Anorexia Nervosa Essay

For many the term “Anorexia” conjures up memories of bone thin, weight obsessed teenage girls, models, and actresses. However, as the spotlight has been shined on Anorexia bringing this secretive and quiet disorder to a wider public perception, many still suffer in silence: either too ashamed to seek treatment, or because of an improper diagnosis.

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder and a mental health condition that could potentially be life-threatening. People with anorexia try to keep their weight as low as possible by restricting the amount of food they eat. They often have a distorted image of themselves, thinking that they're fat when they're not.  Some people with the condition also exercise excessively, and some eat a lot of food in a short space of time (binge eating) and then make themselves sick. People affected by anorexia often go to great attempts to hide their behaviour from their family and friends by lying about eating and what they have eaten. Anorexia is linked to

People with anorexia see themselves as overweight even though they are dangerously thin. The process of eating becomes an obsession to them. Anorexia is a psychiatric disorder, which usually co-exist with other disorder such as, anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. There are many biological and environmental factors that play a major role in developing anorexia. Genetics is one of the biological factors that may play a role. The tie between anorexia and one’s genes is still being heavily researched. Nutritional deficiencies and irregular hormone functions can as while. Some environmentally factors could be like a family or childhood traumas such as sexual abuse. Peer pressure among friends and co-workers to be thin and careers that promote being thin and weight loss such as, ballet and modeling can also play an important

Because problem resolution of any kind starts from identifying the true nature of problem instead of denial, to define the challenges required to be fought to. And where there is problem, solution lies at the center of that. So instead of deviating through denial, anorexia patients should understand that they direly need to get out of depression and anxiety and they deserve to be happy so one way or the other, they should get it out to understand they don’t need to fight their misconception of being fat, they have to fight the cause arising misconception, anarchy, disgust, anger, isolation, anxiety and deprivation in their lives. And all of these are dissociating themselves from their beautiful surroundings, attention seeking beauties of nature, their family members, their friends, their potentials and all the areas of the community that may be bettered by their exclusive roles.

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that consists of self-regulated food restriction in which the person strives for thinness and also involves distortion of the way the person sees his or her own body. An anorexic person weighs less than 85% of their ideal body weight. The prevalence of eating disorders is between .5-1% of women aged 15-40 and about 1/20 of this number occurs in men. Anorexia affects all aspects of an affected person's life including emotional health, physical health, and relationships with others (Shekter-Wolfson et al 5-6). A study completed in 1996 showed that anorexics also tend to possess traits that are obsessive in nature and carry heavy emotional

Anorexia usually begins in adolescence but can start anytime during pre-teen years or early into adulthood (Medline Plus, 2013). Some individuals have only a single episode while others suffer a long-term battle with the disorder. A recent study (Mehler, 2001) indicates that 16 percent of individuals diagnosed continued to show criteria of anorexia over a decade later after their initial diagnosis. Additionally, the longer duration of illness, the less favorable outcomes tend to be. Intervention early on in the illness has been associated with the best outcomes (Attia, & Walsh, 2007). With serious medical complications such as decreased thyroid function, irregular heart rhythm, low blood pressure, brittle bones, dehydration, and reduced muscle mass (Straub, 2007; Whitbourne, 2013; Attia, 2007), there is a large concern surrounding prognosis and outcomes in individuals that go undiagnosed. Research shows that early detection and treatment improve prognosis and outcome, but clinical diagnosis of anorexia can often times be obscured making it hard to give a proper diagnosis (Mehler, 2001).

