Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are a group of mental disorders that interfere with normal food consumption. They may lead to serious health problems and, in the case of both bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa, even death. The major recognized eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge eating disorder. "Over one person's lifetime, at least 50,000 individuals will die as a direct result of their eating disorder" (Tabah).
Bulimia nervosa is more common than anorexia and it usually begins early in adolescence. It is characterized by cycles of bingeing and purging. Bulimia is often triggered when young women attempt restrictive diets, fail, and react by binge eating. (Binge eating involves consuming amounts of food within a two-hour period that is larger than average portions.) In response to the binges, patients compensate, usually by purging, by vomiting, by using enemas, or by taking laxatives, diet pills, or drugs to reduce fluids. Patients then......
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