EATING DISORDERS

What are Eating Disorders?

 An eating disorder is when a person experiences severe disturbance
in eating behavior, such as extreme reduction of food intake or
overeating, of feelings of intense distress or concern about body
weight or shape.
 A person with an eating disorder may have started out just eating
smaller or larger amounts of food than usual, but at some point, the
urge to eat less or more spirals out of control.
 People with eating disorders are usually SECRETIVE about their
eating, purging or lack of eating.
There are two main kinds of eating disorders: Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia
Nervosa.

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Anorexia Nervosa has four diagnostic criteria:
1.- Refusal to maintain weight within a normal range for height and age (less than
85 percent of expected body weight).
2.- Intense fear of weight gain despite being underweight.
3.- Severe body image disturbance in which body image is the predominant
measure of self-worth with denial of the severity of the illness.
4.- In girls who have gone through puberty and have their period, absence of the
menstrual cycle for greater than three cycles.
There are two subtypes of anorexia nervosa: restricting and binge eating/
purging.
 People with the restricting subtype restrict their food intake to lose weight.
 People with the binge/purge subtype engage in binge eating or purging
behavior ( eg vomiting, laxatives).
 Either subtype may also use compulsive exercise to reduce their weight.
So someone with anorexia may induce vomiting and still be considered anorexic
(NOT bulimic) if he/she is 15 percent below ideal body weight.

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Bulimia Nervosa diagnostic criteria:
1.- Recurrent episodes of binge eating accompanied by a feeling of a lack of
control.
2.- Repeated behaviors to make up for eating normal or increased amounts of
food to prevent weight gain (vomiting, laxatives, fasting, excessive exercising).
3.- The binge eating and inappropriate compensatory behaviors occur at least
twice a week for three months.
4.- Dissatisfaction with body shape and weight.
There are two subtypes of bulimia nervosa: purging and no purging type:
o In the purging type, the person regularly engages in self-induced vomiting or
misuses laxatives / diuretics.
o In the no purging type, the person uses other strategies such as excessive
exercise or fasting.

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 Fa etc)

WHAT CAUSES EATING DISORDERS?

1.- It is unclear why eating disorder occur, but is likely related to the interaction of
numerous factors (psychological, biological, family, environmental).
2.- An individual may experience decreased self-esteem or self-control because of
pre-disposing factors and use dieting or weight loss to gain a sense of control.
3.- Our culture also projects unrealistic images of “ideal” bodies in magazines and
on television, and encourages women to try and achieve this ideal.
 Over one-half of teenage girls and nearly one-third often age boys use
unhealthy weight control behaviors such as skipping meals, fasting, smoking
cigarettes.
 42% of 1st-3rd grade girls want to be thinner and 81% of 10 years old are
afraid of being fat.
 46% of 9 – 11 year-olds are “sometimes” or “very often” on diets.

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4.- Several factors have been associated with the development of eating
disorders:
Dieting history.
Childhood preoccupations with a thin body and social pressure.
Sports in which leanness is emphasized or in which scoring is subjective
(ballet, running, gymnastics)
Some studies suggest a role for genetics.
Psychiatric problems are common in patients with eating disorders,
including depression, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and
substance abuse.
Family stress
Neurotransmitter imbalance.

5.- Predisposing factors that make a person more vulnerable to developing an

eating disorder.
 Female sex
 Family history of eating disorders
 Perfectionist personality (type A)
 Low self-esteem
 Feelings of inadequacy or lack of control in life
 Depression, anxiety, anger, or loneliness
 Troubled personal relationship
 Difficulty expressing emotions and feelings
 History of being teased or ridiculed based on size and weight.
 History of physical or sexual abuse.

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  Cultural pressures that glorify “thinness” and place value on obtaining
the perfect body.

COMPLICATIONS OF EATING DISORDERS

Many medical complications can occur from starvation or persistent purging:
a) Osteopenia (bone thinning), fractures.
b) Slowed growth
c) Heart problems (slow heart rate, low blood pressure, heart beat
irregularities)
d) Abdominal problems (nausea, bloating, constipation)
e) Dry skin, brittle hair and nails
f) Growth of fine hair all over body
g) Abnormal salts in the body
h) Dental erosion and enlarged salivary glands
i) Inflammation and possible rupture of the esophagus from frequent vomiting
j) Infertility with amenorrhea (no period)
k) Liver and kidney problems
l) Low body temperature
m) Seizures
n) Early death

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VOCABULARY

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Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions
given below it. Certain words are given in bold to help you locate
them while answering some of the questions
Eating disorders are mental disorders defined by abnormal eating habits that
negatively affect a person’s physical or mental health. They include binge eating
disorder where people eat a large amount in a short period of time, anorexia
nervosa where people eat very little and thus have a low body weight, bulimia
nervosa where people eat a lot and then try to rid themselves of the food, pica
where people eat non-food items, rumination disorder where people regurgitate
food, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder where people have a lack of interest
in food, and a group of other specified feeding or eating disorders. Anxiety
disorders, depression, and substance abuse are common among people with
eating disorders. Millions of people in the United States are affected by eating
disorders. More than 90% of those afflicted are adolescents or young adult women.
Although all eating disorders share some common manifestations, anorexia
nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating each have distinctive symptoms and
risks.

