Anorexia and Bulimia

Presented by: Chioma and Ifeoma Ekeomodi

August 15, 2010
What is Anorexia?
 Anorexia nervosa is characterized by an irrational dread of
becoming fat coupled with a relentless pursuit of thinness.
People with anorexia go to extremes­to reach and maintain a
dangerously low body weight. But no matter how much
weight is lost, no matter how emaciated they become, it’s
never enough. The more the scale dips, the more obsessed
they become with food, dieting, and weight loss.
Who does Anorexia affect?
 It can affect anyone but is mostly seen in teenage girls; in
some cases as young as 12, mostly between 13-20
 This doesn’t mean that boys or older adults don’t suffer from
the effects of anorexia as well
Major causes are:
 Biological (in their genetics)
 Psychological (they’re perfectionists to the extreme)
 Family/ Social Pressure ( following what the media tells them
to look like)
 Other causes include:
body dissatisfaction, low self- esteem, and/ or a history
of child abuse

***The main reason people turn to anorexia is because they feel

they are losing control of their life so control the only thing
they feel they can…Eating***
Some signs and symptoms are:
 Dieting despite being thin and obsessing over calories etc.
 Pretending to eat, lying about eating, or strange/ secretive
eating habits
-ex. Refusing to eat in public
 Dramatic weight loss, fixation on body image, and denying
being too thin
Where anorexia hits:
What is Bulimia?
 Bulimia, a.k.a. bulimia nervosa is characterized by episodes of
binge-eating followed by inappropriate methods of weight
control (purging).
Other methods of weight control include: vomiting,
fasting, excessive use of laxatives, or compulsive exercising.

◦ A binge is an episode where an individual loses control and eats a much

larger amount of food than most people would in a similar situation-> this
leads to a short-lived calmness-> followed by self-loathing.
 The cycle is obsessive and repetitive.
Major causes of Bulimia:
 It is not hunger but rather:
◦ Depression
◦ Stress
◦ Low self- esteem
◦ Feelings of helplessness
◦ Fear of becoming fat

**Like anorexia those that suffer from bulimia feel

that they have no control so try to control what they
eat in an extreme way**
How Bulimia effects the body:
What Started This Strive
For “Perfection?”
The Media: magazines,
TV., movies, the internet
-All of these tell us to be what
we are not, that being skinny
will make us happy.
This is the reality of it:

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