Buy essay on Eating Disorders, Substance-Related Disorders, Sex Disorders, Paraphilia Disorders, Gender Disorder

Eating disorders comprise class of different types of impairments and illnesses marked by atypical, irregular eating tendencies such as needless exaggerated or low food consumption that may influence and harm person’s biological, emotional, cognitive, behavioral components. Such disorders include binge eating disorder, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa are the most common in the USA (Lucas, Beard, Kurland, 1991).
The reason resulting in these conditions is not fully apprehended, though it is clear that certain social, psychological reasons and circumstances (e.g. peer influence) play important role.
Speaking about certain eating disorders it is worthy to mention the following:
Anorexia nervosa (AN) can be described as a condition when an individual is not willing to intake food due to a strong fear of gaining weight. Another type of eating disorder is Bulimia nervosa indicated by an excessive consumption of food and alcoholic beverages accompanied by balancing way of act. This may be constant unnecessary intake of laxative, or vomiting brought about by oneself. Binge eating disorder is a type of disorder which is not accompanied by the self-balancing way of act. A disorder characterized by constant cleaning out of one’s organism including laxative intake, etc. in order not to gain and regulate weight.
Speaking about the causes of eating disorders it can not be stated for sure what initiates these illnesses and syndromes. Probably, some biological, environmental, psychological circumstances and conditions play important role. As regards biological causes these may include genetic predisposition, epigenetic processes, hormone production affecting appetite, infections, tumors, obstetric, i.e. during labor complications can also be the reason of eating disorders.
Relatively to psychological reasons the following disorders referred to as possible causes are: depression, substance abuse, including alcoholism, anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive personality disorder (i.e. an obsession with perfection, narcissistic personality disorder (concern with personal prestige and adequacy), histrionic personality disorder (need of approval), avoidant personality disorder (fear of social evaluation, especially negative).
Psychological disorders play important role, as causes of abnormal behavior connected with food intake the aim of which is constant control of weight are in most cases lie in inner psychological conditions of an individual, especially growing-up personality in the process of formation, such as teenagers. Probably psychological part is the strongest in the development of disorder as it is the state of mind, self-evaluation, perception of society and an individual’s position in it, whether equals, peers accept this or that personality or not (avoidant personality disorder). Deeper psychological conditions including depression originated from some uncontrolled circumstances can be a serious cause of eating disorders.
Psychological causes are closely connected with environmental influences both playing part in eating disorders concerns. These influences include social isolation, parental influence, peer pressure, cultural pressure (cultural stress on leanness), child abuse and mistreatment.
Another group of disorders worthy of attention is a group of substance abuse and related disorders. These are intoxication, abuse, addiction to different kinds of substances. Term substances comprise alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, medications (prescribed, non-prescribed), opioids (opium compounds), other drugs, including marijuana, cocaine. All the substance abuse disorders can be grouped into two types: substance-induced disorders and substance use disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). The latter type comprises abuse and addiction, the substance-induced disorders comprise the state of intoxication and different mental conditions including anxiety, weak-mindedness, and emotional instability. Substance disorder is a condition when an individual is addicted to a definite particular drug or other object of addiction, he feel a strong necessity to use drugs constantly and regularly otherwise suffering from withdrawal condition (insomnia, impatience, and exhaustion).
Substance abuse influences and changes life of an addict strongly prioritizing the use of substance over other life concerns, including family, work, communication problems. And this makes substance abuse disorder extremely harmful not only to an addict but affects other members of the society whom he may come across with.
As regards to the other group of disorders, there are three types of sexual disorders distinguished (American Psychiatric Association, 2000): Gender Identity Disorder, Sexual Dysfunction, and Paraphylias.
First type of sexual disorder occurs when an individual experiences inner problems and concerns connected with general unacceptance and rejection of biological sex, i.e. gender dysphoria. This disorder is referred to as transsexuality. The understanding of gender identity, an acceptance of biological sex or vice-versa usually forms in adolescence. Thus certain difficulties in communication with peers of both genders, specific situations of communication may result in gender identity concern and further in complete dissatisfaction and unacceptance of biological sex. Gender Identity Disorder is generally recognized as mental disorder, though this statement was rejected grounding on several reasons. An important case remains is how to diagnose and distinguish whether a person has Gender Identity Disorder or not. There are several peculiar features and conditions, in particular, if an individual assigned himself to the opposite sex and this belief is strong and long-lasting and is accompanied by the feeling of uneasiness, unpleasantness in public places and in general everyday life. Any physical intersex peculiarities in the appearance are not regarded as characteristic sign of Gender Identity Disorder. Moreover, any cases of uncertainty in sex identity are not stated as disorder either. These are called sex maturation disorder.

Sexual dysfunction comprises different types of problems during or before sex experiences. This disorder is characterizes by abnormality of the sexual cycle (desire – arousal – orgasm) performance. Sexual dysfunctions may last over long period of time and vise-versa may be temporal. Furthermore, SDs are classified into those based on psychological cause or due to the medical state. Worthy of note specific type of sexual dysfunction called Dyspareunia. This is a sexual pain disorder characterized by painful sexual act, and severe headache during an orgasm. The disorder is stated only when there are no other medical causes diagnosed. Causes of Sexual Dysfunction include biological conditions, these may comprise medical state of an individual, for instance kidney disease, heart disease, and psychological, social, and cultural causes (specific situations resulting in erotophobia – an obsessive fear of sexual act).
The term Paraphilia means abnormal strong interest and temptation including not only adults but also children and objects, like shoes, coat, etc. Types of Paraphilias include Fetishism, that is sexual desire toward non-human objects, Exhibitionism, described as achieving of sexual satisfaction by displaying one’s genital organs to unknown persons (Weiderman, 2003), Masochism and Sadism are characterized by combination of pain and humiliation during sexual act, Sadistic rape, Pedophilia (sexual desire toward children) and Incest (sexual act with relatives).
All in all, different disorders influencing human mind and behavior result in general personal disorder and cause strong harm to health of an individual making his life defective and inferior, causing all-around problems that prevent lead full-value life.

 
Works cited

American Psychiatric Association (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Fourth edition, Washington DC: American Psychiatric Association.
Lucas, Beard, Kurland (1991). 50 year trends in the incidence of anorexia in Rochester, Minnesota; a population based study, American Journal of Psychiatry. 148 (7); 917–922.
Weiderman M (2003). Paraphilia and Fetishism. The Family Journal, July 2003 vol. 11.