Eating Disorders Case Study

1. An eating disorder is an illness where people develop irregular eating habits, such as obsessively counting calories, not eating at all, purging, and become obsessed with their body weight and image. Anorexia is the most known eating disorder. Those suffering from anorexia view themselves as overweight and hate their body even when the majority of them are severely underweight, they develop a fear of gaining weight and may become obsessed with their calorie intake or may stop eating food altogether. Another common disorder is bulimia, those who suffer from this illness also have a fear of gaining weight and are unhappy with how their body looks, they perform binge acts normally in secret of overeating and then feel shame or guilt and force

The cause of an eating disorder does one main clear cause but is instead a mix of issues such as genetic, physiological, social and family factors. Many people with eating disorders have very low self-esteem. For kids they may be in situations that put pressure on weight and body image such as sports like cheerleading, or other peers may judge them based on how their body looks. Many people believe their body looks different than how it actually looks. They begin to fear gaining weight or looking heavy. Some people think that the pressure on beauty standers that media creates with celebrities or advertisements leads people to developing a low self-esteem regarding body

Eating disorders can lead to may severe health disorders or even death. When someone is suffering from anorexia, their body goes into starvation mode. Blood pressure, pulse, and breathing can all begin to drop. People may experience hair loss or breaking of fingernails, as well as a soft hair beginning to grow all over the body known as lanugo hair. Females may have a loss of their periods. Lightheadedness or inability to concentrate, anemia, swollen joints, and brittle bones are effects as well. Many have also died from anorexia either from starvation or problems created by the illness which is why those with anorexia should begin treatment as soon as possible. For those suffering from bulimia, they have a lot more internal problems occur due to the frequent forced vomiting. Effects are constant stomach pain, loss of potassium minerals, chipmunk cheeks from their salivary glands permanently expanding from the constant vomiting. Again, females may lose their periods. They can experience tooth decay from stomach acid frequently meeting their teeth from vomiting. The harsher of the effects is damage to a person’s kidneys and or stomach. People can also die from bulimia due to the health issues caused from the