“Wasted” by Marya Hornbacher is an autobiographical memoir of her battle against bulimia, anorexia, and depression. The chilling retelling of her struggles of self-love, substance abuse, and eating behaviors allows a change in societal perception of mental health and eating disorders linkage. As Marya started early on in her book: “some people who are obsessed with food become gourmet chefs, others get eating disorders” (Hornbacher 13). Marya Hornbacher’s life had always been affected by her disorders, but by publishing “Wasted”, she was able to not only educate readers, but also make her experiences personal. Amongst countless medical books written by doctors, the patients’ point of view is too often ignored. From a psychological standpoint, no one can better explain their own history, causal factors, and effectiveness of treatment than the patient themselves. Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by reduced caloric intake in the process of self-starvation. Anorectics typically follow their own various strict dieting habits, always striving to become thinner. This behavior can often lead to anorectics suffering from emanication, yet a continued pursuing of weight loss. This, in conjunction with the intense fear of gaining …show more content…
The binge is often composed of immense amounts of atypical or unhealthy food. Characterized by the overall lack of control of the bulemics actions, the purge is what makes bulimia so hazardous. Bulimics can “purge” three different ways to compensate for their overeating; self-induced vomiting, the excessive usage of laxatives, or the process of extreme exercise to burn off the exact amount of calories consumed. Unlike anorexia, bulimia has a more difficult diagnosis, as the signs are not as physical. This is because most patients with bulimia have little weight loss and can stay at an acceptance weight for their age and height (“Eating