...The Gender Differences in Eating Disorders: An Analysis Abstract This paper will provide a critical analysis of the issue of eating disorders in the two genders. It has provided a history of the eating disorders, and how they came to be known. Furthermore, the paper has focused on the issue of eating disorders through an analysis of a number of studies. The studies have focused on providing vital information regarding what influences the different genders to have eating disorders. The females are most likely to suffer from anorexia nervosa, while the males suffer from bulimia. A brief summary of all the key points has also been provided. Thereafter, some important recommendations regarding research in some key areas involving eating disorders has been provided as well. Keywords: Anorexia, Bulimia, Females, Males, Study, Eating Disorders, Gender, Media Introduction Eating disorders have now become part of the current culture people live in. In fact, the eating disorders tend to affect different people regardless of their genders and socioeconomic classes. There is even an overall prevalence that is estimated to be about five percent among the population. Many people have a desire to become thin since it is an issue that is always being highlighted by the media. Some of the popular sources of media that influence individuals to become thin include movies, television shows, and magazines, among others. It is such a pity that the prevailing culture, and specifically the...
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...Cheryl L. Mclean WAOL Intro to Psychology Eating Disorders Chapters 12 and 13 February 18—24 Eating Disorders Have you ever known anyone personally who has had an eating disorder? Is this a disorder that only affects teenagers? I’m a soon to be 47 year old who can say in my life time at least one in every 10 of my friends have suffered from some sort of eating disorder. I can also say that a few of my friends who have had an eating disorder did not grow out of it by their adult years. It is sad to say but I have even witnessed how one of my girlfriends behavior even affected her 8 year old daughter. One morning when the child woke up, she complained about be very bloated and fat. This child did not have an ounce of fat on her. I remember at that time worrying that if this child is concerned about her weight at age eight how will she view her self image in her teenage years and will she result to the extreme measures that her mother has taken to remain slim. There are several types of eating disorders but the two most dangerous ones are Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa. Anorexia People with anorexia have an extreme fear of weight gain and a distorted view of their body size and shape. As a result, they can't maintain a normal body weight. Some people with anorexia restrict their food intake by dieting, fasting, or excessive exercise. They hardly eat at all — and the small amount of food they do eat becomes an obsession (TeensHealth...
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...Eating Disorders BEH/225 Stephanie Copp July 9, 2014 Julie Bruno Most people think that hunger is all in one’s stomach; however, research shows that this is not the case. Hunger is controlled by a complicated system of chemicals that transmit signals between one’s brain and the body. “The cells in the hypothalamus communicate with cells in other parts of the brain to coordinate the release and uptake of chemicals that help regulate how much and what you eat” (Kirby, Jane RD., 2014). Motivation seems to be the role of the primary drive for hunger, and motives is a category that has been identified as biological or primary; hunger and the managing of food intake. The hypothalamus is a small; however important, part of the brain. It controls motivation and emotion, such as hunger, thirst, sexual behavior, sleep, and body temperature. In the 1940s the Drive Reduction Theory of Motivation was widely used in explaining motivation, which states that the force behind motivation was the reduction of drives; hunger being an example of a drive. However this theory is not used much in today’s world. External and internal motivations both play a part in one’s eating habits, and they can affect one positively or negatively; internal motivations being one’s emotions and external motivations being our environment and culture. Negative effects such as over eating, not eating enough, or just poor eating habits can lead to eating disorders. Even though there is no one single...
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...Body Fat and Eating Disorders 5/18/2014 Obesity is a growing epidemic in the United States. Eating disorders are also an epidemic in the United States. Obesity and eating disorders can cause health problems in a person. There are many factors that influence the obesity epidemic. Body composition can be described as the proportions of lean tissue and fat that makes up the body. There are risks with having too much body fat. The risks include raising the risk of developing a health issue. High blood pressure, heart disease and sleep disorders are all illnesses a person can have occur because of excess body fat. Diabetes, respiratory problems, and the increased chance of cancer are linked to obesity. Gallbladder issues, arthritis, and menstrual issues are also a concern of those who are obese. An obese person is also at risk infection, poor healing, and surgical complications. The more body fat a person has the greater the health risk is. The longer a person has the excess body fat the risks are greater. A person who gain weight excessively as a child and remains gaining weight also face great health risks. Obesity is a growing problem in the United States and is causing health care expenses to rise as the number of obese people rise (Grosvenor & Smolin, 2012). Several factors influence the obesity epidemic in the United States. The first factor is Americans are eating more and burning fewer calories. Appetites are stimulated by smells and the sight...
