Biological Explanations for Anorexia Nervosa Psychology

Genetic factors can also play its part in contributing - anorexia in teenage girls occurs eight times more often in people who have relatives with the disorder. (Anorexia – a guide to sufferers and their families R.L Palmer 1980). My own Mother was grossly overweight at the time of my condition and I viewed her as someone who was completely out of control with no respect

Pregnancy has often been viewed as a period of great developmental change for women. This is also a period in which previously dormant psychological issues rise to the surface and when current issues have the potential to worsen. Because anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa occur primarily in young women, many of whom are of childbearing age, it is important to evaluate the potential medical and psychological consequences when an eating disordered woman becomes pregnant. During pregnancy, conflicts about body changes, alterations in roles, additions of responsibility, and concerns about a woman’s own mothering abilities are prevalent. Many of these concerns are also of great importance

Children who had to nurture themselves from a young age don’t trust adults because they weren’t shown affection, which causes the child to have no healthy dependence on their parents, which then causes them to rely on the media to get a sense of self-worth. This self-worth is found in their physical appearance and it causes them to feel the need to starve themselves so they can “measure up to society’s standards.” This example is one of the hundreds of ways that a dysfunctional family can cause a girl to become anorexic. Another possible cause of anorexia is a lack of a sense of femininity. Women seem to find their sense of femininity from men. We look to men to tell us if we are beautiful, ugly, fat, skinny, etc. We tend to base our sense of femininity on our physical appearance which causes us to diet, wear “fashionable clothing,” and it can even cause us to starve ourselves. Fathers play a huge role in their daughters sense of femininity. Our fathers tell us we are valued as women, we are beautiful, and we are cherished. If you grow up with a deceased, absent, or disengaged father, you grow up with a huge hole in your femininity, which causes low self-esteem. The other main focus of Anatomy of Anorexia

Along with Florida State University psychology professor Pamela Keel, PhD, Klump is now using those findings to examine how natural changes in ovarian hormone levels may contribute to bulimic behaviors in twins. Preliminary analyses suggest that heritability influences disordered eating most when estrogen levels are at their highest. Klump is also involved with a study of the genetic underpinnings of anorexia conducted by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill psychologist Cynthia Bulik, PhD, and other researchers from around the world. As part of a 13-country Genetic Consortium for Anorexia Nervosa, they plan to conduct the largest ever genomewide association study for the disorder, pulling together resources and DNA samples of more than 4,000 females with anorexia and 4,000 controls. However, new and as-yet-unpublished fMRI brain imaging work by Oregon Research Institute psychologist Eric Stice, PhD, suggests that in some females, bulimia may be hard-wired. Stice examined brain activation among 33 female adolescents and 43 young women after they tasted a chocolate milkshake. Over a one-year follow-up period, he found that those who showed greater activation of key reward regions in the brain—particularly the gustatory cortex, somatosensory cortex and striatum—reported increases in bulimic behavior. Similar research by Columbia University's Rachel Marsh, PhD, shows that the

Eating disorders have numerous emotional, psychological, and physical consequences; despite this, many affected individuals refuse to admit that they have a problem. One of the more serious problems associated with eating disorders that may convince a young woman to seek treatment, is the negative effect disordered eating can have on fertility, pregnancy, and child rearing in general. In multiple studies anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and eating disorders not otherwise specified, have been associated with infertility, low maternal weight gain, low birth weight in infants, increased neonatal morbidity, and problems in infant feeding (Stewart, 1992). Women who are afflicted with an eating disorder at

Also the study was only done with twins and therefore the same results may not be found between parent and child etc, but the study does show that genetics can play a part in developing anorexia. For using concordance rates these studies can be criticised, since concordance rates alone cannot be to blame for twins developing an eating disorder, the causes can also be observational experiences/ learning such as constantly being surrounded by thin people and you are overweight.

LBW and impaired growth of the fetus in individuals with eating disorders could be prompted by “weight-controlling behavior (such as strict dieting, vomiting, and excessive physical exercise that leads to undernourishment) and compromised flow of essential nutrients in the maternal blood to the fetus” (Sollid et.al.,2004). Malnutrition may also have a strenuous effect on the immune system, impairing its function leading to higher risks of maternal infectious of diseases that also further initiate preterm delivery (Sollid et.al.,2004). In addition to the perils of malnutrition and behavioral elements, the excessive consumption and use of laxatives, diuretics, and appetite suppressants in some women with eating disorders may have a teratogenic effect (Sollid et.al., 2004). In essence, the amalgamation of undernourishment, “weight controlling behavior, and low pre-pregnancy BMI in women with eating disorders can severely interfere with neonatal health and pregnancy outcomes.

