating and purging, or consuming a large amount of food in a short amount of time followed by an attempt to rid oneself of the food consumed, typically by vomiting, taking a laxative, diuretic, or stimulant, and/or excessive exercise, because of an extensive concern for body weight. Many individuals with bulimia nervosa also have an additional psychiatric disorder. Some individuals may tend to alternate between bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa. Bulimia is also commonly accompanied with fasting over an extended period of time. These dangerous, habit-forming practices occur while the sufferer is trying to keep their weight under a self-imposed threshold. It can lead to potassium loss and health deterioration, with depressive symptoms that are often severe and lead to a high risk of suicide. Bulimia nervosa is nine times more likely to occur in women than men. The majority of those with bulimia nervosa are at normal weight. The majority, about 80 to almost 90 percent of individuals with bulimia are women. However, males do develop the disorder and some studies suggest that the prevalence among males is higher than previously believed. Among women, adolescents are the most at risk. A survey of 496 adolescent girls reported that more than 12 percent experienced some form of eating disorder by the time they were 20. Over the years the size and weight of the average woman has increased with improved nutrition, but there...
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...Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa Comparison Essay Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are eating disorders that involve serious eating practice that are considered to be very dangerous and even fatal if not corrected. These disorders normally occur as a result failure to lose weight through regular dieting and a desperate desire to lose weight. It is believed that eating disorders are caused by a lack of confidence and satisfaction with one’s self-image and an abnormal desire to fit into the modern day profile of perfect body shape and size. Although they are two separate disorders they share many commonalities and differences. They both are believed to have biological, sociocultural and psychological implications that motivate or stimulate the development of eating disorders (Nolen-Hoeksema, 2011). A maladaptive perception of body size and shape is evident in persons suffering from both anorexia and bulimia who believe that they weigh too much and are too fat or too heavy regardless of their actual weight or appearance (Shisslak, Crago, & Pazda, 1990). The major difference between the two disorders is the criteria established by DSM-IV-TR that defines each disorder; for example with anorexia nervosa, the patient refuses to maintain body weight at or above the minimally weight based on their age and height. They have an intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat even though they are underweight. They are in denial of the seriousness of their low body weight...
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...Bulimia Nervosa Psychology 101 Abstract This research paper will deliver information about bulimia. It will provide and support people who have bulimia. It will analyze the causes and effects of this disorder. There will be a verification of treatments for bulimic disorder. This research will pinpoint anyone who shows symptoms of bulimia. It will clarify how it is essential for family members and friends to provide assistance when needed to restrain bulimia. The study will give guidance on the available treatments offered to the public. It will provide the symptoms a person might encounter that have bulimia. It will consist of the danger that could accelerate the chances of developing bulimia. The data given will help the researchers to pass it on a clinical psychologist that will decide if the person shows up positive with bulimia. Bulimia Nervosa Bulimia nervosa can be defined as an eating disorder described by constant binge eating and consuming a lot of calories immediately followed by vomiting or purging. People with bulimia are difficult to be recognized because the eating and purging is done in private. Also, they can maintain a normal healthy weight, so it is not noticeable at first glance. A bulimic can take in an excessive amounts of food within a short period of time. The person loses control and it is estimated that about 3,400 calories was consumed roughly over an hour and to make matters worse about 20,000 calories can be eaten by in eight hours. (Psychology...
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...Body Fat and Eating Disorders Tony Sadler SCI 241 Nicole Walker 11 June 2013 Body composition is composed of lean tissues and fats in the body. Lean tissue includes muscle, bone, and organs, while fats include essential, non-essential, and storage. Obesity has environmental and lifestyle effects. Some effects include high availability of fast food and high fat content food. Advertisements for different types of foods are seen all over the television, and a lot of the ads are for unhealthy foods that are aimed at children. Many families are limited to buying the cheaper foods that are found in stores. Health foods are often more costly and low income families simply cannot afford them. Inexpensive foods are often served in portions that are well above the recommendations for servings. Families keep themselves so busy in this day and time, and this leads to buying foods that are convenient to make. Convenience foods can often be high in fat and calories, making them unhealthy choices. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that causes a fear of gaining weight. A person may feel fat even though he or she is extremely thin. Some of the health problems associated with anorexia are changes in brain chemistry, brittle hair and nails, weak muscles, bone loss, and fractures. Anorexia can also cause kidney failure and growth problems. Bulimia nervosa is when large amounts of food are uncontrollably eaten and then purged. A person with bulimia may use methods like...
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...Bulimia in Teens Introduction Eating disorders can take a devastating toll on the lives of many people. This is especially true for teenagers. Many teens, especially girls, develop eating disorders. It is important to understand the causes, symptoms, consequences, and treatment for these types of illnesses’. One of the most common eating disorders in teens is bulimia nervosa. Bulimia nervosa (bulimia) is a serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder. People with bulimia nervosa may binge and purge, eating large amounts of food and then try to get rid of the extra calories in an unhealthy way. For example, someone with bulimia nervosa may force themselves to vomit or do excessive exercise. If you have bulimia nervosa, you are probably preoccupied with your weight and body shape, and may judge yourself severely and harshly for your self-perceived flaws. Causes The exact cause of bulimia is unknown. As with other mental illnesses, there are many possible factors that could play a role in the development of eating disorders such as bulimia. Genetic, psychological, trauma, family, society, or cultural factors may play a role. Eating disorders like bulimia are more likely to occur in people who have parents or siblings with an eating disorder. Girls and women are more likely to have bulimia than boys and men. Age may play a role in who is affected. Bulimia often begins in late adolescence or early adulthood. The illness is more common in college students...
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