A Discussion on Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa - Essay Example

Anorexia and bulimia nervosa are two conditions that have been found to be predominant in females and that too in a certain age group. These are two of the most common eating disorders that are currently affecting many females and a small population of males in the world. The media is one of the main factors that is said to contribute towards it, and other things such as expectations of the society or pressure from external sources also can lead to such behaviors. However, excluding these pressures and factors, many women still develop these conditions, suggesting underlying physical mechanisms involved in the progression of the condition.

Many physicians and researchers maintain that media does not significantly cause the attitude towards anorexia and bulimia; however, researchers continue to show that there is the significant role that media has played in portraying and publicizing ideal body contours. This poses questions about other contributors and etiological factors in the development of bulimia and anorexia other than the media. Biological components, for example, are being considered as possible culprits, along with genetics, family history and social history of the female.

Anorexia nervosa is defined as the eating disorder where the person intentionally tries to lose weight by more than 15% of the normal expected weight for that age, height, and sex. Mostly this control over the self-body image is through three types: restricting, binging and binge eating and purging. Main characteristics of anorexia include rapid loss of weight, loss of hair, depression and depressive behavior, eccentric dietary habits, abuse of diuretics, loss of libido, and low body temperature and blood pressures.

It is one of the leading causes of mortality among the psychiatric conditions. (Schlundt, 2008) The men also fall into these eating disorders but the prevalence is low. This concept, however, can lead to misdiagnosis and overlooking the condition in the male subjects, therefore, careful evaluation in men is as necessary as in women before any conclusive diagnosis is reached. Below is the culmination of the various literature reviews, medical articles and researchers, and studies that have been carried out in attempt to understand the phenomenon of anorexia and bulimia nervosa.

The path to the discovery of these two syndromes has been also briefly discussed, along with the various psychology theories that have been introduced in order to better define the syndromes. The possible etiological factors that can lead to these conditions are explored and the various factors that can contribute or coexist with these conditions are also evaluated. Finally, the last section aims to highlight some of the options that are currently being used to treat anorexia and bulimia disorders.