Module 04 Assignment - Eating Disorders

In a 3-page paper, written in APA format using proper spelling/grammar, research the topic of eating disorders and address the following:

Compare and contrast anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.
Who is more likely to suffer from anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa? Why?
What are the causes contributing to anorexia nervosa?
What are the consequences of eating disorders?
How can one diagnose eating disorders?
What are the treatment and support options for a person who has eating disorders?
Be sure to include APA citations for any resources you used as references.

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Eating Disorders
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Introduction
Eating disorders are a considerable problem in psychiatry. The management of the
disorders is not as easy compared to other psychiatric conditions that have well set
pharmacotherapeutic approaches. Moreover, eating disorders can present in various ways.
Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are the most common eating disorders in the world. The
two conditions have characteristic differences, and their diagnosis is vital to effective
management.
Anorexia nervosa is a condition in which an individual restricts their food intake due to a
distorted perception of their body. These individuals are preoccupied with the feeling that they
are overweight while it is not the case (Kourkouta et al., 2019). The distorted body image drives
them to withhold the intake of food resulting in a decreased body weight. The fear of gaining
weight complicated these individual’s lives leading them to be emaciated and nutritionally
compromised (Phillipou et al., 2018). Apart from restricting food intake to the extreme, the
individuals partake in exercises and other extreme measures to continue losing weight, yet they
do not have a high body mass index.
In contrast, patients with bulimia nervosa do not restrict their food intake. These
individuals partake in binge eating, whereby they end up stuffing themselves with lots of food,
then purging (Kourkouta et al., 2019). The reason that these patients purge is to be able to avoid
the weight gaining effects of eating too much. However, while in anorexia nervosa, the
individuals are emaciated and underweight, people suffering from bulimia nervosa are of normal
weight.