starving for perfection
In today?s society, where physical characteristics are used to measure beauty and success, people are willing to push their bodies to extremes to achieve physical perfection. As an overweight woman, I may be considered a failure of society?s beauty test. However, my high self-esteem and acceptance of my body allows me to not be disturbed by what, to some, may seem as a sign of failure. Unfortunately, there are people whose desire to be accepted by society causes them to develop eating disorders. The two most common are called anorexia and bulimia (WebMD.Com Eating 1). The Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders, association (ANRED), states ?Anorexia and bulimia affect primarily people in their teens and twenties, but clinicians report both disorders in children as young as six and individuals as old as seventy-six? (ANRED Statistics 1). Anorexia and bulimia are both serious eating disorders with differences and similarities in their symptoms, diagnosis, causes, treatments and prognosis.Although anorexia and bulimia share many of the same symptoms, they also have many differences. ?About half of people with anorexia also have symptoms of bulimia? (MayoClinic.Com 2). According to the American
similarities, each disorder has its own unique characteristics. A major symptom of bulimia is binging and purging. Bulimics practice binging, eating large amounts of food at one time, and purging, causing themselves to vomit, or defecate, in an attempt to prevent weight gain (Reyes 1). Anorexics, however, restrict their diets and starve themselves in attempt to stay thin and if possible, lose more weight (?Anorexia Nervosa? 1) American Anorexia Bulimia Association, Inc. (AABA) Web Site. Anorexia Nervosa. 2 Jun. 2001. .WebMd.Com. What Causes Eating Disorders? March 1999. 2 Jun. 2001. .and therefore, fail to properly diagnose males with these disorders (ANRED Males 1). However, men are just as affected by societies demand for the perfect body. Colleen Rush of Dr.Drew.Com writes, ??of the 5 million Americans who suffer from eating disorders, approximately 10 percent--or 500,000--are men? (Rush 1). Anorexics are usually very thin, with a body weight that is 15% below their required body weight. However, in addition to assessing their physical appears, doctors must also perform an Eating Attitudes Test (EAT) and an Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) to determine if a patient is truly anorexic and not afflicted with a psychological disorder (?Anorexia Nervosa? 4). Bulimia may be harder to diagnose because bulimics may not be visibly underweight and may even be overweight (AABA Bulimia 1). Doctors must perform complete physical exams to rule out other disease as the first step in determining if a person has bulimia (?Bulimia Nervosa? 2). Additionally they must be able to recognize the obvious symptoms: most reliable sources estimate that 40-60% of anorexics will make a good physical and social recovery, and 75% will gain weight. The long-term mortality rate is estimated at about 10%. The most frequent cause of death in anorexics is starvation, electrolyte imbalance, heart failure, and suicide (?Anorexia Nervosa? 5). According to The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, anorexia has the highest mortality rate of all psychiatric disorders (?Anorexia Nervosa? 2). Bulimia can be chronic and lead to serious health problems, including seizures, irregular heartbeat, and thin bones. Unlike anorexia, people die as a result of bulimia in rare cases. Early detection and treatment can effectively manage the disorder and help bulimics look forward to a normal life (?Bulimia Nervosa? 3). Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders, Inc. (ANRED) Web Site. Treatment and Recovery. 1998. 2 Jun. 2001 .?Bulimia Nervosa.? The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. Ed. D. Olendorf, C. Jeryan, and K. Boyden. 1999. 2 Jun. 2001.
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1888
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
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