What is Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa Tips and Differences

Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa are two very different eating disorders. One is self-starvation with life threatening consequences, while the latter is binging resulting in associated health problems.

Both are serious if left untreated, and both have manifested signs for tips in the behavior of either under or over eating. Anorexia has the potential twist of “overeating with a binge” at times.

Anorexia Nervosa is a mental illness manifested by a person who severely restricts food intake with the result of becoming extremely thin. These individuals have an intense fear of gaining weight.

When viewing themselves in a mirror, they have a distorted perception of their weight and body shape. They sincerely believe they are fat, although it is obvious to others they are not.

This practice of starvation is not new, but anorexia nervosa is more common today because thin is attractively in. More than 90 percent of cases are diagnosed in females and the mental disorder typically begins in the teenage years.

Bulimia Nervosa is an eating disorder with a persistent concern with body weight and shape. This concern leads to repeated episodes of binging.

Binging is consumption of large amounts of food in a short time followed by induced vomiting, laxatives, fasting, and/or excessive exercise for the purpose of controlling weight. However, bulimia alone does not cause severe weight loss.

Bulimia Nervosa can cause:

Bulimia usually develops during adolescence as a result of various psychological pressures. Our societies’ slimness emphasis is the most common pressure.

Sometimes bulimic behavior of binging coupled with vomiting is observed in individuals suffering from anorexia nervosa.

If you are a parent of a teenage girl, keep these tips of unusual eating behavior and distorted self perceptions in the back of your mind.

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