i do NOT support either anorexia or bulimia. these are SERIOUS issues, and if worst comes to worst, you NEED to see a dietician and a therapist who can help you get back on track with your life. i do not claim to have any prior medical knowledge about either anorexia and/or bulimia.
WHAT THEY ARE:
- - Anorexia nervosa is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes an eating disorder characterized by low body weight and body image distortion with an obsessive fear of gaining weight. Individuals with anorexia are known to commonly control body weight through the means of voluntary starvation, purging, vomiting, excessive exercise, or other weight control measures, such as diet pills or diuretic drugs. It primarily affects adolescent females, however approximately 10% of people with the diagnosis are male. Anorexia nervosa is a complex condition, involving psychological, neurobiological, and sociological components.
-Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterised by recurrent binge eating, followed by compensatory behaviors, referred to as "purging".[1] The most common form—practised more than 75% of people with bulimia nervosa—is self-induced vomiting; fasting, the use of laxatives, enemas, diuretics and overexercising are also common.
THE FACTS:
ANOREXIA NERVOSA
- 1. Refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height (e.g., weight loss leading to maintenance of body weight less than 85% of that expected; or failure to make expected weight gain during period of growth, leading to body weight less than 85% of that expected).
2. Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming obese.
3. Disturbance in the way in which one's body weight or shape is experienced, undue influence of body weight or shape on self-evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of the current low body weight.
4. The absence of at least three consecutive menstrual cycles (amenorrhea), in women who have had their first menstrual period but have not yet gone through menopause (postmenarcheal, premenopausal females).
TYPES OF ANOREXIA NERVOSA:
- -Restricting Type: during the current episode of anorexia nervosa, the person has not regularly engaged in binge-eating or purging behavior (that is, self-induced vomiting, over-exercise or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas)
-Binge-Eating Type or Purging Type: during the current episode of anorexia nervosa, the person has regularly engaged in binge-eating OR purging behavior (that is, self-induced vomiting, over-exercise or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas).
THE AFTERMATH (EFFECTS)
1. Extreme weight loss
2. Body mass index less than 17.5 in adults, or 85% of expected weight in children
3. Stunted growth
4. Endocrine disorder, leading to cessation of periods in girls (amenorrhoea)
5. Decreased libido; impotence in males
6. Starvation symptoms, such as reduced metabolism, slow heart rate (bradycardia), hypotension, hypothermia and anemia
7. Abnormalities of mineral and electrolyte levels in the body
8. Thinning of the hair
9. Growth of lanugo hair over the body
10. Constantly feeling cold
11. Zinc deficiency
12. Reduction in white blood cell count
13. Reduced immune system function
14. Pallid complexion and sunken eyes
15. Creaking joints and bones
16. Collection of fluid in ankles during the day and around eyes during the night
17. Tooth decay
18. Constipation
19. Dry skin
20. Dry or chapped lips
21. Poor circulation, resulting in common attacks of 'pins and needles' and purple extremities
22. In cases of extreme weight loss, there can be nerve deterioration, leading to difficulty in moving the feet
23. Headaches
24. Brittle fingernails
25. Bruising easily
BULIMIA NERVOSA
1. Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following:
Eating, in a fixed period of time, an amount of food that is definitely larger than most people would eat under similar circumstances.
A lack of control over eating during the episode: a feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how much one is eating.
2. Recurrent inappropriate compensatory behavior to prevent weight gain, such as: self-induced vomiting; misuse of laxatives, diuretics or other medications; fasting; excessive exercise.
3. Self-evaluation is unduly influenced by body shape and weight.
TYPES OF BULIMIA NERVOSA:
- Purging bulimia is the more common of the two and involves self-induced vomiting (which may include use of emetics such as syrup of ipecac) and self-induced purging (which may include use of laxatives, diuretics and enemas) to rapidly remove food from the body before it can be ingested.
- Non-purging bulimia, which occurs in only approximately 6%-8% of cases, which involves excessive exercise or fasting after a binge to offset the caloric intake after eating. Purging-type bulimics may also exercise or fast, but as a secondary form of weight control.
