Free sample essay on Eating Disorders:
Eating disorders have become very prevalent in the United States, as well as all over the world. People deal with dieting, exercise, and a slew of other options to try and lose weight, and sometimes it can spiral out of control. Eating disorders are viewed as illnesses that are associated with a change in eating behavior, harsh body image distortion, and a fixation with weight. There are three main types of eating disorders: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder, and since all three of these often times overlap, they all have similar causes and treatment methods.

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that causes people to starve themselves to death through the process of dramatically decreasing caloric intake. This particular eating disorder usually occurs during early to middle adolescence and is a lot more common among women than in men. A common misconception is that anorexia is due to a person’s decrease in appetite, yet the victim’s appetite is normal at first, and only decreases due to prolonged periods of lack of food. Symptoms of anorexia nervosa include significant weight loss, the refusal to preserve a lowest standard body weight, the loss of menstruation, dry skin, a sickly complexion, and a severe fear of gaining weight. Continue Reading »