Today, both anorexia and bulimia are the most common eating disorders and affect almost 15 percent of American teenagers. Eating disorders are fifteen times more likely to occur in adolescent girls than adolescent boys. They can be fatal and thousands die from every year but this is one mental illness that can be beaten. Anorexia is increasing more rapidly in developed countries than in underdeveloped countries. Bulimia is becoming the more common type of eating disorder among teens. It is difficult to diagnose because many bulimics are deeply ashamed of their rituals and few share their problems with close friends (4). If these two eating disorders are becoming more and more widespread around the world

Anorexia Nervosa is a type of eating disorder where people torment themselves by constantly being worried about their weight and what they eat. People with this disease have a distorted view of themselves. They think that they are fat and have a great fear of gaining weight. With that being said, they restrict their intake of food and eat extremely small amounts of food if any at all. Starving themselves and eating small amounts of food can do more harm than good. Each person has different types of issues with Anorexia. There are some that will eat food but very little. Then there are those who withhold food in almost all its entirety. The ideal image of the female body has drastically changed over time. Around the 1950’s,

Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder that is most prevalent in adolescent girls and young women. It is distinguished by the loss of at least 15% of the expected body weight (Long). The disease is characterized by the obsessive fear of gaining weight; through this fear, the person engages in dangerous dieting habits that prevent weight gain. According to statistics in 2011 anorexia is categorized as the third most common chronic disease among adolescents, in addition, eating disorders also have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness (Wilkins). Anorexia is a life-threatening disorder that I have only been slightly aware of. I was aware that anorexia was characterized by a serious amount of weight loss however, I never expected

Anorexia nervosa is a serious, life-threatening eating disorder. Typically this disorder is diagnosed in young females and women, although males can be diagnosed with anorexia as well. Those with anorexia tend to have very low self-esteem because of their perceived body image. These individuals have a unhealthy fear of becoming “fat.” They will often avoid eating certain foods/food groups (carbohydrates, sugars, etc.) and will hardly come close to consuming the recommended daily amount of calorie intake. Due to an inadequate calorie intake and starvation within these individuals, excessive weight loss is bound to occur. According to the government website of eating disorders, the warning signs of anorexia nervosa include the following: “dramatic weight loss, preoccupation with weight, food, calories, fat grams, and dieting, frequent comments about feeling 'fat ' despite weight loss, denial of hunger, withdraw from usual friends and activities, and in general, behaviors and attitudes indicating that weight loss, dieting, and control of food are becoming primary concerns” (Anorexia Nervosa). Because the body is not being adequately supplied with the proper nutrients from the diet, it can not function properly and can lead to multiple problems within the body itself. Anorexia is very often comorbid with other psychological disorders, such as anxiety and depression (Junne, Zipfel, Wild, Martus, & Giel, 2016).

This illness does not go away overnight. Anorexia will not disappear by just consuming more food.. Anorexia is a long term condition, and a mental health problem, but

In today’s complex society, adolescents are susceptible to many disorders, with life threatening consequences. A disorder that is often difficult for early detection amongst suffering individuals is called Anorexia nervosa. This medical term is often simply called anorexia, which was coined between Sir William Withey Gull and Queen Victoria’s personal physician in 1868. The Greek term “nervosa” refers to the disgust of owns body, while “anorexia” is the loss of appetite, together defined as “nervous absence of appetite” (Fitzpatrick & Lock, 2011). Anorexia nervosa is a psychiatric disorder, prevalent amongst adolescent girls; characterized as distorted body image, extreme weight loss, and irrational fear of gaining weight (Wardlaw,

Finally, we will look at possible treatments for anorexia. People that suffer can get better and gradually learn to eat normally again. Anorexia involves both mind and body. Therapy or counseling is a critical part of treating eating disorders. In many cases family therapy is one of the keys to eating healthily again. Parents and other family members are important in helping the person see that his or her

Anorexia Nervosa, AN, is an eating disorder that affects mostly females in their teenage years. The number of people that suffer from this disorder has increase in the recent decades making it a disorder that causes more deaths compare to any other psychological disorder. AN can have an effect on someone’s social life as well as physically and psychologically. It’s a disorder that can be treated with proper treatment, but identifying the symptoms is the first step.

     When I think of anorexia, a few things come to mind. I think of really bad episodes of Beverly Hills 90210 and Baywatch in which females, ususally teenagers, starve themselves and take diet pills. The eating problem is always resolved within the timespan of one 30 minute episode. From the research I've done thus far on anorexia, I now know that this is a very unrealistic representation of what is actually a very serious disease.