Eating Disorders in the USA - Essay Example

 Eating Disorders Introduction Eating disorders is a term used to refer to different types of unhealthy connections of food and an individual’s weight which negatively impacts an individual’s different parts of life. An individual is recognized to be suffering from eating disorders if his/her eating habits involve excessive eating or eating habits that are insufficient in nature. These changes are accepted by an individual in relation to his/her body image. For example: An individual who images himself as underweight may start eating excessively or may eat insufficiently if he/she feels that they are overweight. ANAD (Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorder INC.) asserts that over 24 million individuals residing in the region of US and representing different genders and ages are suffering from one of the several kinds of eating disorders (AMBROSE, 2011, p.19). They even assert that 95% of the individuals who are suffering from some sort of eating disorder are between the age of 12 and 26. This writing will focus on various kinds of eating disorders (AMBROSE, 2011, p.19). Body There are various eating disorders that have been recognized as cognitive disorders and are stated in the medical manuals of DSM-IV (CALTABIANO, 2013, p.278). One of these disorders is recognized as Anorexia Nervosa which falls under the category of those eating disorders that are associated with insufficient eating. An individual is said to be suffering from Anorexia Nervosa if he/she does not accepts to eat. Any individual from any gender and of any age can be suffering from disorders but it is most prevalent among young females who are mostly in their late teenage and early twenties. According to the manual of DSM-IV an individual has to fulfill four requirements to be recognized as suffering from Anorexia Nervosa. An individual who refuses to maintain certain amount of body weight in relation to his/her age and height or have failed to maintain desired body weight during a particular period of growth and is weighing 15% less than desired body weight is said to be suffering from this disorder (FAUMAN, 2002, p.325). Secondly a person suffering from this disorder may have a fear towards gaining weight even if he/she is already underweight. Thirdly, the person must have a negative perception towards his/her current body weight and shape and lastly the person has experienced amenorrhea which is a term used to refer to three missed menstrual cycles. Another form of eating disorder is Bulimia Nervosa, an individual is said to be suffering from this eating disorder due to recurring episodes of purging and bingeing eating (FAUMAN, 2002, p.330). When an individual is experiencing an episode of bingeing, his/her consumption of food is more in a particular situation as compared to the eating habits of other people in the same circumstance and the person is even said to be suffering from no control over eating habits. A person may be suffering from this disorder if the person is experiencing compensatory behavior and bingeing together. Individuals suffering from this disorder may even indulge in activities that are purging in nature, such as: self created vomiting, abnormal usage of laxatives and exercising more than desired. A third and a newly recognized kind of eating disorder is binge eating disorder in which an individual may suffer from the issue of reoccurring incidents that may take place at least twice a week for a period of more than six or as less as six months time (FAUMAN, 2002, p.321). Individuals suffering from this disorder may consume more than the normal quantity of food in a very small period of time and the person experiencing this disorder may feel that he cannot control his urges of eating excessively. An individual suffering from disorder may exhibit a few or all of the following behaviors: eating without having a feeling to be fed, eating without company due to fear of experiencing embarrassment, eating at a faster than normal speed, continually eating until experiencing discomfort and feeling of guild experienced due to excessive eating. A third kind of eating disorder is recognized as Anorexia Athletica, individual suffering from this disorder may be indulged in excessive exercise and may have become obsessed with exercises (DUNFORD, 2012, p.451). It is even sometimes referred to by the name of sports anorexia. Individuals experiencing this disorder may include athletes who are indulged in professional sports and athletes who are going to be future professional sports participants. Those who suffer from this disorder may be indulged in the act of excessive exercising in order to reduce calorie count, due to this they may experience malnutrition and those athletes that are in their young ages may experience endocrine. A fifth kind of eating disorder is Orthorexia which has not yet been recognized by DSM-IV standard manual, but was recognized by Steven Bratman in his journal article during the session of 1997 (OZER, 2012, p.126). This kind of eating disorder is quite different from other disorders but does have certain mutual characteristics of both Bulimia and Anorexia Nervosa. Those who are suffering from this disorder may start paying emphasis to the quality of food or they may give precedence to the quality of food over the quantity factor. Suffering from this disorder is similar to the experiences of workaholic and those individuals who are addicted to exercising. This means that although eating something that is of high quality is considered as a good habit but if an individual excessively tries to eat quality food he is found to be having an obsession for such food. People suffering from this issue may suffer from social issues as they might avoid places and people who do not give consideration to the quality of food over quantity. Conclusion Several eating disorders have been identified by the medical standard manual of DSM-IV, these include Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, binge eating, Anorexia Athletica and Orthorexia. In certain eating disorders, an individual resort to over eating, under eating or over exercising and obsession with high quality food. The prevalence rate of eating disorders is quite high among all individuals of different ages and genders throughout US. Certain eating disorders may be considered healthy, but an obsession can even transform beneficial activities into negative ones. References AMBROSE, M., & DEISLER, V. (2011). Investigating eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating): real facts for real lives. Berkeley Heights, NJ, Enslow Publishers. CALTABIANO, M. L., & RICCIARDELLI, L. (2013). Applied topics in health psychology. Chichester, West Sussex, UK, Wiley-Blackwell. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=476669. DUNFORD, M., & DOYLE, J. A. (2012). Nutrition for sport and exercise. Belmont, CA, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. FAUMAN, M. A. (2002). Study guide to DSM-IV-TR. Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Pub. OZER, Y. M. (2012). A student guide to health: understanding the facts, trends, and challenges. Santa Barbara, Calif, Greenwood. Read More