Eating disorders make lots of victims among people nowadays. The persons suffering from these conditions are exposed to many threats, developing obsessions with food and experiencing changes in their behavior.

Eating disorders are a sort of mental illnesses that seriously affect the health and the lifestyle of the persons who suffer from them. People with eating disorders usually feel depressed, tired, anxious and confused. Eating disorders lead to severe mental and physical damage, making people susceptible to malign behaviors and activities.

Anorexia Nervosa (anorexia) and Bulimia Nervosa (bulimia) are considered to be the most common and dangerous eating disorders.

Anorexia and bulimia both involve obsessions with food and a constant fear of gaining weight. The differences between anorexia and bulimia, however, are related to the body weight and the behavior of people who deal with their effects.

Anorexia involves a constant desire to be thin, regardless of how much the persons actually weighs. People who suffer from anorexia have a distorted perception of their physical appearance, always feeling that they are fat.

No matter how much effort they may sustain in order to lose weight, the persons with anorexia are never appeased with their accomplishments. Anorexics are usually a lot thinner than bulimics. People with anorexia usually have a strong will, eat very little food, respect drastic diets and carefully count the calories of their meals.

Bulimia involves several different eating habits. People who suffer from bulimia may eat very little food for some periods of time and then eat large amounts of food instead.

However, despite the great deal of food they eat at once, bulimics make sure to get rid of it from their system. The persons who suffer from bulimia purge the food from their bodies by vomiting or by taking laxatives and diuretics. They also exercise a lot in order to burn the food they consume.

Both anorexia and bulimia can lead to internal complications and even death from malnourishment. Anorexia and bulimia, as well as other eating disorders can be treated but it is very important to act quickly when dealing with this sort of illnesses.

Anorexia and bulimia affect people regardless of their age or sex. However, girls and young women are more exposed to developing eating disorders, especially due to their permanent preoccupation with their looks. Studies indicate that around one percent of young women and girls suffer from anorexia, while two percent are confronted with bulimia. The number of male persons suffering from anorexia exceeds the percentage of female persons affected by the same illness.

The percentage of male people with anorexia is somewhere around five percent or more.

Despite the fact that anorexia and bulimia has attracted the attention of many scientists and psychiatrists lately, the performed studies haven’t yet clarified the causes of anorexia and bulimia. Although it is thought that eating disorders are exclusively of psychological nature, appearing on the background of emotional instability and depression, there is also the possibility that some eating disorders might be developed due to some physical predispositions.

Anorexia and bulimia can be prevented by eating properly, respecting an appropriate eating schedule and by making improvements in your lifestyle. You should learn to take better care of your body and to be content and appeased with your physical appearance. Good self-esteem and self-respect are very important in the prevention of eating disorders.