Living with an eating disorder Flashcards
Eating Disorder 1—Anorexia Nervosa; what is anorexia nervosa?
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder where a person does not eat enough food to maintain a healthy body weight.
When a person is anorexia what happens?
When a person is anorexic, the number of calories being burned is greater than the number of calories being consumed. However, even when they are extremely thin, someone with anorexia views themselves as fat and work hard to lose more weight.
How do people with anorexia see themselves?
Have you ever been in a fun house with distorted mirrors? If you walk in front of one, the mirror makes it look like you weigh 100 pounds more than you do. What about the “fat app” where you can take a picture of someone’s face and distort it so that they appear to have gained weight? All of these distortions are truly how people with anorexia view themselves when they look in the mirror.
Signs and Symptoms of anorexia
- Extreme weight loss
- Slowed heart rate and breathing
- Dry skin
- Lowered body temperature
- In females, the loss of their menstrual period
Health Risks of anorexia:
People with anorexia can starve to death because they are not providing their bodies with the necessary nutrients needed to sustain life. In some cases, a lack of essential minerals causes the heart to stop suddenly, leading to death.
Possible Causes of anorexia
- Low self-esteem
- A strong desire to please others
- Attempting to take control of one’s life
Treatment for anorexia
Often, people with anorexia deny that there is a problem. Therefore, they need to be encouraged to get help—such help can be found at the hospital. Medical staff work together to regulate an individual’s eating habits while a team of mental health doctors address emotional problems that could be causing the illness.
Eating Disorder #2—Bulimia; what is bulimia?
Bulimia is a disorder where a person goes on an uncontrolled eating binge followed by purging, or removing, the food from their body. They purge the food by making themselves vomit.
How do people with bulimia view themselves?
People suffering from bulimia view themselves in a distorted fashion—they see themselves as much heavier than they really are. People with bulimia believe that consuming the calories before purging will allow their body to maintain the necessary nutrients needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Signs and Symptoms of bulimia
- Binge Eating
- Purging
- Going to the bathroom after each meal
- Continually excusing themselves from the dinner table before everyone else
Health Risks of bulimia
- Dehydration
- Kidney damage
- Lack of necessary vitamins and minerals
- Stomach acid in the throat burning the inside of the esophagus and inside the mouth causing erosion of the enamel on teeth
Possible Causes of bulima
similar to the causes of anorexia
Treatment for bulima
Individuals are often too ashamed of their behavior to seek help because they know what they are doing to their bodies; however, they are unable to control their behaviors. Encourage the individual to seek the help of a mental-health professional. There are many effective treatments for bulimia.
Eating Disorder #3—Binge Eating, what is binge eating?
Binge eating disorder is when a person regularly has an uncontrollable urge to eat large amounts of foods. Binge eaters cannot stop eating even when they are full.
Signs and Symptoms of binge eating
- Eating large amounts of food in one sitting
- Eating often
