Eating Disorders
... Teenagers know little about the effects of eating disorders, and many teens turn to eating disorders because of the fear of being overweight. Although teens suffer from eating disorders the percentage would decrease if teens were more informed of the consequences. One type of eating disorder is Anorexia. ... Some descriptions of anorexia are deliberate self-starvation with a weight loss of at least fifteen percent of normal body weight, an intense fear of gaining weight, refusing to eat, or eating only very small portions, distorted body image, absent or irregular menstruation, exercising compulsively, excessive facial/body hair, sensitivity to cold, and hair loss. In addition to the above, anorexia sometimes includes depression, irritability, withdrawal, and peculiar behaviors such as compulsive rituals, strange eating habits, and division of foods into “ good/safe” and “bad/dangerous” categories. ... There are many websites that tell people about eating disorders. Lisa Arndt has made a Website to fight against eating disorders. ... A psychiatrist, who may prescribe antidepressants or other medications, can help the patient with an eating disorder. ... (American Psychiatric Association) Bulimia is another type of eating disorder. Bulimia is eating a lot of food at once, otherwise called binging, and then throwing up or using laxatives, otherwise called purging. ... Some descriptions of bulimia are preoccupation with food, binge eating, usually in secret, purging after a binge such as vomiting, use of laxatives, diet pills, diuretics, excessive exercise or fasting, frequent dieting compulsive exercising, swollen salivary glands, broken blood vessels in the eyes, and extreme concern with body weight and shape. ... The last of the eating disorders is binge eating. Community surveys have estimated that between two percent and five percent of Americans experience binge eating disorder in a six-month period. Some symptoms of binge eating disorder include recurrent episodes of binge eating, by eating an excessive amount of food within a certain period of time, eating more rapidly than normal, eating until feeling uncomfortably full, eating large amounts of food when not feeling physically hungry, eating alone because of being embarrassed by how much one is eating, feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed, or very guilty, marked distress about the behavior, and binge eating at least two days a week for six months.