Eating Disorders

2 Pages 497 Words

What causes eating disorders?
What causes an average person to have an eating disorder? What are the main factors to diagnosis a person with an eating disorder? How can you know what the symptoms are to an eating disorder? These questions are asked frequently to doctors, and nurses with many different explanations as answers about eating disorders. “Among young females, 1% to 3% has bulimia, and 1% has anorexia.” Among young males, 5% to 15% are susceptible to getting an eating disorder (Harris, 24). Diagnosis of eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia, are unpredictable and there is no “for sure” way to get rid of this increasing problem. There are many theories and no simple answers to why covers everyone with this problem. Eating disorders are said to stem from a strong feeling of need or pain, increased stress or depression, low self esteem, and societies image of a perfect body.
A potential factor that may cause an eating disorder is from an intense feeling of self-inflicting pain and the need to improve. With anorexia, a person inflicts pain onto their self by not eating normal meals, not eating at all, extreme exercise, and misusage of diet pills. A human body requires certain nutrients in order to function properly; and with starvation caused by anorexia, the body lacks nutrients. Therefore, the body feeds of itself in order to be able to function, which causes a person to lose weight. Also, the type of personality a person has may also make them more susceptible to get an eating disorder. People who are perfectionists, hard working, and pleasing are more likely to have an eating disorder because of the need to perfect their own body. These types of people have an unrealistic expectation of themselves and in spite of their many achievements; they may feel inadequate, defective, and worthless. The world they see is black and white, with no shades of gray. Everything is good or bad, a success or a failure, fat or ...