Anorexia Nervosa And Obesity

What is considered a perfect size, perfect weight, perfect health? Humans look up to a selection of people when it comes to touching basis on a healthy lifestyle, generally supermodels. However, psychiatrist Dr. Key performed a study with the Model Health Inquiry which concluded that 20-40% of these supermodels suffer from an eating disorder. But what is too thin, too big? Anorexia Nervosa and obesity are well-known mental illnesses across the nation that are subject to causing serious risks to an individual’s health, eventually causing death.

Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder, also categorized under mental illnesses, that causes individuals to have an obsession regarding their weight and what they consume. It can also be defined as having the fear to be overweight. According to Mayo Clinic, there are about 200,000 cases of anorexia every year in the United States; and the third most common chronic disorder within teenagers and young adults. Someone with the chronic condition may be abnormally thin and may perform excessive exercise daily. How is anorexia a mental illness? The one who deals with the disease views themselves as someone with a distorted body figure, they see themselves as overweight per se. There are three main factors in which anorexia may be developed in one, that are biological, environmental, and psychological reasons. “Only about 1 in 10 people with eating disorders receive treatment. Anorexia statistics show that 20% of people with anorexia who do not get treatment will die”(Morris). Based on the collected statistics, Anorexia Nervosa has the highest death rate of any mental disorder over the course of the past 50 years.

Obesity is a condition where one is overweight, or whose weight is above what is considered to be healthy for one depending on the body mass index (BMI). It is also an eating disorder which involves excessive body fat as well as an increase of health risks. Obesity is mostly caused by genetic, behavioral, and other body influences. But it is also due to inactivity, an unbalanced diet, and consumption of alcohol. Nonetheless, obesity is preventable if one is consistent with the changes one is willing to make to stay on what is considered a healthy level. Obesity makes up approximately one-fifth, 20% of deaths in the United States, being slightly less than dying from smoking tobacco.

Obesity and anorexia nervosa are two different psychological disorders, but how are they similar and connected to each other? These eating disorders cause physical as well as mental complications in someone who suffers from obesity and anorexia. Both have genetic and behavioral foundations on why these eating disorders are brought onto one in the beginning. A story of a young female named Ali Hougnou was a 200-pound anorexic in 2013. She was overweight and when she attempted setting a diet, nothing suited her. Ali soon enough began to starve herself due to emotional pressure brought upon from others around her. Another similarity these disorders have is that they are both causing about 20% of deaths in the United States. They are also subject to causing problems with one’s emotional state causing an individual to have depression, anxiety, and other issues that affect someone’s quality of life.

Overall, Anorexia Nervosa and obesity are mental illnesses that humans have to be aware of. They may be influenced by outside factors that eventually trigger someone’s mind, which causes them to develop these conditions. And although they are chronic, treatment is slow and costly, so it is important to maintain a balanced diet and a well-being altogether. Being too thin or too big is dangerous due to the fact they cause serious health risks in one’s life that could lead up to mortality in the end.