Eating Disorders: Compulsive Overeating, Anorexia, and Bulimia - Literature review Example

Table of Contents I. Introduction ……………………………………………………………….. 3 II. Description of Different Eating Disorders ……………………………. 4 a. Compulsive Overeating or Binge Eating Problem ……… 4 b. Anorexia Nervosa …………………………………………….. 5 c. Bulimia Nervosa ………………………………………………. 7 III. Discussion ………………………………………………………………… 8 IV. Conclusion …………………………………………………………………. 10 References …………………………………………………………………………11 - 13 Introduction There are as many as 24 million people in the United States who were reported to experience eating disorders related to anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorders. (The Renfrew Center Foundation for Eating Disorders, 2001) Eating disorders alone has caused millions of people in the United States who are diagnosed with mental illness to suffer from physical deterioration which often leads to death. (Sullivan, 1995) Regarless of a person’s social and economic classes, age, sex, race or levels of intelligence, anyone could suffer from serious eating disorders. Not all people who are suffering from eating disorders are women. In fact, statistic shows that between 10% – 15% of American men who are not capable of handling emotional challenges could cause them to suffer from eating disorders such as anorexia or bulemia. (Cariat & Camargo, 1991) Basically, eating disorders are considered as serious psychiatric and physical illnesses related to a person’s unusual eating habit or attitude and behavior on food consumption. Most of the people who have eating disorders are usually unsatisfied with their own body structure and weight. This often causes them to go through unhealthy weight management processes either by not eating at all or the extreme intake of food. For the purpose of this study, the researcher will describe the different eating disorders related to compulsive overeating, anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa based on the definition set by DSM-IV-TR and other related journals. In the process, the researcher will discuss the similarity and differences of compulsive overeating, anorexia, and bulimia. Eventually, the researcher will conduct a literature review to examine and discuss the biological, psychological, and social factors that contribute to the causation, development and maintenance of each type of eating disorders. Description of Different Eating Disorders Compulsive Overeating or Binge Eating Problem Compulsive overeating or binge eating is referring to inability of a person to control eating. (American Psychiatric Association, 2000c) Doctors suggests that people who are into binge eating often experience a frequent episodes of eating large amount of food because of these individuals find it hard to control the amount of food they eat even when they are not hungry. (de Zwaan & Mitchell, 1992) After eating too much food, these people would normally feel the guilt of over eating causing them to be depressed or disgusted for their own actions. Binge eating is similar to bulimia nervosa in the sense that bulimic people also tend to over eat. (American Psychiatric Association, 2000c) The only difference between bulimic people and those with binge eating problems is that there is a tendency for bulimic people to do self-induced vomiting or taking excessive laxative – also known as ‘purging’ so as to get rid of the food they have eaten. In the case of individuals with binge eating problems, they never purge the food they eat. Having more than 20 percent of their normally accepted body weight, there is a higher possibility for people with binge eating problems to become obese. Among the health consequences of binge eaters are often related to the kind of diseases that can be observed among the obese including: (1) high blood pressure; (2) diabetes mellitus; (3) high cholesterol levels; (4) gallbladder disease; (5) heart diseases; and (6) certain types of cancer. (American Psychiatric Association, 2000c) Binge eaters also have impact on a person’s psychological functioning causing them to withdraw from socializing or missing some activities at work or in school. They also feel bad about themselves for not looking physically attractive. Anorexia Nervosa Anorexia nervosa is considered as a serious eating disorder that is normally characterized by significantly decreasing the intake of calories and increasing the physical activity which often results to a sudden lost of body weight and mass. According to Lindsay (2000), anorexia nervosa is very much associated with becoming hopeless and anguish towards one’s own body. Anorexic