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...Body Fat and Eating Disorders Johhnny DOe SCI /241 April 12, 2013 Angela Hattaway Body Fat and Eating Disorders Health problems associated with dietary medical conditions have become a serious problem in the United States today. These conditions include both eating disorders and the obesity epidemic. Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the point that it may adversely affect a person’s health. Medically, obesity is defined as having a body weight exceeding 20% above their normal weight. Body composition is the percentage of fat, muscle, and bone that make up the human body. The excess of fat associated with obesity carries many health risks to the body. Obesity has been found to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and stroke, among many other dangerous medical conditions. As a result, obesity has been linked to a severe decrease in life expectancy (on average, six to seven years), and ranks as one of the leading preventable causes of death worldwide. Obesity is caused by a person taking in more calories than they physically use throughout the day. Other factors can aid in this imbalance. As people get older, the body becomes less able to metabolize food efficiently. Women have a lower resting metabolic rate than men and are therefore more prone to being overweight. People also tend to be less active in today's lifestyle than in the past. Eating disorders also severely affect a person’s health. Anorexia nervosa...
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...Eating Disorders Christine Elaine Garrison BEH/225 June 27, 2014 University of Phoenix Eating Disorders Eating disorders are very common in our culture many people have them or know someone who does. With our cultures unrealistic views on what is beautiful the supper skinny models that woman see everywhere makes many people think that they have to live up to those standards. Some people feel if they cannot be up to these standards that they are not good enough and this causes them to do things that a person in their normal state of mind would never do. When people starve themselves to like in anorexia they end up developing many different psychological problems and find excuses to keep up with their destructive habits. There are also people who are addicted to eating they use eating as a way to feel a void that they feel like they have. They lean to use eating as a cooping tool in turn they become obese then they use eating to deal with their depression which works as a double edged sword. What they love is what is destroying them physically as well as mentally. This can also be considered emotional eating this is eating when you’re angry, sad, or even anxious. Many cultures have different views as what is considered attractive these variables play a large part in what peoples diet habits are this can be seen in the magazines and television from the area to show what they culture is expecting people to look like and what they are expected to eat. Women have been the...
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...fast food intake, and too much television watching for long periods of time and not enough physical activity, and the portion size of foods being bought (Brantley 2005). What are some health problems associated with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder? Anorexia nervosa can cause osteoporosis, brittle nails and hair, yellow and dry skin, muscle weakness, constipation, low blood pressure, brain damage, and organ failure and body weakness. People who become anorexic believe that they are over-weight ("What Are Eating Disorders?", 2011). Bulimia nervosa can cause sore throat, swollen glands, tooth decay and acid reflux, intestinal issues from laxative abuse, dehydration and heart attack. People who become bulimic fear becoming over-weight ("What Are Eating Disorders?", 2011). Binge-eating disorder can cause cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure. People who binge- eats lose control over their eating and are often obese or over-weight ("What Are Eating Disorders?", 2011). Explain, from a physiological standpoint, how eating disorders may lead to health problems. Provide at least three examples to support your answer. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “An eating disorder is an illness that causes serious disturbances to your everyday diet, such as...
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...Eating Disorders The two main eating disorders faced are Anorexia and Bulimia. Anorexia Nervosa, commonly called Anorexia, is an eating disorder in which the person loses more weight than what is considered healthy. This may be through a lack of eating, extreme “dieting,” or excessive exercise. Bulimia Nervosa, or Bulimia, is when someone purges on food and in feeling guilty about it, makes their self throw up. This is a personal matter because I have seen what eating disorders do to people and I have had personal experience with Bulimia Nervosa. This is a public matter because 30 million men and women suffer from eating disorders. Out of these 30 million, only one in ten people is able to get help. Eighty-six percent of students report an onset of an eating disorder by age twenty. However, this can strike at any time. Forty to Sixty percent of elementary school girls are concerned about becoming fat. Some say it may just be a stage. However, another study was taken in college. Out of 185 female students, fifty-eight percent felt pressure to be a certain weight. With so much pressure to look a certain way or weigh a certain number, along with the pressure of fitting in and finding friends how can one person continue to be stable? This pressure may cause teens and adults to be unsocial. Most of the time, it makes them feel as if they aren’t good enough. Anorexia and Bulimia are mostly caused by insecurity. Because of their insecurity, they constantly push themselves to...
