Eating Disorder Analysis

There are several bio-medical definitions of anorexia; The NHS refers to an anorexic as someone who tries to keep their weight as low as possible, by restricting diet, often over exercising and in some cases through the use of laxatives and diuretics (NHS, 2014). The DSM-V definition similarly suggests that anorexia is characterised by a refusal to maintain body weight at or above the minimally normal weight for age and height (DSM-V, 2014). Both definitions highlight an intense fear of gaining weight and a hugely distorted perception

Anorexia Nervosa is a serious psychological disease where people develop a constant desire to lose weight and limit their daily energy intake. Anorexia results in declining body fat, unrealistic perceptions and exaggerations of your body image and usually involves an incline in exercise. People with Anorexia can either be restrictive with their food, count kilojoules and skip meals or binge eat and purge. Anorexia Nervosa is the most dangerous and harmful mental illness in Australia. 1 in 10 young adults

Anorexia Nervosa is the condition when an individual abstains from food in order to lose weight or prevent more weight gain. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV(DSM-IV) there are four aspects of criteria to be diagnosed with anorexia: a refusal to maintain weight above what is minimally normal for one’s age and height, and extreme fear of weight gain, distorted body image, and (in females) having amenorrhea(missing three or more consecutive menstrual cycles.)(DSM-IV, 2000:589) Anorexia not only affects weight, but also alters bone growth, neurotransmitters and hormones in the brain, and electrolytes.

Guilt from consuming any food is a result of a loss of control to the anorexic. The anorexic loses hope from his/her sense of failure to control his/her eating. Obsessive thoughts and preoccupation with the anorexic's unhealthy physical state and obsessive rituals of the eating pattern occurs because he/she is in a vicious cycle of lack of control in his/her life. This lack of control in the anorexic exacerbates the alienation and loneliness already present (Arnold, page 91). Motivated by the belief that the anorexic is not worthy of friendships with certain peers, the anorexic is consumed by food. The fear of discovering that he/she is anorexic is terrifying. This terror of discovery produces social anxiety and sometimes nervous breakdowns. The depression resulting from the anorexic's psychological symptoms can lead to suicide. In cases of depressed anorexics the lack of control to overcome the state of control of self-starvation produces the feelings of failure and desperation and often leads to suicide. Treatment for the anorexic is a long-term process that includes psychotherapy. Treatment must begin with an evaluation of the anorexic patient. Here the evaluator must learn as much information about the anorexic patient by exploring the family history, health status, and how the anorexic perceives himself/herself and the anorexic patient's lifestyle. Establishing a treatment plan designed for the

Eating disorders are classified by persistent disturbances in eating behavior, according to the DSM-5 (APA, 2013; Hooley et al., 2017). One of the most prevalent eating disorders is anorexia nervosa, which literally means “lack of appetite induced by nervousness,” although the disorder may not necessarily include a lack of appetite, but instead the restriction of food due to an intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat (Hooley et al., 2017). Anorexia nervosa is also characterized by a significantly low body weight as well as a disturbance in the way in which one’s body weight or shape is experienced (APA, 2013). Two subtypes of anorexia nervosa exist, the restricting type and binge-eating/purging type. These describe two different ways

According to Smink, van Hoeken, & Hoek, “Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses with high-mortality rates; they are often long-standing and make a significant negative impact to the individual’s quality of life” (Bratland-Sanda & Sundgot-Borgen 449). Eating disorders are categorized into three main types: bulimia, anorexia, and eating disorders otherwise not specified (such as binge-eating disorder). Bulimia involves the act of binge-eating that occurs when an individual consumes a lot of food in a short period of time, binge, and in order to reverse the binge that the individual partook in, the individual will purge, as in make themselves regurgitate. As per anorexia, according to Currie and Morse, “AN is characterized by a refusal

Academy for Eating Disorder states that, eating disorders are characterized by a recurring pattern of unhealthy eating attitudes resulting to problems regarding health, emotional, and social problems. Alternatively, ED is also defined as an insistent disturbance of one`s eating attitudes with intent to control weight and actually affects their health negatively (Walsh and Fairburn, 2002). Eating Disorder is usually common to women, but is not limited to them. Both genders, male and female, in various ages can also suffer from it. Now that male population are openly expressing vanity, there are now more than twice as many men having ED today, than there was ten years ago.

