Understanding Anorexia

Statistics of women with eating disorders continue to escalate. Anorexia for example, is on the rise, and bulimia seemingly races along in numbers. Hence, there's a need for information dissemination to create more awareness on these issues. Increased awareness and advances in treatment of anorexia and bulimia, however, are making great strides toward eliminating this once baffling and hopeless situation

The inconspicuous call to conform to model-measurements seems to be the culprit for the high incidence of eating disorders among women whose idea of beauty is equated with being slim to be glamorous. There is a strong obsession for dieting throughout the world. And people end up in losing and gaining weight erroneously or at least in a manner not favorable to health. Once in this cycle it can be hard to get out.

Like bulimia eating disorder, anorexia is triggered by many factors that include relationships in the family and school. Different forms of media such as television, internet, and magazines also have a role to play in the development of eating disorder anoxia nervosa. Negative childhood experiences can also lead to this disintegrating disease.

But what are these eating disorders, really? Bulimia and anorexia are mental illnesses that seriously affect the person with the eating disorder. With these diseases, patients have a distorted view of them selves, thinking they are fat and thus need to lose weight. This then results in either refusing to eat enough food, eating too much food, purging after meals, or a combination of these. Treatment for bulimia and anorexia focuses on cognitive behavioral strategies to combat unhealthy thinking and behaviors.

People with anorexia have an overwhelming desire too lose weight and avoid gaining weight –always thinking that they have more weight to lose, regardless of how thin they have become. This mental disease is characterized by compulsive thoughts, a need to be in control, perfectionism, and physical degeneration. Sometimes the use of laxatives and diet aids are used. It accounts for the highest death rate caused by an eating disorder.