Other pathologies related to today's society and way of life

We have become accustomed to living in a society that makes us have a way of life that can be harmful to our health. We have bad habits that can lead us to suffer a disease that could be avoided.

In this section we will see some of these diseases:

• Anorexia and bulimia nervosa.
• Anxiety.
• Depression.
• Stress.
• Drug addiction.

Anorexia and bulimia nervosa

Although we already talk about anorexia and bulimia nervosa when we treat food-related diseases, they are really diseases of the nervous system.

The anorexia nervosa is a disease caused by ingestion because the affected person shows pathological fear the few foods obesity, what makes you put your health at risk due to lack of food.

The bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by periods in which the person as excessive, and others, who feels guilty for binging and try to eliminate vomiting, laxatives, diuretics, etc. ingested.By Angie vite (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Music: Aqua and Flor Villagra.

Anxiety

The anxiety is a common mental disorder today. It consists of a series of physiological and psychological alterations that cause fear, anguish, hyperactivity, etc.

Anxiety is a natural adaptive mechanism that allows us to be alert to compromised or dangerous events. But sometimes, this response system malfunctions and acts disproportionately even in the absence of a dangerous situation.

Depression

The depression is a disease characterized because the person who suffers has great sadness that incapacitates to develop a normal life. You have a feeling of feeling sad, emotionally down, and losing interest in things you used to enjoy. The disease progresses each day affecting your thoughts, feelings, physical health, and behavior.

It is a very common disease and affects approximately 5% of the population, more women than men.

There are basically two types of depression:

• The depression exogenous usually produced by a personal event important, such as the death of a loved one, separation, etc. If the deep sadness remains, it can lead to something more serious .
• The depression endogenous manifests without there apparently any facts explain the cause of symptoms. Endogenous depression is considered more serious than exogenous depression and it is sometimes necessary to locate and treat the trauma or inner conflict that causes it.

Stress

The stress is a condition characterized by a state of high nervous tension caused by various reasons such as overwork, aspirations unfulfilled, anxiety, personal issues etc.

The body uses stress as a defense mechanism to face a situation that it perceives as threatening, but when stress becomes an intense reaction that lasts over time, it is likely to cause serious physical and mental problems.

The main symptoms of stress are prolonged fatigue, loss of appetite, weight loss, asthenia, headaches, gastritis, ulcers, etc., and it can even lead to psychological disorders.

Curiosity: Demi Moore lost two teeth from stress.

Drug addiction

Due to the great importance of not consuming drugs for health, we will see the section on drug addiction in its own section, “7.8. Drug addiction”, a few lines later.

Extension: website of the Institute for the Study of Addictions (lasdrogas.info).