Anorexia and bulima

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Anorexia and bulima

Anorexia and Bulima Nervosa

Anorexia nervosa is a disorder of self-starvation which manifests itself in an

extreme aversion to food and can cause psychological, endocrine and gynecological

problems. It almost exclusively affects adolescent white girls, with symptoms involving a

refusal to eat, large weight loss, a bizarre preoccupation with food, hyperactivity, a

distorted body image and cessation of menstruation. Although the symptoms can be

corrected if the patient is diagnosed and treated in time, about 10-25 percent of anorexia

nervosa patients die, usually after losing a least half their normal body weight.

Anorexia nervosa patients typically come from white, middle to upper-middle class

families that place heavy emphasis on high achievement, perfection, eating patterns and

physical appearance. (There has never been a documented case of anorexia nervosa in a

black male or female.) A newly diagnosed patient often is described by her parents as a

"model child," usually because she is obedient, compliant, and a good student. Although

most teenagers experience some feelings of youthful rebellion, persons with anorexia

usually do not outwardly exhibit these feelings, tending instead to be childish in their

thinking, in their need for parental approval, and in their lack of independence.

Psychologists theorize that the patient's desire to control her own life manifests itself in

the realm of eating--the only area, in the patient's mind, where she has the ability to

direct her own life.

In striving for perfection and approval, a person with anorexia may begin to diet in

order to lose just a few pounds. Dieting does not stop there, however, and an abnormal

concern with dieting is established. Nobody knows what triggers the disease process, but

suddenly, losing five to ten pounds is not enough. The anorectic patient becomes intent on

losing weight. It is not uncommon for someone who develops the disorder to starve herself

until she weighs just 60 or 70 pounds. Throughout the starvation process she either denies

being hungry or claims to feel full after eating just a few bites.

Another related form of anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder known as "bulimia."

Patients with this illness indulge in "food binges," and then purge themselves through

vomiting immediately after eating or through the use of laxatives or diuretics. People with

bulimia nervosa consume large amounts of food and then rid their bodies of the excess

calories by vomiting, abusing laxatives or diuretics, taking enemas, or exercising

obsessively. Some use a combination of all these forms of purging. Because many individuals

with bulimia "binge and purge" in secret and maintain normal or above normal body weight,

they can often successfully hide their problem from others for years.

Family, friends, and physicians may have difficulty detecting bulimia in someone

they know. Many individuals with the disorder remain at normal body weight or above

because of their frequent binges and purges, which can range from once or twice a week to

several times a day. Dieting heavily between episodes of binging and purging is also

common. Eventually, half of those with anorexia will develop bulimia. While on the surface

these patients may appear to be well adjusted socially, this serious disease is particularly

hard to overcome because it usually has been a pattern of behavior for a long time.

There are two major sub-types of disorders found within bulimia nervosa:

'Purging Type: -- The person regularly engages in self-induced vomiting or the misuse of

laxatives, diuretics, or enemas

'Non-purging Type: -- The person has used other inappropriate compensatory behaviors,

such as fasting or excessive exercise, but has not regularly engaged in self-induced

vomiting or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas.

Whom Does It Affect?

Most researchers agree that the number of patients with anorexia nervosa is

increasing. Recent estimates suggest that out of every 200 American girls between the

ages of 12 and 18, one will develop anorexia to some degree. Therapists find that persons

with anorexia usually lack self-esteem and feel they can gain admiration by losing weight

and becoming thin. While most anorexia nervosa patients are female, about 6 percent are

adolescent boys. Occasionally the ...

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