The most serious eating disorder is anorexia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa was named and identified in the 1870's(Brumberg 3). It is usually begins in adolescence, although the symptoms may develop as early as age nine (Harvard 1). A young person stops eating almost entirely and may also begin to exercise compulsively. They will not admit that their behavior is abnormal and their teeth are deteriorating. The person often says that they feel fat even when they are obviously thin. Despite the technical meaning of the term anorexia, actual loss of appetite is unusual and anorectic patients are obsessed with food(Harvard 1). They may cut food into ti

ge and to begin behavior modification. During this initial stage, Mary was on an adult medical floor and treatment was unsuccessful. Mary was moved to an Ephebiatric Unit, next to Pediatrics. These units utilized the same specialized staff. A team was assembled for Mary, consisting of her psychiatrist, pediatrician, a dietitian, all nursing staff and a social worker. After six weeks of hospitalization, the only improvement was the stabilizing of her weight at 75 pounds. One winter day, several staff members "called in" due to severe weather conditions. The babies were all hungry and crying. Mary came into the Pediatric Unit and asked if she could assist in any way. This was the first positive emotional response the medical staff had seen. The head nurse asked her to help feed some of the toddlers. Mary was heard signing as the day progressed, and stayed on the unit until bed time. This was the beginning of her healing. There were some "ups and downs", but measurab!

The most beneficial treatment for bulimia nervosa seems to be cognitive therapy, family therapy and relaxation therapy. Admission to a hospital is usually undesirable unless the person is in "crisis". The patents life style should be keep calm with no unusual deviations from their normal pattern, such as holidays, trips, jobs associated with food (Aberham&Llewellyn-Jones 120).

Bulimic women are more outgoing, impulsive, and emotional than anorexic women. According to one theory, the cause of bulimia is that the parents have encouraged the child to eat when they are not hungry. Another suggestion is that food serves as a substitute for love (Harvard 7).

------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you identify a friend that has an eating disorder, don't hesitate to express your concern. The sooner the problem is identified the easier it is to correct. Voice your concerns without accusations, blame or blackmail. Encourage them to see a therapist and don't try to control their eating. Help with your love and friendship but not by you attempts to control their eating. Allow your friend to be responsible for their behavior. Do not treat them as an invalid. Be a friend but don't try to be a therapist. Let your friend work through their eating problems, you cannot do it for them. Show that you value the relationship and wont allow the difficulties to destroy it. Listen and communicate regularly (Moorey 90).

Since anorexic patients are usually living with their parents when the symptoms develop, physiotherapists u

Some common words found in the essay are:
Eating Disorders, , Pediatric Unit, Unit Pediatrics, eating disorders, anorexia nervosa, weight control, harvard 7, symptoms develop, eating disorder, family therapy relaxation, mary pediatric unit, food aberham&llewellyn-jones, control eating, family therapy, bulimia nervosa,
Approximate Word count = 1723
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)