Eating Disorders: A Social Analysis

Can We Better Understand Eating Disorders, Namely Anorexia Nervosa, Through A Biomedical Model Or By Socio-cultural Analysis?

In today's society, there is much attention being given to the subject of eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia; unfortunately it is because these disorders seem to be becoming more and more common. The question that remains is whether eating disorders such as these are simply personal problems of the individuals, or if they have become a social problem that needs to be addressed more aggressively. Having grown up in this society, I see this issue as a definite social problem. To say that these increasingly common eating disorders are personal problems, implies that the causes of them are personal as well, which I believe is not the case. A social problem is something that goes against society's goals and values; it would seem

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

A combination of genetic, physical, social, and psychological factors may contribute to the development of an eating disorder, such as Anorexia. Anorexia is an emotional disorder characterized by an obsessive desire to lose weight by refusing to eat. Eating disorders effect ten million females and one million males in the United States. Also 0.3 percent of the eating disorders occur in teenage children.

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").

Eating Disorders: A critical issue According to the National eating disorders (NEDC) website: Every 60 minutes someone dies of an eating disorder related death. Over 30 million people in the United States are struggling with an eating disorder, and 5 in 200 people are struggling with just Bulimia or Anorexia alone, says Pearl, on people.com. People need to understand Eating Disorders are not a choice, and they are not to be glamorized, NEDC says, they are deadly mental disorders, that can affect anyone. Singer Demi Lovato has become an advocate for eating disorder help and even said herself, “Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses, not lifestyle choices”. If more people were correctly educated about eating disorders, they could be at

The culture and society people live in today tells people that in order to fit in then they have to be perfect. In order to become perfect people starve themselves, which can lead to anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Media also plays a huge part in causing eating disorders. TV, movies, magazines and the internet give unrealistic images on what a persons bodies should look like. Media uses airbrushed models as an image of the average woman but in reality the model weighs twenty- three percent less than the average woman (Self Image Media Influences). Women see these images and take unhealthy measures to try and fit the standards set by media. Researchers at Duke University took a survey and discovered that forty percent of nine and ten year old girls have admitted to being on a diet. In a study based on self-image three out of four girls said that they are overweight but only one out of them was, the Rader Programs did this study (self Image Media

Social media is one way to see people views on what the "ideal" body image and it also one of the quickest ways to kills someone's self esteem. People post their pictures on the internet and anyone can view it and is free to make comments as they please. Social media sites like Instagram have made "Likes" and "Comment" a superficial thing in people's minds. If a male or female see that they are not getting the same attention as another on social media because of their body image this could result in a eating disorder depending on the individual. In the article from the daily beast by Emily Shire, she mentions that, "Facebook, Instagram, and other social media technology may be inadvertently worsening the struggles of those suffering from eating

Eating disorders have become a major social problem in America, especially for woman. Our society pushes a fantasy of the idealized body through advertising, magazines, television, and social networks. It has become the cultural norm for women to be materialized out of the delusional thought process centered on the perfect body. From a very young age, women are given the message that in order to be happy and pretty, they must look like a Barbie doll. Women need to become aware that society’s ideal body image is not feasible. Your body is merely a vessel that contains the beautiful mind and soul that makes who you are. Our society has created unattainable standards of perfection in body image, and it is causing the rate of eating disorders to keep increasing. Over time, I have learned the most important aspect in life: perfection does not exist.

Eating Disorders Capstone Paper Eating Disorders: disorders characterized by abnormal eating habits (ex: anorexia nervosa and bulimia). Anorexia is “an emotional disorder characterized by an obsessive desire to lose weight by refusing to eat (cnn.com).” Bulimia is an eating disorder in which a lot of food is consumed in a short

The brain is a changing part of the body. During a lifetime, many think that their bodies are not the way society says they should be. Because of the disfigured views of their bodies, people begin to develop eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa. According to Mental Health by Jennifer Hurley, symptoms of anorexia include an unhealthy and unnatural fear of gaining weight, even if the person affected is at a stable body weight. The book continues on by saying that this eating disorder is a mental disorder that may be caused by academic, social, and family problems (Hurley 33). Anorexia nervosa can be treated by therapy.

An eating disorder is a several psychological disorder that is characterized by serious disturbances of eating behavior. The most popular types of EDs that involve food restriction and or purging to reduce their weight are, Bulimia Nervosa and Anorexia Nervosa, the latter being the most deleterious and deadly. According to the DSM-V, Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is a psychiatric disorder that is characterized by “persistent energy intake restriction; intense fear of gaining weight or of becoming fat, or persistent behavior that interferes with weight gain; and a disturbance in self-perceived weight or shape” (American Psychiatric Association (APA), 2013). Amongst all psychiatric disorders, AN has the highest mortality rate of 20% when there is no

However, treatments are available for helping with eating disorders, but unfortunately, there is no cure. Eating disorders are prevalent and can only be cured by the individual. According to Treasure J, “Practice recommendations emphasize the importance of specialized care for the treatment of eating disorders, but such care is not

Food has become one of the main topics that concerns people the most. Due to the concern in food many have become more aware of the way they look, being college students those with the highest population worrying about their body image. The purpose of the study is to determine if within that college population being affected, nursing students make a part of that population being more knowledgeable on the topic. Determining body mass index and possible modulation of anxious personality traits, existence of possible eating disorders will be identify. The study recruited 128 nursing students, they were given two test the STAI and EAT. The results of the study showed that there was a high percentage of nursing students that suffered from eating

Eating Disorders Physical exercise is inarguably healthy for the normal body functions as well as the overall good physical health. Consequently, many people take exercises to achieve the ultimate benefit of good health. However, a compulsive or compensatory need to take exercise could be an indicator of underlying problem of disordered eating habits. It pragmatic to monitor one’s exercising habits in order to increase chances of early detection of any underlying disordered eating habits.