People who intentionally starve themselves (even while experiencing severe

hunger pains) suffer from anorexia nervosa. The disorder, which usually begins
around the time of puberty, involves extreme weight loss to at least 15% below the
individual’s normal body weight. Many people with the disorder look emaciated but
are convinced they are overweight. In patients with anorexia nervosa, starvation
can damage vital organs such as the heart and brain. To protect itself, the body
shifts into slow gear: Menstrual periods stop, blood pressure rates drop, and
thyroid function slows. Excessive thirst and frequent urination may occur.

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Dehydration contributes to constipation, and reduced body fat leads to lowered
body temperature and the inability to withstand cold. Mild anemia, swollen joints,
reduced muscle mass, and lightheadedness also commonly occur in anorexia
nervosa.

Anorexia nervosa sufferers can exhibit sudden angry outbursts or become socially
withdrawn. One in ten cases of anorexia nervosa leads to death from starvation,
cardiac arrest, other medical complications, or suicide. Clinical depression and
anxiety place many individuals with eating disorders at risk for suicidal behavior.

People with bulimia nervosa consume large amounts of food and then rid their
bodies of the excess calories by vomiting, abusing laxatives or diuretics, taking
enemas, or exercising obsessively. Some use a combination of all these forms of
purging. Individuals with bulimia who use drugs to stimulate vomiting, bowel
movements, or urination may be in considerable danger, as this practice increases
the risk of heart failure. Dieting heavily between episodes of binging and purging is
common.

Because many individuals with bulimia will binge and purge in secret and maintain
normal or above normal body weight, they can often successfully hide their
problem for years. But bulimia nervosa patients—even those of normal weight—
can severely damage their bodies by frequent binge eating and purging. In rare
instances, binge eating causes the stomach to rupture; purging may result in heart
failure due to loss of vital minerals such as potassium.

Vomiting can cause the oesophagus to become inflamed and glands near the
cheeks to become swollen. As in anorexia nervosa, bulimia may lead to irregular
menstrual periods. Psychological effects include compulsive stealing as well as
possible indications of obsessive-compulsive disorder, an illness characterized by
repetitive thoughts and behaviors. Obsessive compulsive disorder can also
accompany anorexia nervosa. As with anorexia nervosa, bulimia typically begins
during adolescence. Eventually, half of those with anorexia nervosa will develop
bulimia. The condition occurs most often in women but is also found in men.

Binge-eating disorder is found in about 2% of the general population. As many as

one third of this group are men. It also affects older women, though with less
frequency. Recent research shows that binge-eating disorder occurs in about 30%
of people participating in medically supervised weight-control programs. This
disorder differs from bulimia because its sufferers do not purge. Individuals with
binge-eating disorder feel that they lose control of themselves when eating. They
eat large quantities of food and do not stop until they are uncomfortably full. Most
sufferers are overweight or obese and have a history of weight fluctuations. As a
result, they are prone to the serious medical problems associated with obesity,

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such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Obese individuals
also have a higher risk for gallbladder disease, heart disease, and some types of
cancer. Usually they have more difficulty losing weight and keeping it off than do
people with other serious weight problems. Like anorexic and bulimic sufferers who
exhibit psychological problems, individuals with binge-eating disorder have high
rates of simultaneously occurring psychiatric illnesses, especially depression.

1.Fatalities occur in what percent of people with anorexia nervosa?

A. 2%
B. 10%
C. 15%
D. 25%
E. 30%

2.Which of the following consequences do all the eating disorders mentioned in the
passage have in common?
A. heart ailments
B. stomach rupture
C. swollen joints
D. diabetes
E. None of these

3.According to the passage, people with binge-eating disorder are prone to all of
the following except
A. loss of control.
B. depression.
C. low blood pressure.
D. high cholesterol.
E. None of these

4.Which of the following is not a statement about people with eating disorders?
A. People with anorexia nervosa commonly have a blood-related defficiency.
B. People with anorexia nervosa perceive themselves as overweight.
C. The female population is the primary group affected by eating disorders.
D. Fifty percent of people with bulimia have had anorexia nervosa.
E. None of these

5.People who have an eating disorder but nevertheless appear to be of normal

weight are most likely to have
A. obsessive-compulsive disorder.
B. bulimia nervosa.
C. binge-eating disorder.
D. anorexia nervosa.

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E. None of these

6.Glandular functions of eating-disorder patients slow down as a result of

A. lowering body temperatures.
B. excessive thirst and urination.
C. protective measures taken by the body.
D. the loss of essential minerals.
E. None of these

7.The inability to eliminate body waste is related to-

A. dehydration.
B. an inflamed esophagus.
C. the abuse of laxatives.
D. weight-control programs.
E. None of these

8.According to the passage, which of the following is true of bulimia patients?

A. They may demonstrate unpredictable social behavior.
B. They often engage in compulsive exercise.
C. They are less susceptible to dehydration than are anorexia patients.
D. They frequently experience stomach ruptures.
E. None of these

9.Choose the word which is opposite in meaning to the word ‘ Obsessive’ as used
in the passage.
A. passionate
B. abominating
C. feverish
D. frenetic
E. dogged

10.Choose the word which is most nearly the same in meaning to the word ‘
rupture’ as used in the passage.
A. hazard
B. snag
C. peril
D. menace
E. advantage

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