THE AFTERMATH (EFFECTS)
1. Perimolysis, or the erosion of tooth enamel by gastric acids.
2. Oral trauma, where habitual insertion by fingers or other objects cause lacerations to the lining of the mouth and throat.
3. Chronic gastric reflux after eating.
4. Esophagitis, or irritation of the esophagus by frequent contact with gastric acids.
5. Dehydration and hypokalemia due to loss of fluids and potassium depletion.
6. Swollen salivary glands
WHY YOU SHOULD STOP NOW
it is not worth it. plain and simple. being ana/mia destroys your body. it is UNHEALTHY. as a person who has had troubles with both over the course of my life, i can tell you from experience:
IT. IS. NOT. WORTH. IT.
all you are doing is destroying your body. you are ruining yourself from the inside out. you may feel like you are not 'pretty' or 'thin' enough, but the truth is; everyone is different. the numbers on the scale are irrelevant. you are who you are, and becoming so skinny you quit having your period (or become infertile, in the case of men) is NOT the way to get people to like you. the long term effects are horrible. your hair will fall out. your teeth will rot right out of your mouth. if your friends find out about it, you will lose them. so many people i know disrepespect people who are bulimic or anorexic. not only that, if your parents find out what you are doing (as they did in my case), THEY WILL SEND YOU TO A MENTAL HOSPITAL. they will slam you in therapy so fast your head will spin. beyond that, you can DIE.
that's right.
YOU. CAN. DIE.
in the case of anorexia, you can become so malnourished that your body becomes unable to fight off diseases. a cold that you would have been normally able to fight off? it can kill you. an infected sore? it can kill you. a sinus infection? it can kill you.
as for bulimia; taking laxitives can kill you. you can lose so much unwanted things while getting rid of what you are aiming to get rid of you can die. basically, you'd be crapping out blood and guts. not what you want. taking syrup of ipecac can make you throw up so much you end up puking up blood - and then you will die. it can basically turn your stomach inside out - not healthy. and don't think that you are being sneaky. your teeth? they come into contact with that stomach acid. i know many people who have been to the dentist, and the dentist sees that telltale sign - that worn down enamel on the back of your teeth. bam. your secret is out.
the bottom line is: this is unhealthy, and you need to stop. right. now. before you destroy your body any further than you already have.
and if you are THINKING about becoming anorexic or bulimic, let me tell you something - it is nearly impossible to just 'become' anorexic or bulimic. it is a MENTAL DISORDER. that means there is something wrong with the hormones in your brain. you do not just wake up one day and decide you are going to purge. that is not how it happens.
just to show you how dangerous anorexia and bulimia can really be, let me show you a few things:
that is what happens to your teeth.
it's not worth it.
REASONS TO QUIT
1. you will be healthier; you will feel MUCH better and have way more energy.
2. people will respect you for overcoming your disorder
3. you will look better; you will not have your ribcage sticking out
HOW TO QUIT
i am not telling you to one day just quit doing what you are doing. it is a gradual process. in the case of anorexia, i would suggest starting by eating little by little. if you have five carrot sticks one day, have six. or seven. or eat some potato chips. if everything else fails, GET HELP. tell your parents, or a friend. they will be able to help you and give you advice better than a website can. as for bulimia - i would suggest purging less each day. if you force yourself to throw up three times, do it two. and lower it until you don't do it at all. or, again, get help. get psychological help. because, if you really, truly do have these diseases, YOU NEED PSYCHOLOGICAL HELP. as much as you may hate it, you do. you NEED a psychologist. look one up in your phone book and call them. tell your parents. tell SOMEONE.
i'd also suggest getting rid of whatever is making you feel fat/ugly/etc. if you have pictures of skinny people on your walls or in your binders, throw them away. burn them. say a mantra in your head: 'i have the willpower to stop this.'
all i can say is; get psychological help. that is the only way you will really ever be able to defeat your disease.
i hope you've found this helpful, and maybe it will change a couple lives, too. (:
I got quoted.
