Question

1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of early and late maturation in males and females?
2. How does the adolescent pregnancy rate in the United States compare to that of other countries?
3. If an adolescent is allowed to sleep as long as he/she would like, how long does research indicate the typical adolescent will sleep?
4. What are the characteristics of individuals who suffer from anorexia nervosa?

Answer 1

• What are the characteristics of individuals who suffer from anorexia nervosa?
• Anorexia Nervosa is the primary eating disorder associated with food restriction and self-starvation. It can be very dangerous, even lethal, if not treated. Anorexia is more common in teenage girls and young women, particularly among celebrities.
• According to the DSM, anorexics 1) refuse to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for their age and height, 2) experience intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though they are underweight, 3) misunderstand the seriousness of their weight loss, provide undue influence of body weight and shape on their self-evaluation, and demonstrate disturbances in the way their body weight and shape is experienced, and 4) (in females) experience the absence of at least three consecutive menstrual cycles (if they have already started having periods and are not pregnant).
• Characteristics:-
• Secrecy is very common in girls who are struggling with anorexia nervosa, because they don't want their weight loss to be interrupted if they were found out, and also because they are typically ashamed and embarrassed about their behavior. They may skip meals by forgetting, being busy, or falling asleep at mealtimes.
• People with anorexia often make many excuses about why they are not hungry. They also avoid social occasions in which food will be readily available, or spend lots of time making meals for others without eating the food they've prepared.
• Anorexics may wear baggy or over-sized clothing to hide their thin bodies. In order to lose more weight and give the impression to others that they are eating, they often restrict their intake to fluids and low-calorie food choices such as plain lettuce. Anorexics may also use laxatives, diet pills, and excessive exercise in secret to continue shedding pounds.
• Dysfunctional Thinking-When the body is suffering from starvation, it will trigger natural survival mechanisms. These biological systems produce feelings of intense hunger and repeated thoughts of food to remind us to eat and stay alive.
• Once triggered, these thoughts of food are kept going and exaggerated by incorrect and irrational thoughts or errors in thinking (known as cognitive distortions). For example, someone with an eating disorder may justify a binge if she eats one cookie, since that small slip has ruined a perfect day of dieting.
• These errors in thinking can become so inescapable and rooted in the brain that people lose the ability to understand reality and the dangerousness of their behaviors. Body image distortion is a particularly common problem for people with anorexia. They do not see themselves as dangerously thin. Instead, they often still see themselves as fat.
• This ongoing misjudgment of body image interferes with their ability to acknowledge that they have a problem that requires help. Many people with anorexia set unrealistic weight loss goals and believe that satisfaction will follow from meeting them. Despite dramatic weight loss, they are still unhappy because they still believe they are fat and should lose more weight.
• Many people who have had anorexia for long periods of time develop serious heart problems. A decrease in the size of the heart muscle and chamber can happen. This causes fainting, disruptions in blood pressure, and irregular or slow heartbeats. Without appropriate medical treatment, heart problems and other body system issues can lead to serious complications and even death.
• Physical characteristics of the individual may include:
• Extreme weight loss or not making expected developmental weight gains
• Thin appearance
• Abnormal blood counts
• Fatigue
• Insomnia
• Dizziness or fainting
• Bluish discoloration of the fingers
• Hair that thins, breaks or falls out
• Soft, downy hair covering the body
• Swelling of arms or legs
• Eroded teeth and calluses on the knuckles from induced vomiting
• Due to time limit,remaining questions can be asked as another question,they will be answered,thankyou for your cooperation