Eating disorders are becoming more prevalent throughout society as media has begun to influence how women and men perceive themselves. There are also instances where anorexia or bulimia is developed due to a mental instability that a person may have been born with. Either way, these two disorders can be quite detrimental to the human body and require immediate attention to ensure the survival of the affected individual.
The Similarities Between Anorexia and Bulimia
There are many similarities between these two eating disorders due to the fact that they are closely linked to the same cause – the fear of being severely overweight and the need to combat this fear by becoming severely malnourished and thin. The main similarity between these two disorders is that they can be incredibly harmful to the livelihood of the patient and they can disrupt the daily lives of the sufferers and their close friends and family. With the dysfunctional behavior that is experienced via both anorexia and bulimia, both of these diseases result in a disturbance in eating behavior.
What is Anorexia?
Anorexia, often referred to as Anorexia Nervosa, is when an individual refuses to maintain a normal and healthy weight. They maintain an incredibly low amount of body fat by refusing to eat meals on a daily basis. The mental component of anorexia pertains to an extreme fear of becoming fat, even if the individuals are incredibly underweight. Unfortunately, sufferers of this disease have a personally distorted view of themselves as they will see themselves as being fat, even if they aren’t.
What is Bulimia?
Also known as Bulimia Nervosa, bulimia is slightly different from anorexia, even though they are caused by the same factors associated with gaining weight. Sufferers of bulimia will binge eat (consume massive amounts of food) and then purge the food once they have ingested it. The majority of individuals who suffer from bulimia eat outrageous amounts of food and then force themselves to vomit once they have concluded eating. There have also been cases where individuals will take an ample amount of laxatives to remove the food from their system.
If you or a close friend or family member is suffering from one of these eating disorders, it is advised that you seek psychiatric assistance immediately. With the help of cognitive behavioral therapy, individuals will not have to live with the burden of either anorexia or bulimia.
