In the twentieth century one of the strangest events has been the rise in prominence of life threatening eating disorders. There are three types of these conditions, which include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating. These disorders were thought to be strictly mental conditions and have only been classified as medical conditions since the 1930s. Historically evidence of these disorders has been known to humanity for well over 2000 years.
Anorexia nervosa is a condition that characterized by the individual seeing their bodies as beyond over weight. This is in spite of the fact that others see them as clearly starved or rail skinny. People dealing with this condition are prone to exercise too much and weight loss and dieting become obsessions. This condition is totally hazardous. It can result in severe dehydration, bone loss and complete organ failure. The disease also doesn't recognize social statistics as many common knowledge people have succumbed to it; these include Karen Carpenter who died in 1985 from heart failure and Ana Carolina Reston a Brazilian model who starved herself to death in 2006. While this is a recognized medical condition the mental component of the disease cannot be taken lightly. Many anorexic patients suffer from severe depression and other mental incapacities that encourage their disorder. This depression must be addressed in any sort of therapy if the patient hopes to find a cure. This can be done with not only group and individual psychotherapy sessions but also in-group or individual behavior modification.
Bulimia is characterized by frequent episodes of gorging on foods and having the feeling of having no control over the behavior. This is normally accompanied by one or more negative behaviors such as self induced vomiting, the over use of laxatives, fasting and or excessive exercise. One of the psychological aspects of bulimia is that it's normally done in private because of the great deal of shame felt by the person suffering from it.
Again this condition is not a socially selective disease as persons from all social strata can be affected; common knowledge celebrities including Jane Fonda, Sally Field and Paula Abdul have all suffered from bulimia.
The last major condition is binge eating. This may be the most common type as many people have gone through episodes of this during their life. But unlike bulimia with binge eating there is basically no counter action such as purging or self-induced vomiting. This disorder can almost always be recognized in people because they are basically totally fat or morbidly overweight. Again as with all of these disorders binge eating has a deep physiological component that is generally the root cause of the behavior.
All of these behaviors are extremely dangerous to a person's health and well-being. These conditions, if not corrected, can cause irreversible damage to not only the body but to the body's organs. The damage can include hair loss, anemia, muscle wasting, low blood pressure, brain damage, heart and liver failure, infertility and lethargy. As a consequence if you or someone you are obsessed with is experiencing any of these problems or you suspect they might be it's your duty to intervene and get them help.
Anorexia nervosa is a condition that characterized by the individual seeing their bodies as beyond over weight. This is in spite of the fact that others see them as clearly starved or rail skinny. People dealing with this condition are prone to exercise too much and weight loss and dieting become obsessions. This condition is totally hazardous. It can result in severe dehydration, bone loss and complete organ failure. The disease also doesn't recognize social statistics as many common knowledge people have succumbed to it; these include Karen Carpenter who died in 1985 from heart failure and Ana Carolina Reston a Brazilian model who starved herself to death in 2006. While this is a recognized medical condition the mental component of the disease cannot be taken lightly. Many anorexic patients suffer from severe depression and other mental incapacities that encourage their disorder. This depression must be addressed in any sort of therapy if the patient hopes to find a cure. This can be done with not only group and individual psychotherapy sessions but also in-group or individual behavior modification.
Bulimia is characterized by frequent episodes of gorging on foods and having the feeling of having no control over the behavior. This is normally accompanied by one or more negative behaviors such as self induced vomiting, the over use of laxatives, fasting and or excessive exercise. One of the psychological aspects of bulimia is that it's normally done in private because of the great deal of shame felt by the person suffering from it.
Again this condition is not a socially selective disease as persons from all social strata can be affected; common knowledge celebrities including Jane Fonda, Sally Field and Paula Abdul have all suffered from bulimia.
The last major condition is binge eating. This may be the most common type as many people have gone through episodes of this during their life. But unlike bulimia with binge eating there is basically no counter action such as purging or self-induced vomiting. This disorder can almost always be recognized in people because they are basically totally fat or morbidly overweight. Again as with all of these disorders binge eating has a deep physiological component that is generally the root cause of the behavior.
All of these behaviors are extremely dangerous to a person's health and well-being. These conditions, if not corrected, can cause irreversible damage to not only the body but to the body's organs. The damage can include hair loss, anemia, muscle wasting, low blood pressure, brain damage, heart and liver failure, infertility and lethargy. As a consequence if you or someone you are obsessed with is experiencing any of these problems or you suspect they might be it's your duty to intervene and get them help.
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