Essay on Eating Disorder - Bulimia, the Destruction of Self :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Bulimia - The Destruction of Self              Bulimia nervosa, more unremarkably known simply as binge-eating syndrome or binge and purge disorder, is an eating disorder that affects 1 in 4 college-aged women in America, or 1 in 10,000 Americans. The most common misconception concerning bulimia is that it is simply a physical or mental problem. Many people do not understand that bulimia is a unsoundness that affects both the mind and the body, and in its course can destroy both aspects of the diseased individual.              Bulimia affects a variety of different people, b arely generally the victims will fall tend to fall into certain categories. Those at highest vulnerability to this disease are young adult females, ages 12 to 18. The disease, however, can instigate as early as elementary school, or much later in life. Others (such as athletes competing in sports such as ball et, gymnastics, ice-skating, diving, etc.) may in like manner be pressured into starting bulimic habits. Males who perform in athletics such as wrestling and dance are at high risk for developing the disease as well. Victims of bulimia can often be linked to organism victims of verbal, physical, and/or sexual abuse, though not all are. Bulimia may also contain ties to diseases such as clinical or manic depression. Bulimics often start out with anorexa (starvation and excessive exercising), or may turn to anorexia after being bulimic.              Bulimia is marked by significant cycles in eating habits. Bulimics will often starve themselves (calorie/food/fat intake restriction -- sometimes with the serve up of diet pills or supplements) for extended periods of time prior to a massive binge, during which they consume abnormal amounts of food in a short period of time. These binges are followed by purging, which generally is co nstituted by self-induced vomiting. Other methods of purging the body include the use of diuretics, laxatives, and excessive exercising. Bulimics are generally within what is considered to be a normal weight range, but see themselves as being overly fat, or suffer from an intense fear of gaining weight. They often do realize that they ready a problem, but by that point the cycle has become an obsession. Bulimics usually weigh themselves frequently, even several times daily.