... In this paper I will discuss two of the most prevalent eating disorders, anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. I will address the basic characteristics and implications of the risk factors involved as well as discuss what can be done to mitigate these factors through prevention and treatment.
Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are two of the most widely recognized forms of eating disorders (Mussell et. ... Anorexia nervosa is characterized by an intense fear of being fat and severe restriction of food intake to the point of self–starvation (Mussell et. ... Adverse health consequences of the disorder include cessation of menstruation, straining of the heart, bone loss and increased risk of death (Neumaker,2000 as cited by Passer and Smith). Bulimia nervosa sufferers on the other hand, endure recurrent episodes of binge eating accompanied by compensatory mechanisms (e. ... Although most bulimics are of normal bodyweight bulimia offers its own adverse health consequences such as severe gastric problems and badly eroded teeth.
The development of anorexia and bulimia is best described as a multi-factorial process for which many risk factors are involved (Mussell et. ... These risk factors are wide ranging and can be classified into two basic areas, namely sociocultural factors which include gender, thin-ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction, and the other being individual risk factors which incorporate personality and cognition components (Herman & Polivy,2002).
Sociocultural factors have been particularly salient for the development of both anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa (Striege-Moore et. ... Women and girls are ten times more likely than men and boys to develop anorexia and bulimia (Fairburn,1990 as cited in Mussell et. ... This ensures that gender as a sociocultural risk factor is a primary cause for the development of anorexia and bulimia (Mussell et. ... In turn, it also highlights the importance of determining further sociocultural factors that put women at risk.
Anorexia and bulimia are more common in industrialized countries where beauty is equated with “thinness” (Passer & Smith, 2001).
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