Anorexia and Bulimia :: Causes of Bulimia, Eating Disorders

Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa"When she was fourteen, a modeling agency said that her slope was too fat.It was a death sentence." (Toronto Sun, 1994)     Sheena Carpenter died in November 1993. She was found on the kitchenfloor of her apartment by her mother. She was twenty-two course of instructions old. . . andweighed only liter pounds. Sheena was just one of the alarming numbers of youngwomen who become ghost with the shape and size of their bodies, and sufferharmful, or in this case, fatal effects from eating disorders. At any given time,al well-nigh one disclose of every two women is on about sort of a fare, and this statisticis on the face of it reflected the revenues of the diet industry, currently a $33billion a year industry. It should be noted that this estimate does not includeprofits generated by exercise or workout programs, gyms, health clubs, orcosmetic surgery.     A recent national survey in the US reveled that the majority of women,when asked what would work out them happiest, choose editness over all other choices,even much(prenominal) thing as job promotion, romance, prestige and power. In fact, morewomen feared turn fat, then feared dying. These statistics revel an alarmingsocial problem that is reaching larger-than-life proportions.Although the topic of eating disorders has gained a larger audiencewithin the put up decade, the number of cases of eating disorders continues torise at a resounding rate. right away many scientists are looking into possible fronts for the onset of an eating disorder. The most prevalent and influencingfactor is the media and societys view. They act as a controlling armorial bearing forsusceptible individuals. The socioculture pressure on todays adolescent andyoung women to be thin and attractive also play an important role in the schooling of eating disorders. Thinness in todays society is associated with self-abnegation, attractiveness, intelligen ce, happiness , wealth and success. Themedia, fashion, and the diet industry exploit this myth by bombarding us withproducts and services knowing to push us towards losing weight. As a result, itis not surprising to call back that adolescents who are undergoing uncontrollablebody changes and the onset of new emotional and sexual drives seek dieting inorder to enhance their sense of self-control and acceptance by others.     Recently it has been discovered that a possible cause for eatingdisorders is due to an defective hormone. That hormone serotonin, said toactivate in response to food, is still a mystery and even though it has somevalue as a blood clotting factor, but its functions choose yet to be totallyunderstood. At the current speed of work up however, it has been said that we