Anorexia Nervosa And Bulimia - Thin Is Not Good
Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia are the two most common types of eating disorders that affect substantial number of population. This is particularly so, in a society that is obsessed with body image, and to be "thin" is "good ", and "sexy". In United States alone, around 5-10 million people suffer from some type of eating disorder; with experts suggesting that around 1% of American teens suffer from an eating disorder. Anorexia Nervosa, and Bulimia are very similar eating disorders, and at times may be difficult to distinguish an individual suffering from eating disorder. With both these disorders, the person might have a distorted image of their bodies, and show obsessive behavior towards food. Both these disorders typically affect girls, but boys are at an equal risk, and there is no data to suggest that it is a girl's disease. Around 10% of people suffering from these diseases are boys, and men, and this figure might also be distorted, as there is a higher chance of the disease going unrecognized in men. While women with such eating disorder tend to focus more on looking thin, men will focus more on their athletic appearance. People with Anorexia Nervosa have a particular fear of getting fat. Thus food becomes an obsession, and such a person just tries to avoid eating at all. A person suffering from this disorder might constantly measure, and weigh their food intake, and indulge in heavy exercising to lose weight. This trend continues even though the person might be losing weight at dangerous speed, and is underweight. Bulimia is a bit different as the person does avoid food altogether, but shows a typical behavior of "binge, and purge". This involves eating huge amounts of food, and then quickly getting rid of it artificially, by self-induced vomiting, or by the use of laxatives. People suffering from Bulimia don't show visible signs of the disorder like people suffering from Anorexia Nervosa (extreme weight loss), and might be of average weight, or even above average weight. However, a person that is being affected by these disorders will show some signs that are not very hard to notice. Some of these for Anorexia are: * Weighing at least 20% below normal. * Always denies feeling hungry. * Indulge in excessive exercising routines, at obsessive levels. * Constant feeling of becoming fat, even if the person is underweight. * Withdrawal from social activities. Some of the obvious signs in a person suffering from Bulimia are: * Goes to the bathroom immediately after meals. * Eats lots of food, but doesn't seem to gain weight. * High use of laxatives. * Withdrawal from social activities. If some friends or family members show this kind of behavior, chances are he/she might be suffering from an eating disorder. Denial is a common thing in these disorders, and these disorders should be seen as diseases, and the person should be tagged as sick. Such disorders originate from the brain, and there is enough help available. |