People have the need to belong, to be accepted and to be appreciated. And we perceived that in order to fulfill this need, we have to meet the other’s concept of what is acceptable. Sometimes, the pressure to please others is so great that it changes our psyche and the way we look at ourselves.
We have come to associate thinness with sexiness and attractiveness. And being fat means hideous and unattractive. Remember Jennifer Love Hewitt? TV and the widely read celebrity magazines and celebrity sites were full of unkind comments about Hewitt’s figure. What effect did it have to the people who have less than ideal body weight and figure? It is no wonder that most women are obsessed with their weights. It is so we will look good, we will be sexy, and we will not be rejected.
Our drive to attain a skinny body may lead some women to Eating Disorders such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. These conditions are potentially fatal. Karen Carpenter, Ana Carolina Reston, Luisel Ramos, and Christy Henrich have died from complications of Eating Disorders. If you suspect that you are suffering from an Eating Disorder or someone you know is, seek medical help immediately.
Below are information about Eating Disorders. Some articles may include treatment for Eating Disorders, they are not to be taken as substitute for professional medical advice.
Eating disorders
OB/GYN News, March 1, 2004
Michele G. Sullivan
Eating disorders affect about 1% of U.S. women and can be divided into two categories: anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Patients with anorexia purposefully restrict their caloric intake either by restricting food or purging after eating. Patients with bulimia experience repeated episodes of binge eating followed by purging.
The mortality rate associated with anorexia is 10%-20%. While some anorexic patients commit suicide or fall into fatal hypoglycemic coma, many others die from sudden cardiac arrhythmias. Anorexia typically develops during adolescence, with onset peaks at ages 14 and 18 years, frequently around the time of a stressful life event. Bulimia develops around age 18, typically during a diet.
Eating disorders: a review of the literature with emphasis on medical complications and clinical nutrition – Eating Disorders
Alternative Medicine Review, June, 2002
Lyn Patrick
Eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, and atypical eating disorder (eating disorder not otherwise specified or NOS), are estimated to occur in 5-10 million young and adult women and one million males in the United States. The etiology of eating disorders is complex and appears to include predisposing genetic factors and serotonin dysregulation, as well as psychological factors that include a history of trauma and childhood sexual abuse. Both anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are medical conditions complicated by multiple neuroendocrine dysfunctions, nutritional deficiencies, and psychiatric diagnoses. Medical complications, specific nutritional deficiencies, and research involving the therapeutic use of inositol and zinc are reviewed.
Eating disorders require medical attention – teen health – includes related information on definitions
FDA Consumer, March, 1992
Dixie Farley
For reasons that are unclear, some people–mainly young women–develop potentially life-threatening eating disorders called bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa. People with bulimia, known as bulimics, indulge in bingeing (episodes of eating large amounts of food) and purging (getting rid of the food by vomiting or using laxatives). People with anorexia, whom doctors sometimes call anorectics, severely limit their food intake. About half of them also have bulimia symptoms.
Eating Disorders; Facts to Know
NWHRC Health Center – Eating Disorders
March 8, 2007
Eating disorders strike more than seven million American women each year. Ninety percent of those suffering from eating disorders are women.
Eating disorders begin early, usually during the teenage years, and can develop as early as age 12, although the average age is 17. About five percent of young women suffer from eating disorders.
Eating Disorders; Questions to Ask
NWHRC Health Center – Eating Disorders
August 24, 2005
Review the following ‘Questions To Ask’ about eating disorders so you’re prepared to discuss this important health issue with your health care professional.
Treatments for Patients With Eating Disorders
American Family Physician, Oct 15, 1999
Jeffrey T. Kirchner
Eating disorders affect a significant number of Americans, an estimated 5 million every year. These disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorders and several other variants. Although these disorders are more common in adolescent girls or young women, 5 to 15 percent of cases of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa and 40 percent of cases of binge-eating disorders occur in boys or men. In addition, eating disorders may occur in young children and persons over 40 years of age. Becker and colleagues reviewed the various treatment options for patients affected by eating disorders and addressed the evidence for medical and psychiatric therapies.
Eating Disorders; Treatment
NWHRC Health Center – Eating Disorders
March 8, 2007
Most women don’t realize how damaging eating disorders are to their health. Many think emaciation is normal and even attractive. Or they think that purging is the only way to avoid gaining weight. Even health care professionals sometimes fail to recognize the signs and the chance to intervene.
Eating disorders in adolescent males
Professional School Counseling, Oct, 2004
Shannon L. Ray
Research indicates that the primary onset of eating disorders occurs in adolescence and that there is a growing prevalence of adolescent males with eating disorders. In this article we describe the eating disorders of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa as they relate to adolescent males. Diagnostic criteria, at-risk groups, and implications for school counselors are each discussed. The importance of the school counselor’s role in identification, referral, psychoeducation, and support services for this population is critical.
Helping teenagers with eating disorders
Nursing, Oct 2004
Harris, Marta, Eberly, Marian, Cumella, Edward J
JUST OPEN THE LATEST ISSUE of a teen or women’s magazine and you’re likely to get this message: Keep losing weight because you can’t be thin enough. Like never before, many adolescents, especially girls, are reacting to this message by developing life-threatening eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. (Binge-eating disorder, a similar problem, is beyond the scope of this article.)
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