Eating Disorders
...of factors and influences and has a profound effect on the people suffering and their loved ones. There is a big difference between dieting and eating disorders. Dieting is losing a small amount of weight through exercise or a change of diet, but it is done healthily. Eating disorders are about seeking approval through others. It involves extreme weight change and not thinking about the major effect it has upon the body. It is totally based on looks and weight.
It is thought that many women teeter on the edge of anorexia or bulimia during adolescence as this is a time when girls become acutely aware of their bodies and those of others around them. As a result, they may feel inadequate or self conscious in comparison and attempt to search for a cure. Many will diet and it is then that it becomes crucial as they need to be able to resolve the frequent unfulfilled weight loss. This relies on support from family and friends and the more isolated and locked into family they are, then the more likely it is that they will become anorexic. (Boskino-White, M, 1991)
There are many different types of eating disorders. Anorexia Nervosa is defined as a psycho physiological syndrome occurring largely in young women and defined clinically by a constellation of symptoms; voluntary and deliberate food restriction, self reported lack of appetite, relentless pursuit of thinness and fear of fatness, body image disturbance, obsession with calorie counting and food preparation, hyperactivity, amenorrhea and sever malnutrition resulting in a variety of physiological changes' (Goldsmith, 1984) Anorexia is usually caused by low self esteem, a tremendous need to control their surroundings and emotions or a unique reaction to a number of factors such as stress, unhappiness or anxiety. Anorexia is diagnosed by a refusal to maintain a normal, healthy body weight, an intense fear of...
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