After gradually reducing her food intake to a few vegetables a day and then adding a vigorous exercise program, she still feels "fat" and plans to continue dieting. Mary has been having difficulty sleeping, has at times been depressed, and no longer has regular periods. She is socially inactive, but she is very successful academically. Mary does not regard herself as ill or needing treatment." (Myers, Psychology pg. 432).
Mary suffers from anorexia nervosa, a condition where a person becomes significantly underweight by limiting food intake considerably. Even when emaciated, the person feels as though they are over weight and so they often exercise more and eat less, to the point where it becomes an obsession. Therefore, anorexia is a disorder that is not only a physical illness but also stems from an underlying mental disorder. A person suffering from this illness must not only seek medical help, but should also seek psychological counseling. Girls with anorexia can.
skip, or no longer have, their menstrual cycle, which can lead to problems with conceiving later on in life. The disease not only causes deterioration of internal.
organs, such as the lining of the stomach, but also can be deadly by causing conditions such as heart failure. .
Bulimia nervosa, on the other hand, is a disorder marked by repeated episodes of overeating followed by forcefully vomiting, laxative use, fasting or excessive exercise. Most binge-purge eaters are women in their late teens or early twenties. Their depression and shame are felt most intensely during and following binges.
"Alice is a five-foot nine inch seventeen year old who weighs one hundred and sixty pounds and says that she has always been a little chubby. For the last five years, she has often eaten in binges, followed by vomiting. She will eat a quart of ice cream or an entire pie and then, to control her weight, make herself vomit in secret.