Eating Disorder Case Study: Chhaya

Topic: What is causing young adults and teens to develop eating disorders and how can we help them?

This article describes how unrealistic standards of attractiveness set by Western society are internalized by women from a variety of cultural backgrounds and translated into fat-phobia and body dissatisfaction and then discusses alternative cultural influences for food refusal such as issues of control, acculturation, and religious asceticism. The author claims that there is a need for culturally sensitive questionnaires and diagnostic criteria and suggests that the notion of anorexia as a culture bound syndrome is no longer valid as the illness as been identified in a number of non-western societies. A valid point is made

Real beauty is found in a person's heart, not in their appearance, but the media rarely portrays this though. Most magazines and television shows feature only excessively thin people. Unfortunately, this causes teenagers whose bodies don't match those same proportions to look at their selves with hatred. Every lump and bulge becomes despised, and soon, they have a full-blown eating disorder.

I thought the chapter in the textbook about eating disorders was very interesting. This is a very real and current issue in our country today. And as I learned in the reading, it affects many countries throughout the world, not just the United States. According to the PsychWatch section on page 281, “Eating Disorders Across the World”, non-Western countries are starting to be exposed to more Western and United States television and magazine advertisements, and this is resulting in more cases of eating disorders in these countries. Both men and women are affected by anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating. The statistics show that more women than men have these eating disorders. But it is hard to say if this is true, or if just more women seek help.

As I jotted down the answer to my geometry homework, I felt the vibrations of the floor trembling beneath my feet from the deafening screams of my parents. I continued my work, as I go uninterrupted by the daily routine argument. One day, I didn’t hear the screaming anymore, which was one of the biggest abnormalities in this household. I slunk halfway down the stairs and stretched my neck over the banister to catch a glimpse of what had happened without getting caught. The next thing I knew my older brother was standing by my side, his curiosity piqued. My mom broke the silence by peering her head around the corner of the living room, her eyes locked onto mine. As my brother and my cover were blown, we walked gingerly to the couch and sat down. I watched my mom’s stone cold face quiver out the words, “We...are....divorcing”. My face froze as if I was in a cartoon show. I tried to

Many may see someone who has an eating disorder as someone who wants 'attention,' while disregarding all of the several factors that play a part in causing someone to take this path in their life. The list of causes goes on and on, yet the basics are right under our noses. Vaguely speaking, biological factors, psychological factors, and environmental factors all take a place on the stand for being causes ("Disorder Hope").

Media success has always been based on the exploitation of the rare or controversial. Magazines, television, and documentaries always seem to focus on unusual situations or the belittling of an individual’s habits. No one is to blame, however exploiting people and their unhealthy choices should be frowned upon, but society thrives off of the “unknown” and “lesser-seen”. Eating abnormalities seem to have become the newest trend, putting teen pregnancy and drug abuse on the backburner. Shows seem to focus solely on health implications caused by overeating, not eating, or eating foreign objects. Has the media's constant infatuation with the irregular led society to become desensitized to these outlandish topics, or has society begun to

Eating disorders are one of society’s most debilitating physical and psychological problems faced today. In the 1950s Marilyn Monroe was society’s role model, but would now be considered a plus-sized model and somewhat unattractive in society’s eyes (Steinem 5). Now in 2013, Demi Lovato, a pop singer, plays a huge role as a role model for young people, but has recently told the media that she suffers from anorexia nervosa and embraces it, ultimately showing adolescents that eating disorders are socially acceptable and even often encouraged (Cotliar 80). The psychological effects that eating disorders have on a patient can be very detrimental to themselves and often push the patient farther into the disorder than she could ever have

It was not a very easy thing to do. I must have told myself to quit about a million times. I only worked hard and gave it my all for two weeks.

I did the case study with a girl named Clara Duong. She is eleven years old. She is a Vietnamese American. She was born on January 17, 2003 in the United States. She has an older brother and a lot of cousins. She can speak four different languages which are English, Vietnamese, German, and Spain. She is very friendly and funny, so she gets along very well with other people. She makes friends easily and keeps relationship with them very well. She has a lot of friends and often spend time with them beside school. She likes playing video game and reading a book. She is very active and outgoing. She enjoys being with people. She is attending in some clubs or teams such as TIGAR, student leadership, and Snow Cats. She like to help others and takes life easy. She does very well at school. She follows rules at school and home. Clara’s religion is Roman Catholic. She goes to the church every Saturday and Sunday. She studies a bible on Sunday.

Psychological illnesses in which a person has abnormal eating habits such as eating too much or eating too little are called eating disorders. There are three main types of eating disorders. The types or eating disorders are bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa and binge eating disorder. There are many causes of eating disorders. Eating disorders are most commonly caused by the way genetic vulnerability, psychological factors, and socio-cultural influences (Eating Disorders Risk Factors). Eating disorders can be very harmful or even deadly.

Eating disorders have become and extreme issue among women. However, the ignorance to this subjects’ prevalence is common and it is essential that this is compressed immediately. The impact eating disorders currently holds on society is monumental and is defining the current image of beauty. Definitions of beauty have fluctuated extremely throughout time and the unhealthy processes women have put themselves through in order to conform to societies current definition of beauty has remained consistent. From the corset to extremely high heels to severe thinness, achieving the ideal image of beauty is regularly detrimental to woman’s health. Fashion models continue to struggle with eating disorders due to the fashion industry building a pedestal

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

If a provider has a suspicion of an eating disorder or weight problem in an adolescent patient, then a discussion must take place to prevent future complications that can arise from being underweight. Unfortunately, adolescents who develop an eating disorder are likely to continue the practices into young adulthood and possibly beyond (Brauser, 2011). Due to this outcome, it makes it ever more vital that providers bring the weight issue out into the open so reasons for the patient participating in the abnormal eating behaviors can be found, and then solutions developed to help the adolescent with their weight. Anorexia and bulimia are the primary eating disorders of concern, and they are complex conditions that are very difficult to treat and are associated with significant medical and mental health comorbidities (Burns, Dunn, Brady, Starr, Blosser, 2013). Not only will the provider need to talk with the adolescent, but the parent of the child should be involved, as well, so there can be continual support at home if an eating disorder is discovered.

Eating Disorder Case Study Mother is concerned that daughter is not eating enough, restricting food intake for 8 months because she feels fat, feels she needs to lose ten pounds, feels that her thighs and stomach are to large, reporting 35 lb weight loss over last 8 months, denies any eating problems, began menarche at age 16 periods normally regular, stop three months ago, exercises daily 20 min. to 2 hours, experiences low energy, chronic constipation and lightheadedness, favorite TV show is “America’s Next Top Model” and reports “feeling down in the dumps” for about nine months, college student, good grades, finding it difficult to concentrate, admits to feeling worthless and having no