The mental disorder, called: anorexia nervosa, is a disorder characterized by intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted body image itself. Leads to a severe weight loss due to an exaggerated diet and excessive exercise. It is not associated with any previous organic disease. It usually occurs in adolescents, like my cousin, and especially in women. The disease causes changes in hormone cycles, immunosuppression with an increased risk of infections, and approximately between 5% and 18% of anorexics die from malnutrition (Aingeru).

When I was twelve I would sit at my computer for countless hours of the day admiring pictures of girls who were deathly thin and nearly skeletal. These pictures paved the way to my weight loss goals. Soon, pound after pound began vanishing before my eyes almost like magic- until one day my mom walked in on me purging. Purging is using laxatives, or inducing vomiting to clear your system of food (calories) in the fastest way possible. This is when I was taken to my doctor who advised me to seek an Eating disorder specialist. The specialist did numerous amounts of evaluations and tests on me. After her final examination she diagnosed me with anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Both of which are very common and life threatening eating disorders among

Eating disorders are severe disturbances in eating behaviors, such as eating too little or eating too much. “Anorexia nervosa affects nearly one in 200 Americans in their lives (three-quarters of them female)” (Treating anorexia nervosa). Anorexia, when translated into Greek means “without appetite” which is not true for all suffering from anorexia most people with this disorder have not lost their appetite they simply have to ignore it. People with anorexia have an intense fear of gaining weight and have convinced themselves that they are overweight even if they are the opposite of overweight. Since the way that they view themselves is in a negative light they starve themselves and put their lives at risk. “In the most severe

In the United States, a female has approximately a .5 percent chance of developing anorexia in her lifetime according to the American Psychiatric Association (Kalodner, 2003). In other words, for every 200 females, one may have anorexia. Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is a serious eating disorder associated with the refusal to maintain a minimal normal weight for their height and age. Anorexics tend to just eat the minimal amount of food for their bodies to function. Sometimes they may not eat anything at all. They spend all of their time, energy and thought in pursuit of being thin (Kalodner, 2003). However in a strange ironic contrast with their refusal of food, anorexics show an obsessive interest in food. They read about food, shop for food, cook and

The most commonly known eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa can be defined as “a serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss.” People with anorexia have an intense fear of gaining weight and are obsessed with their self-image. These people either exercise excessively or to prevent them from obtaining any more weight, they will restrict the amount of food they eat. This can lead to a person becoming dangerously thin. There are two major

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.

The article, "Anorexia Nervosa," examines the background information, symptoms, and treatment of anorexia. Anorexia is defined as a disease in which a person starves themselves and exercises excessively in order to lose weight. In addition, as the person continues to lose weight, they have a distorted body image and perceives themselves as fat. In other words, the person is literally blind to the physical condition of their own body. The treatment process includes the help of a counselor, a dietitian, and a psychologist as they work to improve both the physical and mental well-being of the patient.

The first type of eating disorders is the anorexia nervosa. In anorexia nervosa there is an active maintenance of an unduly low body weight- body mass index. The first cases for anorexia were in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries and in that period of time this disorder was rare but in the twentieth century anorexia started to appear (1). Anorexia affects women more than men. Several studies showed that it affects 0.5% of women and 0.1% of men. Anorexia is mostly found in in western societies. Anorexia can be divided into two types, the first one that is the restriction type: weight loss is achieved by restricting calories. And the other type, which is the purging type: when vomiting or using laxatives and diuretics achieve weight loss. People who are anorexic mostly have an immoderate health restriction, obsession and anxiety about body image and weight; they punish themselves by eating very small portions of food portions of food and over exercising. There are many signs and symptoms that can be deducted to recognize anorexia in a person such as: refusal to