Symptoms of Eating disorders Essay -- Binge Eating, Bulimia, Anorexia

Everyone has seen the modern day models, they’re everywhere; in magazines, on billboards, and in commercials. They even have a T.V. shows dedicated to them (America’s next top model, for example). These models are all skinny and seemingly perfect in every way. They are idolized and what most girls (and many boys as well) want is to be just like them, to be skinny, have the perfect body weight, and the perfect body figure. Some people end up taking it to the extreme though, and get sick. They become obsessed with how they look to the point where it’s unhealthy, and possibly even deadly, and develop what we call eating disorders, or ED for short. There are three main eating disorders: Binge eating disorder (which falls under eating disorders not otherwise specified, or EDNOS) (Levine 4), bulimia nervosa (BN) and anorexia nervosa (AN). An eating disorder is defined as â€Å"any of a range of psychological disorders characterized by abnormal or disturbed eating habits† (google definition). These eating habits include (but aren’t limited to) purging food, starving oneself, and binging on food at an unhealthy rate (Eating 1). Bulimia nervosa was first documented as an eating disorder in the 1970’s (Key 1). It is characterized by recurring episodes of binge eating, or eating large, unhealthy amounts of food in one sitting on a regular basis. After they fill up on food, bingers go to the bathroom and purge it from their stomachs, or throw it back up (Levine 1). This way they feel they can still enjoy food, but don’t have to suffer the fattening consequences. Purging is the most common way of expelling food, but some use laxatives as well, or even both (Eating 1). Although BN is more common than anorexia and binge eating, it is less deadl... ...ogy 146.1/2 (2012): 243-257. Academic Search Elite. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. Stephen, Eric M., et al. "Adolescent risk factors for purging in young women: findings from the national longitudinal study of adolescent health."Journal of Eating Disorders 2 (2014): 1. Academic OneFile. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. "Teen eating disorders may impact weight later: study." Reuters. Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 31 Dec. 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. "Update: Eating Disorders." Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 21 Dec. 2007. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. . Waldman, Amanda, et al. "Attitudinal and perceptual factors in body image distortion: an exploratory study in patients with anorexia nervosa."Journal of Eating Disorders 1 (2013): 17. Academic OneFile. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.