Bulimia and Its Effects on Society

In today's society many teens are concerned about having the perfect body. Of course, this means being thin like the young Britney Spears or elegant Julia Roberts. The problem, however, is that teens are increasingly risking their physical and mental health in order to be thin. Why? The answer lies in front of us every time we turn on the television, flip through a Cosmopolitan magazine, or listen to the radio. People are striving to be thin because the media expects them to be thin. According to Professor Nathanson, \"the media plays an important part in the predisposition, precipitation and perpetuation of eating disorders.\" (Net Doctor)

Having an eating disorder can be a devastating and crippling disease. Many females, especially those between the ages of ten to thirty years old, are unaware that the media is a powerful factor in the development of an eating disorder. The national eating disorder association states,

"media images that help to create cultural

definitions of beauty and attractiveness are

often acknowledged as being among those factors contributing to the rise of eating disorders." (N.E.D.A.)

A lot of females get wrapped up in the media frenzy. What people need to understand is that the media has special techniques to make some body that looks descent to making somebody look beautiful. In reality they should realize that nobody is perfect and every one is unique in their own way.

Two common eating disorders are Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa. Anorexia is a disorder in which people limit the amount of food they eat and take diet pills or exercise excessively to not gain weight. However, unlike anorexia, Bulimia is characterized by the cycle of binging followed by purging. Bulimia includes eating large amounts of food more than most people would consume in one meal. In a short period of time, they get rid of the food through vomiting or the use of laxatives. When binging occurs a person will feel no control over the food.

"You may then feel very guilty or have an

intense fear of gaining weight, so you purge

what you have just eaten in an attempt to control

weight gain." (WebMD Health)

By doing this there task will be accomplished therefore they will feel better about themselves. On the contrary, these signs then to lead to diagnosis of Bulimia.

To this day, the cause of Bulimia is never really understood. However, researchers believe it to be a set of stress related triggers. Such examples like breaking up

with a boyfriend or girlfriend, starting a new school, dealing with a death or just having low self-esteem about the way you look.

The first step to getting help with Bulimia is recognizing a problem exists. Telling somebody either a member of the family or a relative would be the next step. After these steps are complete, the next is to cure the problem, which can be accomplished several different ways.

One way is to join a support group in which stay with people that share the same eating disorder, which is usually led by a counselor or a person who once had the disorder but has now recovered. These groups give a chance for the person to see that they are not alone and there are others facing the same problem. It also gives them a chance to think about new ways of eating food and getting adjusted properly.

Another form of help is seeing a counselor, somebody that one can trust. A counselor is a person that most bulimic people need; supportive, kind and nonjudgmental. A counselor can help by learning to accept their feelings and

make necessary changes in which to improve your eating skills. They can do