Anorexia And Bulimia Research Paper

Anorexia and Bulimia
AlanaBelle Cochran-Howard
Psychology 2301

Anorexia and Bulimia are eating disorders which can cause serious health issues such as "The physical stress of vomiting can cause tears in the lining of the esophagus. These tears may bleed massively or cause the esophagus to rupture" (Life Changes). Anorexia and Bulimia are more common in girls because we want to be perfect, we want to fit into society and be looked at as the "hot" skinny girl. If your anorexic then you 're going to not eat as much, or at all that way you can maintain the weight that you want. The perfect example of someone who is anorexic are fashion models because they are always striving to be thin and would do whatever it takes to
be thin. You start to see a lot more problems with anorexia and bulimia in college students because we are always trying to uphold a certain image. I know that as a girl and being in college along with being a cheerleader, I 'm supposed to be the small skinny girl that people can lift up in the air, because that 's the image that comes along with being a cheerleader. I can tell you that from experience there has been times where I felt like I shouldn 't eat because I had a game later on or a performance and I wanted to look skinny (I did eat though). Anorexia and Bulimia are eating disorders that shouldn 't be talked about lightly, they are serious problems. "Anorexia nervosa is an illness of self-starvation resulting in marked weight loss and characterized by a disturbed sense of body image and anxiety about weight gain" (Anorexia Nervosa).
According to Web MD the award-winning website in medicine, there is not one specific cause of anorexia; however, there are different reasons that one may become anorexic. An eating disorder is about more than just the food, it is about the control on one 's life or how he/she copes with painful events in life (NEDA para. 9). Eating disorders are most common in professions or cultures where there is an emphasis on being thin. Television, magazines and movies have made an unrealistic image of "perfect". In the United States, as many as 10 million females and 1 million males suffer from eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia (NEDA Statistics para. 13). The pressure to be thin has risen indefinitely, especially when we see sports and professions such as swimming, wrestling, gymnastics, modeling and acting demanding a thin and lean body. In consequence, young teenage girls may strive to be "perfect", on top pressures such as self-confidence, focus on high achievement, being concerned about appearance, and worry about being socially accepted may be why anorexia is most common among young teenage girls. For example, according to Linda Smolak in the department of Psychology at Kenyon College, it has been shown that 80% of American women are dissatisfied with their appearance this would
fall under the psychological factor of low self-esteem or depression. Along with that, genetics have a big part to play in anorexia (Web MD). Even if you do not have a family member with anorexia, someone may have a history of obesity, or a mood disorder (such as anxiety or depression). In a young person 's relationship with their parents has a big part in it as well. The child may be afraid of disappointing his or her parents or may be trying to control an unspoken conflict or lack of harmony within the family. Eating disorders are complex conditions that can come from an assortment of possible causes. Scientists today are still learning the underlying causes of these emotionally and physically damaging conditions. Once started, however, eating disorders can create a self-perpetuation cycle of physical and emotional destruction. Anorexia and/or bulimia can lead you to such a state of malnutrition that you may have to be hospitalized even if you believe nothing is wrong with you. Eating disorders in American today are caused by psychological, interpersonal, social, and biological factors. Symptoms include but are not limited to repeated episodes of bingeing, extreme concern with body weight and shape, intense fear of weight gain or being "fat", extreme concern with body weight and shape (Philip S. Mehler pg.1). In a video on Web MD titled, "The truth about anorexia" a girl named Taylor admits to having bulimia and describes the rehab she went through before she realized that it was a life threatening disorder. She also shares details about how it affected her family. Taylor became very weak looking while striving to be a perfect dancer. She knew she had to do something to get control of her life when she saw the tears and hurt in her parents eyes. The reason for this is that it affects parts of the body like the following: (heart) cardiovascular, (blood) hematological, (stomach and intestines) gastrointestinal, (kidney) renal, (hormones) endocrine and (bones) skeletal (Boston 's children hospital). From eatingdisorderrecovery.com psychotherapist Joanna Poppink said: I believe our task as individuals and as psychotherapists is to respect and trust that the true self of our clients is valiantly working to come forth and is communicating as best it can. As we earn the trust of our courageous clients I believe that our task is to help them become conscious of what has been unconscious. At the same time we must provide support as our healing clients begin to learn about themselves and lose their dangerous naivete about others. I believe we must continually learn and be as present as we can for the world and the people in it as they are, not as we wish them to be. The more we can get through our own denial systems the more we can be trustworthy companions for our clients in their search to "discover" who they really are. In the same way that doctors have to be on top of the situation and Childs health as all times, parents of a child with anorexia have to be very involved; in no way at all is it easy to deal with these situations. According to medicenet.com. the website backed up by Web MD and Doctors, you have to be in control even if it means taking your child to rehab. You may also give food as medicine and then give rewards to your child after eating. Then after the long process of getting your son/daughter back on a normal, healthy living path you have to trust them and let go (Susan Chollar). Prevention is the biggest aid to avoid being diagnosed with anorexia. There are different methods to prevent this; the biggest advocate is parents to educate their child, male and female, about eating disorders, critical thinking and the unrealistic sense of media and television. Encouraging your child in any sort of sport of exercise activity is important, and reminding them that you love them no matter what. "To be nobody but yourself in a world that 's doing its best to make you somebody else, is to fight the hardest battle you are ever going to fight.
Never stop fighting" (E.E. Cummings). Anorexia is an eating disorder that is over looked daily. the importance of keeping healthy and at a normal state of mind is the difference between child/adolescence and rehab. Although most young females will do anything to be "perfect" after a point they may not realize what they are doing to their body and the damage it does to their health. Parents, friends and doctors are very important in this time. Stay aware, know yourself worth, and live healthy because you never want to be sent to rehab to be made to eat as
medicine.

Works Cited
1. "Anorexia Nervosa". WebMD. 2012. Web.30 Oct. 2012
2. Misra, Madhusmita. "Long-Term Skeletal Effects of Eating Disorders With Onset In Adolescence." Annals Of the New York Academy Of Sciences 1135.(2008): 212- 218. Academic Search Complete. Web 15 Oct. 2012.
3. Poppink, Joanna. Eating disorder Recovery. Joanna Poppink. 2012. Web. 28 Oct.2012
4. Poppink, Joanna. Eating disorder Recovery. Joana Poppink. 2012. Web. 19 Oct.2012
5. Philip S. Mehler, wt al. "Liver Function Test Abnormalities In Anorexia Nervosa- Cause or Effect." International Journal Of Eating Disorders 43.4 (2010): 378-381. Academic search complete. Web. 15 Oct. 2012
6. Smolak Linda. Department of Psychology Kenyon College. 2010. Web. 19 Oct. 2012