Anorexia VS. Bulimia Essay

The amount of pressure for an adolescence to be skinny these days, is outrageous. Most eating disorders, like anorexia and bulimia, are onset between mid to late adolescence. 0. 5 percent of womben suffer from anorexia, and one to three percent from bulimia. These are both serious psychiatric disorders that are mistaken for one another all the time. Admittedly, they do have many similarities, but very distinct differences. Anorexia and bulimia show many similar symptoms, which is one reason they get mistaken so often. Some of the symptoms are weakness and dizziness, tooth decay, obsession over food, constipation, irregular heartbeat, and swelling of the hands, feet, arms, and legs. One of the most distinct differences is that bulimia is categorized as a complex emotional issue, while anorexia is a combination of biological, psychiatric, and environmental issues. Although both are worried about their weight, they approach food situations very differently. Physical signs of bulimia are harder to recognize, unless on a very personal level. Usually, there are no obvious signs of weight loss. This is because during an average eating binge, one may consume from three thousand to five thousand calories in an hour. Afterwards one feels a great since of guilt, making the decision to purge to make themselves feel better. What one doesn’t realize is, vomiting after a meal will only eliminate fifty percent of the calories ingested. Resulting in that person staying at a normal weight. However, the physical signs of anorexia are much more obvious. This is a disorder that causes people to obsess about their weight and the food they eat. They will pretend to eat or lie about how much food they’ve actually ate. They will attempt to maintain a weight that is far below normal, starve themselves and exercise excessively. The thoughts of dieting, food, and their body take up most of their day. Resulting in rapid weight loss. For a person that suffers with bulimia overeating is more like a compulsion. A person begins to feel increasingly out of control. Although they may try, it is difficult to regain control without help. Anorexia, on the other hand, makes a person feel in control, over atleast one aspect in their life. When a person suffers with anorexia they may lose the ability to see their true self. This means that, no matter how skinny a person gets, it’s never enough to them. They developed strange or secretive food rituials and become very fixated with their body image, to the point that it causes major health risks. POWERED BY TCPDF (WWW. TCPDF. ORG).