Being Healthy: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Understanding and Experiences of Adults with a Learning Disability.

'Eating disorders' is an umbrella term referring to a range of disorders where there is a serious disturbance in eating habits. Two of these disorders, anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa 1 will be focused upon within this essay. Anorexia is characterised by an intense fear of becoming fat, despite being seriously underweight. There is a refusal to maintain body weight at a normal level, with food intake being severely restricted. Amenorrhoea also features in post-menarchal females (Wilson, 1999). The main features of bulimia are recurrent episodes of binge eating, characterised by a lack of control. Compensatory behaviours are engaged in to prevent weight gain, which include self-induced vomiting, excessive ·exercise, and the use of laxatives or diuretics. The binges and accompanying behaviour must be engaged in at least twice weekly for 3 months for a diagnosis to be made. Similar to anorexia, self-evaluation is excessively linked to body weight and shape (Roth & Fonagy, 1996).Both of these disorders have been regarded as complex and difficult to treat (Bell, Clare & Thom, 2001). Anorexia has the highest morbidity rate out of all the psychiatric disorders (Nielsen et al., 1998: cited in Bell et -al., 2001 ), with bulimia being termed 'intractable' by Russell in 1979, although this situation has since changed (Fairburn, 1997). Co-morbid problems such as depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and personality disorder, as, well as serious medical complications, often occur within these individuals (Palmer, 2000).This essay aims · to compare two theoretical models, and the treatments that have arisen from these models, in order to discuss the evidence base relating to the eating disorders of anorexia and bulimia. For the purposes of this essay the theoretical models which will be focused upon are cognitive behavioural and family therapy. Anorexia will be discussed first, with· details of the two theoretical models and associated evidence being provided, prior to the evidence being compared andimplications discussed. Bulimia will.then be focused upon in a similar manner