Depression and Eating Disorders, Essay Example

What is anorexia nervosa? How does it differ from bulimia nervosa?

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder usually defined to be related to self-belief that one should not consume so much food to avoid weight gain. On the other hand, bulimia nervosa is characterized by one’s overeating and later on finding ways to specifically rid one’s self off from the said intake of food. Noticeably, medical experts treating individuals with bulimia nervosa often relate the situation to the individuals developing particular psychiatric disorders; while people with anorexia nervosa are often found to have a definite sense of determined desire to avoid weight gain.

Who is more likely to suffer from these eating disorders? Why?

Individuals allowing themselves to be affected by the media-presentation of beauty and fitness are often the ones to incur this particular disorder. In the same manner, people in the entertainment industry; who are supposed to keep themselves looking good might also take the need to follow a diet-routine that would be easier for them to keep their weight at a level therefore imposing the condition on themselves to not eat so much to the point of starving themselves.

What are the causes contributing to anorexia nervosa?

Media presentations of fitness and health often create a wrong notion over being healthy. Because of these presentations, the mind of the individuals involved in the said notion is given the idea that they should control their weight [through their food intake] in order to remain fit and to be coined as ‘healthy’ or ‘beautiful’ (Swinbourne, 2007).

What are the consequences of eating disorders?

Health problems as well as psychiatric issues often arise. Individuals developing such problems often catch themselves having a hard time improving their weight later on in life as several ailments such as peptic ulcer and other digestive system-related issues develop through time.

How can one diagnose eating disorders?

Physical symptoms might be obvious enough [especially that the situation is related to weight loss and stagnant weight development]; nonetheless, there is also a huge indication of the problem when the persons involved are psychologically affected by the situation which could usually be observed by family members (Crane, et al, 2007). When a patient comes in with particular physical symptoms of such condition, an interview regarding the matter could be pursued, thus making an implicative examination on whether or not does have anorexia nervosa.

What are the treatment and support for a person who has eating disorders?

Mind over matter; this principle often applies to treating situations such as this one especially that the patients are treated to have particular problems on how they view the real meaning of being healthy and being cautious about their weight. Most often than not, it is the condition of thinking that should be fixed first before any physical condition and abnormalities could be resolved (Casper, 1998). Therapy sessions as well as supporting medication or nutrient-supplement applications could be used to treat the patient developing or experiencing anorexia nervosa. Considerably, nurses and doctors dealing with such individuals ought to take note of the fact that when it comes to enduring such time for recovery, the patient should be given the chance to realize the situation, accept the mistakes done through the years and should be willing to change the attitude; this process may take time but is often successful when given particular chance of development.

References

Crane AM, Roberts ME, Treasure J (2007). “Are Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Traits Associated with a Poor Outcome in Anorexia Nervosa? A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials and Naturalistic Outcome Studies”. International Journal of Eating Disorders 40 (7): 581–8.

Casper RC (1998). “Depression and eating disorders“. Depression and Anxiety 8 (Suppl 1): 96–104.

Swinbourne JM, Touyz SW (2007). “The co-morbidity of eating disorders and anxiety disorders: a review”. European Eating Disorders Review : the Journal of the Eating Disorders Association 15 (4): 253–74.