Eating disorders are a common concern among schoolchildren, particularly teenagers. They are a subject of afterschool specials, home economics classes, and celebrity gossip. Eating disorders are talked about quite frequently. What is not often discussed, however, is how students with these disorders manage them in the classroom.
There are three major eating disorders that pervade high schools across the nation: Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. These three conditions not only affect eating habits, but also impact the sufferer’s self-esteem and social interactions. The severe anxiety and stress associated with these disorders is a more concentrated version of the social pressures that many teenagers face already. …show more content…
Secondary symptoms due to low weight and malnutrition may occur as well, such as dizziness, fatigue, muscle atrophy, and sensitivity to cold. Anorexia is also characterized by obsessive behaviors such as self-stimulation, repetition of words, and a strong emotional response to the concept of fat. Treatment consists of extensive counseling, exercise, and a highly nutritious diet. If the anorexic patient is untreated for too long, a hospital stay with IV fluids may be necessary to bring glucose levels up before behavioral treatments can succeed (Lemberg, 1992).
Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia is a condition in which the patient eats regularly (or in some cases, binge eats), then later exhibits an extreme behavior that “purges” the food from the body (Ogden, 2010). The most common purging method is vomiting directly after the meal, but other methods include excessive exercise and laxatives. Like anorexia, bulimia is often linked to an obsession with body weight.
Historically, purging has been associated with medical treatments as far back as ancient Egypt, but the obsessive disorder in which a patient feels they must purge to stay thin was not documented until the early 1900s (Casper, 1983). At first, bulimic symptoms were simply considered part of anorexia nervosa, as some anorexic patients used vomiting as a method of weight control. It wasn’t until 1979 that bulimia nervosa was described as a unique condition …show more content…
These patients often skip breakfast and lunch in favor of a large dinner and multiple desserts or snacks after that (Allison et al., 2005). Sometimes, sufferers of night eating syndrome jolt awake in the middle of the night with a sudden urge to eat, or the belief that eating is the only way they will return to sleep.
Records of night eating syndrome date as early as 1955, but official diagnostic criteria do not currently exist. The disorder is listed under “Other Specific Eating or Feeding Disorder” in the DSM-5. Patients with night eating syndrome typically suffer from lack of sleep and many also suffer from depression (Thompson, 2004). Sleep deprivation and depression bring with them secondary symptoms including lack of alertness and motivation, poor social interactions, and the inability to focus. Night eating syndrome is also highly comorbid with
There are three major eating disorders that pervade high schools across the nation: Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. These three conditions not only affect eating habits, but also impact the sufferer’s self-esteem and social interactions. The severe anxiety and stress associated with these disorders is a more concentrated version of the social pressures that many teenagers face already. …show more content…
Secondary symptoms due to low weight and malnutrition may occur as well, such as dizziness, fatigue, muscle atrophy, and sensitivity to cold. Anorexia is also characterized by obsessive behaviors such as self-stimulation, repetition of words, and a strong emotional response to the concept of fat. Treatment consists of extensive counseling, exercise, and a highly nutritious diet. If the anorexic patient is untreated for too long, a hospital stay with IV fluids may be necessary to bring glucose levels up before behavioral treatments can succeed (Lemberg, 1992).
Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia is a condition in which the patient eats regularly (or in some cases, binge eats), then later exhibits an extreme behavior that “purges” the food from the body (Ogden, 2010). The most common purging method is vomiting directly after the meal, but other methods include excessive exercise and laxatives. Like anorexia, bulimia is often linked to an obsession with body weight.
Historically, purging has been associated with medical treatments as far back as ancient Egypt, but the obsessive disorder in which a patient feels they must purge to stay thin was not documented until the early 1900s (Casper, 1983). At first, bulimic symptoms were simply considered part of anorexia nervosa, as some anorexic patients used vomiting as a method of weight control. It wasn’t until 1979 that bulimia nervosa was described as a unique condition …show more content…
These patients often skip breakfast and lunch in favor of a large dinner and multiple desserts or snacks after that (Allison et al., 2005). Sometimes, sufferers of night eating syndrome jolt awake in the middle of the night with a sudden urge to eat, or the belief that eating is the only way they will return to sleep.
Records of night eating syndrome date as early as 1955, but official diagnostic criteria do not currently exist. The disorder is listed under “Other Specific Eating or Feeding Disorder” in the DSM-5. Patients with night eating syndrome typically suffer from lack of sleep and many also suffer from depression (Thompson, 2004). Sleep deprivation and depression bring with them secondary symptoms including lack of alertness and motivation, poor social interactions, and the inability to focus. Night eating syndrome is also highly comorbid with