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...would say, from what I have learned in my abnormal psychology class, your daughter might have something called bulimia, which is a type of eating disorder. A person with bulimia eats a lot of food in a short amount of time which is binging and then tries to prevent weight gain by purging or getting rid of the food. Purging might be done by: * Making yourself throw up * Taking laxatives, which you have found in her room. Laxatives can pills or liquids and speed up the movement of food through your body to produce a bowel movement more quickly, making it an easy and appealing way to lose weight. * Exercise excessively, as you have described People with bulimia often fall within the normal range for their age and weight. But their weak points are that they: * Fear gaining weight * Want desperately to lose weight * Are very unhappy with their body size and shape A person with bulimia may be thin, overweight, or have a normal weight. A person with bulimia is often very private so they can do things such as throwing up because the person with bulimia feels shame or disgust. This makes it hard to know if someone has bulimia. The warning signs to look out for are extreme weight loss through: * Using diet pills, or taking pills to urinate or have a bowel movement * Going to the bathroom all the time after eating (to throw up) * Exercising a lot, even in bad weather or when hurt or tired You may be able to recognize the signs of frequent throwing...
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...Eating Disorders Research Paper | | | Eating disorders are sweeping this country and are rampant on junior high, high school, and college campuses. These disorders are often referred to as the Deadly Diet, but are often known by their more popular names: anorexia or bulimia. They affect more than 20% of females between the age of thirteen and forty. It is very rare for a young female not to know of someone with an eating disorder. Statistics show that at least one in five young women have a serious problem with eating and weight (Bruch, 25). The Deadly Diet appears to be a mostly female problem. Eating disorders are most common in the middle to upper middle class families. Currently, the incidence is much lower in females from the "blue collar" families. The Deadly Diet can begin anywhere from the ages of ten to thirty. The peak age for the beginning of the Deadly Diet in females is eleven to fifteen; the peak for males is between fifteen and eighteen (Bauer, 89). Most of the information on the Deadly Diet says that it is a problem of teenage girls, but as clinics have found, most of the people who come to get therapy are in their twenties and thirties. This may be because younger people are less likely to seek professional help. Most often it is the parent who brings the patient for help. Adults who have left home and had to deal with managing their lives usually tend to realize more clearly the need to seek help and make changes. Everywhere one looks today...
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...Eating Disorders When people think of disorders the usually tend to think of mental or physical disorders, but eating disorders go right along with these disorders also. Eating disorders are characterized by a compulsive fixation with food, body weight, or self-image. This disorder is becoming more and more prevalent in the United States partially due to the media’s portrayal of what might be considered attractive. But the images of unrealistic “skinny” women that is shown on television, in magazines and across the Internet is only a small part of the contributing factors to eating disorders. Other contributing factors include “…low self-esteem, depression, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation” (Sue, Sue & Sue, 2009, p.445). Eating disorders not only affect adolescents but adults also. Both men a and women suffer from eating disorders, however women and girls are more likely to have a negative self image and engage in disordered eating patterns. Even though the population of the United States is becoming heavier, women are increasingly putting an emphasis on being thinner. Men also affected by distorted eating patterns, however with male adolescents and college-aged boys weight dissatisfaction revolves around being heavier and more muscular. When a person has a distorted eating pattern it could lead to other serious disorders like bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, or binge eating. Anorexia nervosa is an “eating disorder characterized by low body weight, an intense fear...