people in general have a very strong desire to become very thin. (American Psychiatric Association, 2000b) Such desire alters the person’s mentality about his or her own body image. Even though anorexic people have already lost so much weight, they would still see and think of themselves as fat. For this reason, it is very easy to detect an anorexic person through a keen physical observation. Almost all patients who are diagnosed with severe anorexia would have protruding bones, spend too much time on exercise routines, denies the feeling of hunger, feels fat despite being underweight, and has the tendency to withdraw from social activities. Anorexic patients may also starve themselves by eating lesser food as compared with their body requirements or even nothing at all. (American Psychiatric Assocation, 2000a) These individuals may sometimes practice self-induced vomiting which may lead to significant physical and psychological changes related to constipation, abdominal pain, cold intolerance, lethargy, excess energy, emaciation and dryness of the skin. (American Psychiatric Assocation, 2000a) The problem with a sudden reduction of body weight is the danger towards one’s health. This could lead to a lot of biological changes that may cause disturbances in the normal functioning of the brain. Several research studies reveal that eating disorders related to anorexia nervosa could greatly affect the sexual activity of those anorexic males. (Blinder, 2000; Carlat, Camargo, & Herzog, 1997) It is common for anorexic males to have the tendency to withdraw from having sexual activities because of some psychological factors that makes them to feel shy and less confident with their body image, fear that female counterpart would laugh at him or take him for granted, etc. To avoid being in such situation, anorexic males would isolate themselves by becoming sexually inactive. Human beings must eat nutritious food in order to get sufficient amount of nutrients that our body needed in sustaining life. However, most people with anorexia intentionally deprive themselves from these nutrients. As a result, anorexic people often experience health problems related to dehydration, malnutrition, heart, kidney, immune system, and liver problems, infertility, osteoporosis, personality disorder, and permanent health damage which could eventually lead to death. (Kushi & Glovannucci, 2002; Shikany & White, 2000; Prairie Public, 1999) Anorexia is a gender-bias eating disorder. A research study reveals that almost 90% of the anorexic individuals are female whereas the other 10% are male. (Anderson, 1993) Due to the early detection method related to anorexia nervosa, a more recent study reveals that there is a significant increase in the rate of anorexia in both male and female. (Anderson, 1995) Bulimia Nervosa Bulimia Nervosa (BN), also known as ‘binge and purge’ behavior (American Psychiatric Association, 2000c), is different from the case of anorexia nervosa in the sense that people who are diagnosed with bulimia are unlikely to starve themselves to lose weight. Instead, bulimic people has the tendency to over eat and eventually get rid of it through self-induced vomiting; the excessive intake of laxative, enemas or diuretic; a prolonged fasting; or doing an excessive exercise. (Foster & Smith-Coggins, 2008; American Psychiatric Association, 2000c) Also, females who are diagnosed with anorexia nervosa have regular menses as compared with females with bulimic. (American Psychiatric Association, 2000f; 2000g) Similar to anorexia nervosa, the victims of bulimia are mostly young girls and young women as compared to the male population. The only difference between anorexic and bulimic person is the fact that it is not easy to detect bulimia than anorexia because bulimic people appears to have an average weight or body mass index (BMI) aside from signs of frequent depressive symptoms such as having low self-esteem or mood disorders like dysthymic or major depressive disorder. (American Psychiatric Association, 2000d) The health consequences of bulimic people include: (1) the loss of necessary nutrients to sustain a healthy body; (2) metabolic disturbances which could trigger psychological and mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, and obsessive compulsive disorder; (3) tooth disorders such as the erosion and discoloration of tooth enamel due to stomach acid, tooth decay, gum disease, and mouth ulcers; (4) low resistance to infections; (5) severe muscle spasms; (6) heart attack or cardiac arrhythmias; and (7) permanent damage to the rest of the body organs caused by gastric