An eating disorder

Anorexia Nervosa

An eating disorder is a mental disorder characterized by aberrant or illness-related eating patterns. This has an impact on an individual's ability to control their food intake. Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder are the three most common eating disorders. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by weight reduction. People with Anorexia Nervosa are usually underweight, yet they perceive themselves to be overweight, therefore they eat in small amounts. They only eat particular items and limit their food intake. Anorexia nervosa results in starvation as a result of limited food intake. It also results in suicide especially to women as those affected by the disorder frequently check their weight meaning that they are not comfortable with it. According to Heller, Tania “The death rate of young women with anorexia nervosa is twelve times that of young women without the illness (63)."

Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder which is characterized by repeated binge eating. Those affected take large amounts of food within a short period of time. They also “feel out of control during the episodes of bingeing” (Hellen, Tania 65). Due to the taking a large amount of food those with the illness responds to the intake by having excessive exercise, they force themselves to vomit, fast, or the use of diuretics. Bulimia nervosa causes weight fluctuations. A person with bulimia may be either low weight, normal weight or slightly overweight (Hellen, Tania 66). It can also affect the self-esteem of the affected especially when they feel out of control during the binge episodes.

Binge-eating Disorder

Binge-eating disorder is an eating disorder associated with frequent loss of control of a person over his or her eating habits. People with the binge-eating disorder usually take large amounts of eating which is not followed by behavior like excessive eating, forced vomiting, fasting among others. In most cases, binge-eating results in obesity of the affected.

Work cited

Heller, Tania. Eating Disorders: A Handbook for Teens, Families and Teachers. McFarland, 2003.