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...Eating disorders are medical illnesses that involve critical disturbances in eating behavior. It can cause heart and kidney problems and even death. In these situations, a person eats or refuses to eat in an attempt to satisfy a psychological need rather than a physical need. Eating disorders are often characterized by a preoccupation with food and weight. There are three types of eating disorders, which are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating, also known as compulsive over-eating, but the most two common types are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Anorexia and bulimia are also common in industrialized nations where society encourages low calorie diets and thinness. Many people believe that only females have eating disorder (myth), but approximately five to ten percent of eating disorders occur in males. Anorexia nervosa (AN) is characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight, an obsessive fear of gaining weight, and an unrealistic perception of current body weight. Anorexia can cause menstruation to stop, and often leads to bone loss, loss of skin integrity. It can stress the heart, increasing the risk of heart attacks and related heart problems. Also, some typical changes are digestive problems, extreme sensitivity to cold, mental confusion, injuries to nerves and tendons, anemia, and abnormalities of immune function, etc. Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of all psychosomatic illness today. One myth about anorexia nervosa is...
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...Eating Disorders: Anorexia and Bulimia Abby looks at herself in the mirror, she turns around and takes a good look at herself, she is thinking “How can I be so fat and everyone else is so skinny?” To top it off Abby is a high school student everyday her situation gets worse and worse. Not only does she feel guilty when she eats, but she also purges it up after she’s done eating. This can be the beginning of an eating disorder called Bulimia Nervosa. Many teens around this age feel insecure about their changing bodies because our society is obsessed with being thin which makes teens want to be thin so they can begin to feel loved and valued. Many times it can also be that they want to look like their favorite actor but the ones who think that need to realize that every individual is different, we all have our different style and taste which makes us have our own unique look. Eating disorders are amongst the most common psychiatric syndromes, this leads to impatient hospitalization and suicide attempts for morality. According to recent studies both anorexia and bulimia are most common in the United States. This research paper will point out the importance of eating disorders: bulimia and anorexia, how the theory “Social comparison” can be used for this topic when comparing the US to other countries that are the opposite of bulimia and anorexia such as force-feeding and will also state how different it is in a little town in Africa called Mauritania and a prison...
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...Running Head: EATING DISORDERS 1 Eating Disorders Connie DePlonty Bay Mills Community College EATING DISORDERS 2 Abstract We have all heard the typical stereotypes of the “perfect body.” Who has a perfect body and what does it look like? Are all girls supposed to be tiny and twig-like, and are all guys supposed to have washboard abs? No, and if this were true, that is how we all would have been created. According to the NEDA website (2014) “everyone is different, and that is what makes people interesting, if everyone were the same then we would have no individuality." It is important that the message of being your own person, to embrace your individualism and love who you are gets to young adults and teenagers. When the message does not get across there are serious consequences such as the development of eating disorders. This paper will review the types of eating disorders, history of the disorders, how they may be diagnosed, signs and symptoms and possible treatment options. EATING DISORDERS 3 “Eating disorders are psychological problems marked by an obsession with food and weight. There are four general categories of eating disorders these are; Anorexia nervosa, Binge eating, Bulimia nervosa and a category called (EDNOS) eating disorders not otherwise specified” (Eating disorders - In Depth...
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...Eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia are a major problem in all the word. Thousands of teenage girls are dying, and it seems like nobody cares. Where are family and friends of these girls suffering with these problems? When we care about someone with an eating disorder, we have to help that person to get rid of that problem. The purpose of this paper is to explain why family and friends should help people with anorexia and bulimia. What family and friends should do is help solve their problem, to show they care about them, and the most important stop their death. The first thing you as a friend or as a member of the family should do to help people with anorexia or bulimia is to give them solutions to their illness. Though there is no simple solution or cure, there are types of medical care, individual therapy, group therapy, and self-help group therapy helpful in their progress of recovery. A person with this illness seems not to notice her problem or does not care about it. You should convince her or give her your support to face it. The second reason for helping people with eating disorders is to show you care about them. Anorexia and bulimia cause serious depressions. Victims of anorexia and bulimia feel lonely and that nobody cares about them. The person with eating disorders needs people in her world to respond to her about things other than her weight and eating. Although a friend of a victim of anorexia or bulimia can feel frustrated, angry, scared, or even...
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