An Analysis Of Anorexia Nervosa

Many people are unaware of the background of eating disorders. Women are more likely than men to develop an eating disorder and they usually develop in childhood before the age of 20 (Ross-Flanigan 1). Women as well as men can develop an eating disorder; it is just more likely for a woman to develop one. Eating disorders are usually developed in adolescent or childhood years when a person is influenced the most. Also “Eating disorders are psychological conditions that involve overeating, voluntary starvation, or both. Anorexia nervosa, anorexic bulimia, and binge eating are the most well-known types of eating disorders” (Ross-Flanigan 1). Many people assume that an eating disorder is when a person staves themselves; they do not realize that it can involve overeating as well. Some eating disorders also involve purging, but not all. People with an eating disorder fear gaining weight even when they are severely underweight. They do not lack an appetite (Ross-Flanigan 1). These people are

“Dying to be Thin,” produced by PBS, is a documentary that examines the troubles that persons who are affected by eating disorders go through and the constant, daily struggles they face with health and body image. The film tells the story of a number of young women who battled mainly anorexia and bulimia and mixes a variety of ages to give a “during” and an “after” perspective. Many of the women in the video were ballet or some similar type of dancer. Dancers, by their own account, are encouraged to be thin. The issue really came to the forefront after a young ballet dancer from Boston died of heart failure at the young age of 22, with an eating disorder deemed to be the cause. The narrator goes on to introduce more young women and detail the potential illnesses that their eating disorders can cause. Chronic low blood pressure, kidney and liver damage, severe early osteoporosis, and heart failure are all common things seem in patients who suffer from eating disorders. Most patients have dangerously low body weights, body fat percentages, and, often, young women will experience amenorrhea, which is the loss of menstruation. All of the people in the video wanted to be better and were seeking a road to recovery. The video showed though, how difficult that can be since the eating disorders can be so wide ranging and have a number of different root causes. Often patients develop eating disorders as something that they have control over, in a world that they feel is out of their

Eating disorders are extremely serious and often even fatal. They are tremendously trying on both the person with the disorder, and those who are close to them. I remember the time that my roommate and I were watching TV with a group of girls when one of the girls started commenting on how fat a certain actress had become, and how gross she looked. I saw the look on my roommate’s face when she heard this girl criticize this actress who still looked practically perfect. More than anything, the weight this actress had put on made her look healthier than she had before. I became quite concerned though when I noticed that my roommate ate nothing for the next three days, and the one meal she did eat I am certain she threw up soon after. My roommate, like many other girls, was trying to achieve an unattainable goal. Some girls will just never be so thin, and struggling to be is very dangerous.

In today’s society, it has become hard for the average person to fit the high expectations and perfect mold that has been created by being connected to the internet. With the pressure so high, and competition so intense everyone is striving to become perfect to fit the mold. Eating disorders have become common in many people as a way to change their body image or gain more control over their life, caused by the stress of trying to be one’s best. But it has been overlooked for many years and a lot of people don’t understand the significance of eating disorders and how they affected the lives of not only young women but everyone. Eating disorders are a serious problem that affects the lives of many people and, should not be overlooked.

People often turn eating disorders into an impersonal set of medical details because they forget to consider the personal aspects. In her book Hollow: An Unpolished Tale, Jena Marrow describes anorexia with, “I am forever engaged in a silent battle in my head over whether or not to lift the fork to my mouth, and when I talk myself into doing so, I taste only shame” (17). Shame prevents many people from seeking treatment for anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder in which the person weighs significantly less than what doctors consider healthy, experiences body dysmorphia, and has an extreme fear of gaining weight (Mayo Clinic Staff). People downplay anorexia nervosa as a rich girl disorder or a cry for attention, but less than 28 percent of people

Many of the patients deny the fact that they have an eating problem and majority of them that have been diagnosed with the disorder escape from getting help and treatment. Compared to other disorders and diseases, eating disorder is said to be due to choice and brought upon self by the public and professionals. In this article, Lowry and Puckett explained that the problem with eating disorder is that people don’t understand that it is a serious disease that can potentially lead to death triggered by starvation, heart failure, and people becoming depressed and commit suicide (2014). They also talked about how the causes of eating disorder are not definite but there are different aspects that play an important role in increasing the chances of developing eating disorder. Some of those aspects include genetics, certain personality traits, Puberty, body image, and family (Lowry & Puckett,

