does anyone know anything about the risks of anorexia and bulimia?

Question

it is for a school project
no personal stories

Answer 1

What Is Bulimia?


Bulimia, like anorexia nervosa, is an eating disorder. Both begin as a psychological problem, but over time, they can bring very serious physical effects on the body and can even be fatal.

But while there are some similarities between these two eating disorders, they are separate problems. If you have anorexia, it's likely you will slowly starve yourself to lose weight, and you may even use other methods to try to help you lose even more. But if you have bulimia, you do eat -- and sometimes much more than usual in a short time, which is called a binge. Then you purge, or make yourself vomit or use diet pills, laxatives, or diuretics to keep all that food from making you gain weight.

These binge-and-purge episodes, typically happening at least twice a week for three months, is what makes bulimia separate from other eating disorders. The purging may serve two purposes: preventing weight gain and also temporarily relieving depression and other negative feelings.

Like anorexia, bulimia mostly afflicts young women. Because binge eating and purging are practiced in secret, the incidence of the disorder is uncertain, but researchers estimate that as many as one in five of all U.S. women in high school and college display at least temporary bulimic symptoms. The average age of onset is 18.

At a recent meeting hosted by the National Institutes of Health, experts determined they still have a lot to learn about how many people have bulimia and other eating disorders.

Bulimia can occur on its own or intermittently with anorexia. In the intermittent pattern -- which occurs in about one case out of five -- a young woman will not eat for some time, setting herself up for a binge; she may use appetite suppressants during the time she is not eating.

Remember that anorexia and bulimia may have some similar characteristics, but they are two different eating disorders. They may affect your personality in different ways. Anorexia usually causes you to suppress all urges, including sexual ones. But if you have bulimia, you tend to indulge your cravings and act on impulse. This could lead to drug use, engaging in sex with many partners, shoplifting, or binge buying.

A bulimic's overall health depends on how often she binges and purges. She may vomit occasionally (once a month) or very frequently (many times a day). The health consequences generally relate to the purging and not the binge eating. Physical repercussions include swelling of the stomach or pancreas, inflammation of the esophagus, enlarged salivary glands, and tooth decay and gum disease from vomiting stomach acids. Frequent vomiting also depletes the water and potassium in bodily tissues, causing abnormal heart rhythms, muscle spasms, and even paralysis. In severe cases, some of these physical problems can lead to death. Another danger is suicidal depression.

Bulimia is a real illness. Once it develops, you probably cannot control it without help. And although family or friends may think they are trying to help by warning you about your habits, such criticism usually isn't helpful on its own and may even contribute to unhappiness or being more secretive. Support from your family and friends can help, but you need professional treatment to get better.

What Causes It?

Pressures and conflicts within the family are thought to be the primary cause of this eating disorder. If you have bulimia, it's likely you're an overachiever and perfectionist and feel you can't live up to the expectations of your parents, family, or peers. You may have problems with self-esteem and often suffer from depression. Some people with bulimia have been physically or sexually abused as a child; about half of all bulimics report a history of abuse.

What Is Anorexia?


It's got a fancy Latin name: anorexia nervosa, "nervous want of appetite." It's a killer. One in 10 cases ends in death.

People with anorexia starve themselves by eating far too little food. Eventually they become dangerously thin -- yet they still see themselves as fat. People with this eating disorder may become so undernourished that they have to be hospitalized. Even then they often deny that anything is wrong with them.

Anorexia usually begins around the time of puberty. Nine out of 10 people with anorexia are female; one in 100 U.S. women is anorexic. Technically, anorexia is when a person eats so little that their weight drops at least 15% below normal body weight. There are 2 subtypes of anorexia. One type of anorexia is linked to another eating disorder, bulimia, in which people periodically go on eating binges and then force themselves to vomit the food they have eaten. The other subtype does not binge and vomit, but merely restricts the amount of food and calories taken in.

A person with anorexia becomes obsessed about food and weight. Some people develop strange eating rituals and may refuse to eat in front of other people. Many people with anorexia seem to care a lot about food. They may collect cookbooks and prepare sumptuous meals for their friends and families -- but they don't join in. Often the refusal to eat is paired with strict exercise regimens.

What Causes It?

Nobody knows why a particular person becomes anorexic. It is a psychological problem that has profound physical effects, including death. People with anorexia come to believe that their lives would be better if only they were thinner. These people tend to be perfectionists. The typical anorexic person is a good student involved in school and community activities. Many experts think that anorexia is part of an unconscious attempt to come to terms with unresolved conflicts or painful childhood experiences.

Answer 2

Both can prove to become fatal. By starving yourself with anorexia your stomach shrinks in size. You starve your body of nutrients, then it feeds on your fat cells, after your fat cells it feeds on your muscles (which become pretty much impossible to rebuild). Your bones become very brittle. Your energy is non-existent as your body has no glycogen levels. Your immune system becomes shot as you don't have the nutrients to power your cells to fight unwanted bacteria. There's just so many effects, its really a messy path to go down.

Answer 3

Well anorexia is a disorder when someone fears weight gain or is affraid of becoming fat, they slowly starve their bodys, even when a toothpick is bigger than they are they feel that they are fat, it is immpossible to cure it without proffecional help.
p.s. good luck on your project.

Answer 4

anorexia will take over ur mind..........u cant swallow food, and when u do, it comes right back up (bulemia)..... i know people think its silly, but its serious, and if u know anyone like it, then u need 2 get them help..if they get mad at first, theyll thank u later.......eating disorders are serious and its a hard habbit 2 break.........like smoking or drugs........u prolly need more help then this but.........

Answer 5

It is almost like an addiction
and slowly kills the body. It also very bad for your heart