Bulimia and Anorexia:

A Compare and Contrast Essay

An eating disorder is a mental disorder in which a

person has a compelling need to starve, to binge, or to

binge and purge. In other words, they feel that they have

to stop eating or eat large amounts of food in short

periods of time and then remove all of the food from heir

bodies through vomiting, the use of laxatives, and

diuretics. There are two major types of eating disorder

that are prominent in teen girls. These are Bulimia and

Anorexia Nervosa. Although there are some things that all

eating disorders have in common, bulimia and anorexia are

also different in many ways.

The major thing that all eating disorders have in

common is their 5 major causes. The first cause of an

eating disorder is that some teens place too much of an

emphasis on their appearance. These people do not like the

way they look, which causes them to have an eating disorder

because they feel they need to change the way they look.

The second cause of eating disorders is that some teens are

uncomfortable with their bodies when they develop secondary

sex characteristics. These people, especially girls, notice

that their body is changing and growing and they develop an

eating disorder trying to make their body change back to

the way it was before. The third cause of an eating

disorder is that some teens are perfectionists. These

people see their body and think that their weight is wrong

and their body isn’t perfect, so they develop an eating

disorder trying to make their body perfect. The fourth

cause of an eating disorder is that some teens feel they

have no control over their lives. They develop an eating

disorder because they feel that the only thing they can

control is how much, when, and what kind of food they eat

and don’t eat. The final cause of an eating disorder is

that the person feels they are not able to express their

emotions. This causes them to develop an eating disorder

because they either turn to food for comfort or turn away

from food when they are overcome by emotion.

Bulimia is an eating disorder in which a person

binges, eat a lot of food in a short time, and then purges,

uses laxatives and diuretics to get the food out of their

body. Teens with bulimia have tooth decay, sore gums, water

loss, impaired bowel movement, and an increase in blood

pressure. They are often females between the ages of 15 and

24, have normal weight, realize they have a problem, have a

desire to eat, are outgoing and social, have irregular

periods, and are likely to seek help when confronted.

 Anorexia is an eating disorder in which a person

starves themselves and weighs 15% or more below desirable

body weight. People with anorexia are often dehydrated and

constipated, and have hair loss, organ damage, impaired

immune systems, and hormonal changes. Teens with anorexia

are often girls between the ages of 14 and 18. They are

very thin, deny they have a problem, withdraw from others,

have no menstrual periods, and resist being treated.