People with anorexia have an extreme fear of being fat. When a person has anorexia, he or she almost never eats and the amount of food that is eaten becomes an obsession. A person with anorexia may weigh the food before eating it or always counting the calories of every piece of food. It is not unusual for a person with anorexia to also exercise a lot while trying to lose weight to lose weight.
A strong feature of anorexia is the desire to be very thin, but also the altering the body perception. Even though they might be getting rid of many pounds at a dangerous rate, people with anorexia don't see themselves as thin. A person with anorexia can look in the mirror and actually see a fat person.
The way you can detect anorexia:
A person with anorexia can do damage to the heart, liver, and kidneys by not eating enough. The body slows everything down as if it were starving, causing a drop in blood pressure, pulse, and breathing rate. Lack of energy can lead people with anorexia to feel light-headed and unable to concentrate. Anemia (lack of red blood cells) and swollen joints are common in people with anorexia, as are brittle bones. Anorexia can cause a person's hair to fall out, fingernails to break off easily and a soft kind hair called lanugo begins to grow all over the skin. In severe cases, eating disorders can lead to severe malnutrition and even death.
Bulimia is a bit different from anorexia because the person with bulimia doesn't avoid eating. Instead, he or she eats a large amount of food then gets rid of it quickly by vomiting or taking laxatives. This is commonly known as a "binge and purge" behavior. Like anorexia, bulimia tends to affect girls and young women more than guys. Unlike anorexia, you can't always tell by looking whether a person has bulimia. In fact, someone with bulimia may normal.
The way you can detect bulimia:
People with bulimia will have constant stomach pain. In fact, bulimia can actually damage a person's stomach and kidneys from constant vomiting. Bulimia can also cause a person's teeth to rote because of the acids that come up into the mouth while vomiting. The person may also get "chipmunk cheeks," which occur when the salivary glands permanently open from throwing up so often. Most dangerous of all, the constant vomiting can lead to a loss of the mineral potassium, which can contribute to heart problems and even death.
People suffering with Compulsive Overeating have what is said to be an "addiction" to food, using food and eating as a way to hide from their emotions and to cope with daily stresses and problems in their lives.
People suffering with this Eating Disorder tend to be overweight, are aware that their eating habits are abnormal, but find little comfort because of society's tendency to stereotype the "overweight" person. Words like, "just go on a diet" are as emotionally devastating to a person with Compulsive Overeating as "just eat" can be to a person with Anorexia. A person suffering as a Compulsive Overeater is at a health risk for a heart attack, high blood-pressure and cholesterol, kidney disease and/or failure, arthritis and bone deterioration, and stroke.
Men and Women who are Compulsive Overeaters will sometimes hide behind their appearance, using it as a blockade against society. They feel guilty for not being "good enough,” shamed for being overweight, and generally have a very low self-esteem level. They use food and eating to cope with these feelings, which only leads into the cycle of feeling there ten-folds and trying to find another way to cope again. With a low self esteem and often constant need for love and validation he/she will turn to obsessive episodes of eating and eating as a way to forget the pain and the desire for affection.
Bibliography
Anorexia: www.anorexia.com/Resoces/anorexia2.jpg
Bulimia: smiles4kids.com/newsletter/cartoon-girl.gif
Compulsive Overeating: web.syr.edu/~adbandn/Fat%20Guy.jpg
Anorexia and Bulimia info.: kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/problems/eat_disorder.html
Compulsive overeating info.: www.something-fishy.org/whatarethey/coe.php
