Comparing and Contrasting Bulimia and Anorexia
Many people often lump together eating disorders as one disease; however, people fail to realize that there are stark differences between bulimia and anorexia: while the symptoms of both may be similar, females and males both struggle differently, the causes of the two as well as their treatments are different.
The formal name deemed for anorexia is “anorexia nervosa” and affects 1% of the human population each year as reported by Tish Davidson and Heidi Splete in their article “Anorexia Nervosa” in the Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Health. (Differences between Female and Male Patients with Eating Disorders--results of a Multicenter Study on Eating Disorders) Excessive loss of muscle within a …show more content…
However, symptoms of bulimia are less dramatic than those of anorexia. Scars will appear on the hands of a bulimic from the constant rubbing of the hands on the teeth, and the tooth enamel will begin to erode. Depletion of chemicals naturally produced inside the body such as magnesium, sodium, and hydrochloride can cause electrolyte imbalances, which can lead to hypokalemia, an irregular rhythm of the heart, therefore resulting in …show more content…
A study by psychiatrist Daniel Carlat and epidemiologist Carlos Camargo Jr., “Eating Disorders in Males: A Report on 135 Patients” from January 1, 1980, to December 31, 1994, found that males who were homosexual made up 42% of bulimic men, and the remaining 58% were asexual. Women who contract bulimia tend to do so at an earlier age, generally around 14 years compared to men who contract it later in life, around 18 years of age.
Antidepressants are a common form of medication given to assist in the recovery of bulimia since it is closely linked to higher depression rates. Another great tool in the recovery both bulimics and anorectics is the process of cognitive-behavioral therapy. This therapy is similar to psychotherapy in that it works to “change dysfunctional, ingrained thought patterns that lead to dysfunctional behaviors”. (Ford-Martin and Lerner
Many people often lump together eating disorders as one disease; however, people fail to realize that there are stark differences between bulimia and anorexia: while the symptoms of both may be similar, females and males both struggle differently, the causes of the two as well as their treatments are different.
The formal name deemed for anorexia is “anorexia nervosa” and affects 1% of the human population each year as reported by Tish Davidson and Heidi Splete in their article “Anorexia Nervosa” in the Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Health. (Differences between Female and Male Patients with Eating Disorders--results of a Multicenter Study on Eating Disorders) Excessive loss of muscle within a …show more content…
However, symptoms of bulimia are less dramatic than those of anorexia. Scars will appear on the hands of a bulimic from the constant rubbing of the hands on the teeth, and the tooth enamel will begin to erode. Depletion of chemicals naturally produced inside the body such as magnesium, sodium, and hydrochloride can cause electrolyte imbalances, which can lead to hypokalemia, an irregular rhythm of the heart, therefore resulting in …show more content…
A study by psychiatrist Daniel Carlat and epidemiologist Carlos Camargo Jr., “Eating Disorders in Males: A Report on 135 Patients” from January 1, 1980, to December 31, 1994, found that males who were homosexual made up 42% of bulimic men, and the remaining 58% were asexual. Women who contract bulimia tend to do so at an earlier age, generally around 14 years compared to men who contract it later in life, around 18 years of age.
Antidepressants are a common form of medication given to assist in the recovery of bulimia since it is closely linked to higher depression rates. Another great tool in the recovery both bulimics and anorectics is the process of cognitive-behavioral therapy. This therapy is similar to psychotherapy in that it works to “change dysfunctional, ingrained thought patterns that lead to dysfunctional behaviors”. (Ford-Martin and Lerner