Adolescent Eating Disorders Essay - 1670 Words

Adolescent Eating Disorders With children as early as age 7 showing dissatisfaction with their body, and as young as 9 starting dieting, eating disorders are a serious issue in our society. Taking a look at perceptions, behaviors, and medical issues associated with the disorders of anorexia and bulimia, scholars have tried to categorize and find answers to the problems which certain adolescents suffer. In this paper I focused on the two major eating disorders of anorexia and bulimia. In 1978, Brunch called anorexia nervosa a new disease and noted that the condition seemed to overtake ?the daughters of the well-to-do, educated and successful families.? Today it is acknowledged and accepted that anorexia affects more than†¦show more content†¦The list goes on and on. The truth is that it is not known why the disorder begins or what each individual experiences while consumed with these disorders, but we do know that recovery is possible. A supportive friend and family base, along with education in early childhood seems to be a logical step in the right direction. The inaccurate obsession with food seems to be the cause of bulimia; however, the inaccurate obsession with weight seems to be the cause of anorexia. A majority of research suggest that the media is responsible for this, due to the fact they idolize the thin, slender figure. For bulimics, the delight of binging comes at the cost of extreme guilt which can only be resolved by purging; a never ending cycle. For anorexics, these thin messages on the media can make them feel shameful and hate to look at their own body, which makes food the sworn enemy. In one research article it was proposed that individuals with an external locus of control (believing that their lives are determined by outside forces such as fate and other people) were found to exhibit more of the bulimic and anorexic traits than those individuals who had an internal locus of control (believing that one controls his/her own fate) (Fouts and Vaughn, 2002). There are two sides to the issues of participating in sports. Some individuals who participate in sportsShow MoreRelatedEating Disorders in Adolescents1468 Words   |  6 PagesEating is a basic survival behavior. To many people eating is a way of life, brining families together, creating relationships and bonds between people and is an expression of feelings and emotions. But there are negative aspects to food as well, such as obesity and other eating disorders. 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An effective definition of eating disorders, as they are evident in school surroundings, describes victim of eating disorder as being extensively anxious and conscious about food, weight, and body shape. This results in being engaged in strange eating behaviors (Gowers Bryant-Waugh, 2004). This paper seeks to investigate the effects of eating disorders on adolescents