Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are described as psychological eating disorders (Keel and Levitt, 1). They are both characterized by an overestimation of weight. Although they are primarily eating disorders, the manifestations of bulimia and anorexia are different. They both present a very striking example of dangerous psychological disorders, because according to the South Carolina Department of Health, "eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of all mental illnesses" (Eating Order Statistics , 1). While bulimia and anorexia are two predominant psychological disorders in women, anorexia tends to have different diagnostic complexities, symptoms, and physiological effects than bulimia. Bulimics and anorexics are motivated by the desire to lose weight. Anorexia is explained in eating disorders as follows: “Anorexia nervosa is a condition in which a person starves himself to death. The key feature of this disorder is the refusal to eat enough food, resulting in body weight well below a healthy level” (Keel and Levitt, 3). While bulimia is explained as follows: “Bulimia is characterized by episodes of binge eating during which an individual feels a loss of control over their food intake and eats very large quantities of food in one sitting” (Keel et Levitt, 7). From here it is evident that patients of both diseases resort to measures to lose weight. Anorexia and bulimia differ symptomatically; the former exhibits symptoms of food abstinence, while the latter is characterized more by a “fear-like” emotion following food consumption, particularly in women. It can be seen that where anorexics tend not to eat anything at all, bulimic patients indulge in "binges", after which they tend to use extreme measures...... middle of paper. .....BMJ: British Medical Journal 334.7599 (2007): 894-98. Print.Hay, Phillipa J. and Josue Bacaltchuk. “Bulimia Nervosa.” BMJ: British Medical Journal 323 (2001). Print.Boskind-Lodahl, Marlene. “Cinderella’s Stepsisters: A Feminist Perspective on Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia.” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 2.2 (1976): 343-344. Printed. “Perceptions of Beauty” Global Public Health through a Feminist Lens. » Stanford University. Internet. March 10, 2011. Fairburn, CG and PJ Cooper. “Self-induced vomiting and bulimia nervosa: an undetected problem.” » Bmj284.6323 (1982): 1153-155. Print.Lowinson, Joyce H., Pedro Ruiz and Robert B.. Millman. Substance Abuse: A Comprehensive Handbook. Baltimore [etc. : Williams and Wilkins, 1992. 477. Print.