A study showed that expectant anorectic mothers avoid social interaction with other mothers because they are afraid of being judged (Tierney et al., 2011). “Anorexic women struggle between two opposing cultural norms which are the slender female body type and embracing weight gain during pregnancy.” (Green, 2013). Women who work on having a slim body type during pregnancy are often judged on their abilities to be a good mother. There can be some life-threatening risks for mother and baby if the mother is anorexic. A mother suffering from anorexia nervosa may experience a miscarriage, preterm labor, or PTSD. Women with anorexia are more likely to suffer from PTSD after giving birth (Green, 2013). There are also some risks that could affect the newborn. These include low birth weight and microencephaly. Teaching pregnant women about healthy weight gain and nutrition is especially vital. Inadequate nutrition during the pregnancy period could possibly lead complications that influence the baby to become anorexia or have another eating disorder, throughout their life (Green,

It is not like diabetes, for instance, which is caused by various environmental as well and genetic components. Anorexia is caused by the willingness of the individual choosing to harm their bodies. It is not due to an unpreventable disease but a personal-choice induced disorder: an individual pathology. The point of this argument is not to find a better way to theorize the term, but the focus should be switched to obtaining more research and establishing more psychological methods for helping individuals refrain from or overcome this individual pathological disorder. Women in general have an issue with ‘the lack of;’ they compare themselves with other people and because they lack that perfect figure and body weight, they are psychologically

Joseph and M. Shiffrar, “eating disorders are syndromes characterized by severe disturbances in eating and excessive concern about body shape or weight” (2011). These are induced by a “complex interaction” of genetic, behavioral, psychological, and social factors as assessed by researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). As previously stated, anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are the most prominent and preferred disorders.

There are many causes behind why people suffer from anorexia. The first one would be that it is genetics that involves the risk for some sort of eating disorder. This would make a person more vulnerable to having this mental illness more than someone without these genetic factors. Another common cause is that someone in a person's family suffers from anorexia. This allows a person to become adjusted to this mental illness, thinking of it as a social norm. They don't understand the risk factors involving anorexia. Although social media does have an effect on some types of eating disorders, it has been proven that anorexia is indeed a biological illness, and the best treatment that can come from this is a biological approach.

Eating disorders are an extremely serious illness that can affect anyone, no matter what gender, race, or age. However, most commonly about 90% of the people that suffer from eating disorders are teens and young adult females (Cooperman 3). There are many different reasons that people can develop an eating disorder. Triggers can range from social factors to biological and psychological factors. Some of the common social factors that contribute to developing an eating disorder include bullying at school or work for being overweight, peer pressure to be skinny and have a “perfect” body, and the media giving people the idea of what everyone should look like in order to be rich, popular, and famous. Some of the common biological factors are gender, genetics, family background, and existing disorders such as anxiety or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Gender shows that females typically care more about their body appearance than males, which causes them to be more prone to developing an eating disorder. Approximately 85-95% of people that have anorexia or bulimia are female and 65% of people with binge-eating disorder

Researchers have discovered an area on chromosome 1 that appears to be associated with an increased susceptibility to anorexia. Others can suffer from psychological reasons. People that feel low self-worth sometimes become anorexic to make themselves feel better. Anorexia’s may have an extreme drive for perfectionism, which means they may never thing they’re thin enough. A lot of people suffer because of sociocultural reasons. The media is filled with images of thin models and actors, which associates success and worth with being thin. Peer pressure from friends, coworkers, and classmates also causes some people to feel there not fitting it.

Eating disorders tend to run in families and female relatives are the most often to be affected. Some recent studies from researchers found that mothers who are too concerned about their children’s weight and appearance, it may put them at increased risk of developing an eating disorder. (Hoffman). Ultimately, genetic research may prove to be the key to unlocking our understanding of environmental risk factors for eating disorders (Mazzeo and Bulik). Multiple studies have been undertaken to that show possible genetic likeliness toward developing eating disorders as a result of inheritance (News Medical).

From a biological point of view, studies have shown that people with eating disorders have irregular activity in the brain’s hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is a small structure in the frontal area that controls things such as hunger and