rapture, esophageal tears. (American Psychiatric Association, 2000g; Prairie Public, 1999) One way to examine whether a person is a bulimic or not; it is advisable to pay close attention to: (1) regular excuse to go to the bathroom immediately after every meal; (2) eats a lot of food but never gain weight; (3) the use of excessive laxatives or diuretics; and (4) isolating themselves from social activities. (American Psychiatric Association, 2000e) Discussion There are a lot of possible causes of eating disorders such as binge eating, anorexia and bulimia. A lot of research studies have tried associating these eating disorders with factors related to emotional, familial issues, physical, biological and social. The study that was conducted by the College Response National Eating Disorder Screening Program (NEDSP) reveals that close to 50% of people with eating disorders are suffering from mild to severe depression or anxiety. (Sullivan, 1995) Another research study suggests that social pressure has a significant contribution in the development of eating disorders among the young adults. (Barber, 2007) According to Kenneth Dynn – a professor of psychological development at Sydney University, “the media, with the use of magazine prints, newspaper, film or television, is one fo the major causes of physical appearance dissatisfaction among the women population because of the frequent promotion of ideal women’s body as ‘slim’.” (MacDonald, 2001) The fear of gaining excessive weight is often cause a person to become either anorexic or bulimic. It is also possible for some people with eating disorders to have an abnormal neurotransmitter system. This often cause the serotonin system to send a mixed up signal with regards to the need to eat or not. (The Renfrew Center Foundation for Eating Disorders, 2001) Women are known to be the common victims of eating disorders. On the contrary, homosexual groups such as the gays and the lesbians are also likely to suffer from eating disorders. (Siever, 1999) Specifically the gays are experiencing cultural pressure caused by having the mentality that gays should be thin in order to attract other people. In fact, almost 20% of men with eating disorders are gays. (Herzog et al., 1990) Social factors or peer pressure among the teenage and young adult population significantly influence the development of eating disorders. The study of Milos et al. (2004) reveals that most of the people with eating disorders belongs to age brackets of 12 to 25 years old male and female population. For this reason, anorexia has been considered as the third most common chronic illness among the teenage and young adolescent population. (Public Health Service's Office in Women's Health, 2000) Teenage years is experiencing a period wherein they want to be very much accepted by other people within the society. For this reason, teenagers and young adolescents often feels the social pressure to become physically attractive by achieving their desired body mass and weight. However, not all of them were able to practice a safe way of losing weight. There are also some researched study that explains how the family members especially the parents contributes to the eating habit or behaviour of their children. (Strober et al., 2000) Given that the parents are the role model of each child, it is possible for some parents to consciously or unconsciously influence the eating habits of the children. For instance, a child’s mother who is working provides the child with fatty foods coming from different fast food restaurants. As a result, the child is likely to gain so much weight during his/her childhood days and puberty stage. This often cause the child to feel extremely disappointed with his / her body image as he / she reaches the adolescent stage. As a result, the child could easy go through unhealthy diets which may cause some of them to suffer from anorexia or bulimia over time. Aside from the social or peer pressure, familial situation, and the influence of the media; another study shows that genetic components of a person could also significantly affect the eating behavior of each person. (Wade et al., 2000) Conclusion Eating disorders is a serious health problem since it could lead to a lot of health problems and mortality. Eating disorders does not only occurs in women but also in men and homosexual population. To prevent the increasing number of individuals who are diagnosed with eating disorders, it is important for health care providers to educate the parents and students with regards to the signs and symptoms of anorexia, bulimia and binge eating problems. References: