Anorexia and Bulimia
Physical appearance has always been a major point of discontent for people. The famous
American socialite Wallis Simpson remarks on this by saying, “You can never be too rich and
you can never be too thin”. Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are two common eating
disorders which result from the extreme obsession of people to stay thin. Although both are
categorically the same yet some marked differences lie in the physical and behavioral symptoms
of the two disorders.
Anorexia Nervosa or anorexia for short is a psychological disorder characterized by markedly
reduced appetite or total aversion to food (Dryden). Whereas, Bulimia is an illness in which a
person binges on food or has regular episodes of overeating and feels a loss of control. The
affected person then uses various methods, such as vomiting or laxative abuse, to prevent weight
gain. Initially Bulimia was categorized as a sub-type of anorexia but later it was given its own
identity because of the frequent purging and vomiting that appeared in it. (Berger)
Both bulimics and anorexics share a fixation on body image. Even though they may appear thin,
they constantly complain about being ‘fat’. Bulimics and anorexics are obsessed with body
weight, body shape and figure. Most of their time is spent in front of a mirror constantly
checking for flaws and slight fluctuation in body weight. They associate self esteem with body
weight, so a slight increase in weight could lead to a remarkable drop in their confidence level.
They start avoiding public appearances along with adorning loose baggy clothes to hide body
shape. (Boehlke)
Depression, due to constant anxiety, and mood swings are some additional characteristics of both
anorexics and bulimics. They generally avoid mixing with peers. They cut down on their social
activities, such as going out with friends and family to make time for excessive exercising for
long periods. These people also generally avoid gatherings in order to hide their unusual eating
habits from people. Mood swings can be because of disrupted social routines and constant
monitoring of food intakes. Some of them even maintain diaries recording their calorie intake
and vomit frequency on regular basis. ( National Health Service)
Other similarities are associated with the fact that both anorexics and bulimics do not follow a
healthy diet pattern. The lack of a balanced diet leads to consequences such as exhaustion after
very minimal exertion. The patients of these disorders may also suffer from insomnia (inability
to sleep) in some cases (thinkexist). To recognize a person with bulimia or anorexia the most
