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Bulimia Nervosa

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Eating disorders are eating habits that affect the mental and physical health of the body. Eating habits include insufficient food intake or excessive food intake. One of the most common forms of eating disorders is bulimia nervosa. Bulimia can be classified in two categories, purging bulimia and non-purging bulimia. Purging bulimia is when an individual forces himself or herself to vomit by drug misuse or by sticking their fingers into their throat to get out the food they had just binged on. Other ways one might try to quickly lose calories and stop weight gain include “fasting, strict dieting or excessive exercise” (Mayo Clinic Staff). However, trying to lose calories with either one of these methods is commonly known as purging, even if …show more content…
Stress is a physiological factor that affects many aspects of everyday life including family, work, and other life events. Being exposed to stress over time can make a person more helpless to everyday burdens. In a study done by Cooley and Toray, it was “found that 63% [anorexia nervosa] participants and 57% [bulimia nervosa] participants reported having experienced high levels of stress before they were diagnosed with an eating disorder. In the study, participants acknowledged in personal interviews that the eating disorder was a response to the high levels of stress” (Virginia 16). Eating food is a very common activity when coping with stress so it is clear to see why people often over eat in stressful situations. However, this is harmful and does not help with dealing with stress. If people do not cope with stress in a healthy manner then “they may be susceptible for developing a full blown eating disorder”(Virginia 22). A study was conducted and it “observed a nonclinical population and found factors that predict disturbed eating behaviors and attitudes. Stress was related to all three eating disorder precursor… stress may make [patients] more vulnerable for psychological problems.” (Virginia 23). Although stress is a major factor of bulimia, body image is just as much of a prominent factor for bulimia as …show more content…
Those who are diagnosed with BDD “commonly suffer from emotional disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression. As part of obsessive thinking, some people with BDD may obsess about a perceived deformity in one area of their body, and may repeatedly seek cosmetic surgery to ‘correct’ it.” (University of Maryland Medical Center). Constantly worrying about ones self-appearance may lead to another cause of bulimia, low

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