American Psychiatric Assocation. (2000a). Retrieved April 5, 2008, from Associated Physical Examination Findings and General Medical Conditions - Anorexia Nervosa: http://www.overeaters.net/dsmiv/6.html American Psychiatric Association. (2000b). Retrieved April 5, 2008, from Diagnostic Criteria for 307.1 Anorexia Nervosa: http://www.overeaters.net/dsmiv/7.html American Psychiatric Association. (2000c). Retrieved April 5, 2008, from Bulimia Nerosa: Diagnostic Features: http://www.overeaters.net/dsmiv/8.html American Psychiatric Association. (2000d). Retrieved April 5, 2008, from Bulimia Nervosa: Associated Features and Disorders: http://www.overeaters.net/dsmiv/10.html American Psychiatric Association. (2000e). Retrieved April 5, 2008, from Diagnostic Criteria for 307.51 Bulimia Nervosa: http://www.overeaters.net/dsmiv/13.html American Psychiatric Association. (2000f). Retrieved April 5, 2008, from 307.50 Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified: http://www.overeaters.net/dsmiv/14.html American Psychiatric Association. (2000g). Retrieved April 5, 2008, from Associated Physical Examination Findings and General Medical Conditions: Bulimia Nervosa: http://www.overeaters.net/dsmiv/12.html Anderson, A. (1995). Gender-Related Aspects of Eating Disorders. In Eagles J.M., Johnston M.I., Hunter D. et al. (ed) 'Increasing Incidence of Anorexia Nervosa in the Female Population of North East Scotland'. American Journal of Psychiatry , 151:1266 - 1271. Anderson, A. (1993). Gender-Related Aspects of Eating Disorders. In Wilson G.T., Nonas, C.A., & Rosenblum G.D. (ed) 'Assessment of Binge Eating in Obese Patients'. International Journal of Eating Disorders , 13(1):25 - 33. Barber, J. (2007). Eating Disorder Hope. Retrieved April 5, 2008, from Facts About Eating Disorders: http://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/index.html Blinder, B. (2000). Anorexia Nervosa in Males. In Herzog DB, Norman DK, Gordon C. et al. (ed) 'Sexual Conflict and Eating Disorders in 27 Males'. American Journal of Psychiatry. 1984:141:989 - 990. Cariat, D., & Camargo, C. (1991). Review of Bulimia in Males. American Journal of Psychiatry , 148:831 - 843. Carlat, D., Camargo, C., & Herzog, D. (1997). Eating Disorders in Males: A Report on 135 Patients . American Journal of Psychiatry , 154:1127 - 1132. de Zwaan, M., & Mitchell, J. (1992). Binge Eating in the Obese . Annals of Medicine , 24:303 - 308. Foster, T., & Smith-Coggins, R. (2008, February 7). e-medicine. Retrieved April 5, 2008, from Bulimia: Foster, T. and Smith-Coggins, R. (2007) ‘Bulimia’ Herzog, D., Bradburn, I., & Newman, K. (1990). Sexuality in Males with Eating Disorders. In Andersen A.E. (eds) 'Practical Comprehensive Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia. New York: Brunner/Mazel. pp. 40 - 53. Kushi, L., & Glovannucci, E. (2002). Dietary Fat and Cancer. American Journal of Medicine , 113(suppl 9B):63s - 70s. Lindsay, C. (2000). Conquering Anorexia the Route to Recovery. Chichester: Summersdale Publisher. MacDonald, R. (2001). Press Reviews: To Diet For. BMJ , 322:1002. Milos, G., Splindler, A., Schnyder, U., Martz, J., Hoek, H., & Willi, J. (2004). Incidence of Severe Anorexia Nervosa in Switzerland: 40 Years of Development. International Journal of Eating Disorders , 35(3):250 - 258. Prairie Public. (1999). Retrieved April 5, 2008, from Health Risks of Bulimia Nervosa: http://www.prairiepublic.org/features/healthworks/disordered/burisks.htm Public Health Service's Office in Women's Health. (2000). Eating Disorders Information Sheet 2000. Shikany, J., & White, G. (2000). Dietary Guidelines for Chronic Disease Prevention. Southern Medical Journal , 93(12):1138 - 1151. Siever, M. (1999). Sexual Orientation and Gender as Factors in Socioculturally Acquired Vulnerability to Body Dissatisfaction and Eating Disorders. In Andersen A.E. (ed) 'Gender-Related Aspects of Eating Disorders'. The Journal of Gender-Specific Medicine , 2(1):47 - 54. Strober, M., et al. (2000). Controlled Family Study of Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa: Evidence of Shared Liability and Transmission of Partial Syndromes. American Journal of Psychiatry , 157:383 - 401. Sullivan, P. (1995). Mortality in Anorexia Nervosa. American Journal of Psychiatry , 152:1073 - 1074. The Renfrew Center Foundation for Eating Disorders. (2001). Eating Disorders 101 Guide: A Summary of Issues, Statistics and Resources. Wade, T., Bulik, C., Neale, M., & Kendler, K. (2000). Anorexia Nervosa and Major Depression: Shared Genetic and Environmental Risk Factors. American Journal of Psychiatry , 157:469 - 471. Read More