Anorexia and bulimia
... percent of American teenage boys are somewhat overweight. Cause for this include fast food, snacks with high sugar and fat content, use of automobiles, increased time spent in front of the television and computer and inactive lifestyles. (www.anred.com). Today’s magazines, television shows, movies and billboards show thin women to be sexual and beautiful. The Barbie doll is shaped as six feet tall, having a waist of 19 inches and weighing 101 pounds. The store mannequin is six feet tall with a waist of 23 inches. This alone causes a lot of young women and girls to diet or become anorexic and bulimic. (www.anred.com). About eight million people in the United States have anorexia or bulimia. That is about three percent of the total population. This three percent has enough of an eating disorder to warrant treatment and intervention. There is no way of knowing the true statistical count because it is not required of physicians to report eating disorders to a health agency. (www.anred.com). Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa often develop as a way of coping with emotional pain, conflicts related to separation, low self-esteem, depression, stress or trauma. A person with anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa is focused on their individual perception of his or her body weight. Persons with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are frequently associated with other impulse control problems and mood disorders. Anorexics and bulimics usually will be very secretive about their dieting. Also, they may shun friends, who they were once very close with, to keep from the friend finding out about their hidden secret. They may spend a lot of time in front of a mirror and they usually find something to criticize. Most often, anorexic and bulimic people become irrational and deny that anything is wrong. They also may argue with people who try to help them and then pout or even throw a tantrum so that the person trying to help will leave them alone. (www.edreferral.com). Persons with anorexia and bulimia may exercise excessively and compulsively. They may also develop strange eating patterns. In spite of average or above-average intelligence, the person thinks in magical and simple ways, such as, thinking if they are thinner, they will feel better about themselves. They strive on being the best, the smallest, the thinnest, etc. (www.anred.com). There are two types of anorexia nervosa and there are two types of bulimia nervosa. Both eating disorders include the purging type. They both are very complex, emotional issues. For most men and women suffering with an eating disorder, there are deeper emotional conflicts to be resolved. (www.edreferral.com). Persons with anorexia an...