Eating disorders are becoming more common in the Modern Era. Millions of people all across the U.S. are being diagnosed with an eating disorder. Each eating disorder that an individual can be diagnosed with has different characteristics. When questioning if someone has an eating disorder, the individual typically begins to eat differently than usual if even at all and cares more about their appearance and body weight. There are different stages to one’s illness that determines the severity that the illness has on an individual. The DSM-5 has found the “anorexia nervosa is a mental and physical disease that was recognized in France in the 19th century, usurped for England by Queen Victoria’s physician and subsequently

In order to be able to see the signs of anorexia the way that my mom did was a way that she understood where it all came from. It came from being obesssed with the intake of food throughout my body. I’m very glad to have a mother like her where she was not afraid to notice that my bones would show and were visible. A week later, my mom scheduled a doctor's visit that was when all my weight loss was discovered. I was diagnosed with Anorexia. Anorexia is an emotional disorder caused by an obsessive desire to lose weight, and the victim refuses to eat “According to the National Eating Disorders Association, as many as ten million females and one million males suffer from anorexia or bulimia and many more cases likely go unreported due to stigma attached to the illnesses” (National Eating Disorders Association n.d.). Personally, I have experienced and suffered with poor body image, unhealthy habits, and general demands of

I was not surprised to learn that eating disorders are more common in the Western countries than any others, and I was also not surprised by the rising percentage of minority students feeling more and more uncomfortable in their own skins, feeling the need to control and change their bodies to fit in. Martha mentions the importance of family in these kinds of situations, and I agree completely. The textbook mentioned that people, mostly those with anorexia, who try family or parent therapy are better equipped at treating and defeating the disorder. Both disorders are rooted in underlying causes, whatever they may be, but once they are uncovered and treated, most (about 75% according to the textbook) improve fully or

Eating Disorders can be a real problem for some people. However people also need to realize that there is hope. “The inner voices of anorexia

The major eating disorders include anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder. There are also many other eating disorders that are not always specified for people that do not fall into the other categories. When treating these illnesses along with any other, medical staff work to protect a patient’s autonomy which is their right to make decisions about their own care. The problem is that eating disorders are one of the hardest conditions to treat (Treasure, 2015). It has also been shown that over half of all cases develop into severe illness for the patient and profoundly impact their physical and mental health (Treasure, 2015).

With all of the pressures of daily life, some look to eating disorders to help ease the pain. In recent statistics on the webpage for the South Carolina Department of Mental Health states, “It is estimated that 8 million Americans have an eating disorder- seven million women and one million men.” Among the millions are actors Paula Abdul, Elton John, and Joan Rivers to name a few. (Eating Disorder Statistic 2006).With the disorders becoming a growing problem, physicians look at each case to see how the disorder affects the person individually. Previous victim Amy describes her experience: “Anorexia is like you’re running down a hill and all this wind is going through you hair and it’s exciting. But all

This research paper discusses why anorexia nervosa is a disease and not a lifestyle choice. The paper explains what anorexia nervosa is and the misconceptions people have about it which leads them to blame those with AN. These misconceptions can result from a misunderstanding of what AN is, particularly due to the pro-ana movement which promotes AN as a positive lifestyle choice. It then brings down the biological factors behind anorexia nervosa and the awful symptoms those with AN suffer through. The paper contains a lot of in depth understanding of the inner pain an anorexic person goes through and it includes quotes from personal narratives such as Emily Troscianko’s (2010) “Portrait of Hunger” and excerpts from

Anorexia nervosa results from a complex interplay between biological, psychological, familial and sociocultural factors. Alice’s development of anorexia nervosa can be viewed through a psychoanalytic lens. Many of Alice 's needs were not met or interpreted correctly in early childhood by her parents, particularly her mother causing Alice to develop ego deficiencies in identity and need for control. This thought is supported by Hilde Bruch (1974) who regarded “anorectics as being in a struggle for control and their own identity - the pursuit of thinness was seen as a critical part of such a struggle”. Bruch considered that there were two main characteristics of parents that made the development of anorexia nervosa more likely in their

It seems today that eating disorders are on the rise. While this may be true, the numbers may appear to grow only because more cases are being brought out into the open. The purpose of this paper is to discuss eating disorders and prove the these disease, specifically Anorexia Nervosa, continue to plague of women due to psychological and environmental factors along with pressure from the media. The term “Anorexia Nervosa” is misleading. It means “loss of appetite due to nerves.” But people with anorexia don’t actually lose their appetite until the late stages of their starvation. Until, they do feel hungry, but they just won’t eat. People affected by anorexia have an extreme fear of gaining weight. In addition to drastic dieting, they