Eating Disorders: Anorexia Nervosa

Over three million men each year are affected by Anorexia. In spite of this, men are less likely to be diagnosed, and the disorder is often overlooked due to the misconception that it is a “girl’s disease”. Unlike females, who are generally afraid to become overweight in an image obsessed society, males affected by the disorder tend to believe they are overweight, suffer from depression, or from

Anorexia is an eating disorder and a mental health condition which can be life-threatening. Anorexia is an irrational fear of gaining weight, it typically involves excessive weight loss and usually occurs more in females than in males.

A lot of people think that Anorexia is just for selfish people. As if one day I woke up and decided not to eat because I wanted attention. This is far from the truth. As some of you know

The world today makes it to where if a person is not accepted they go home, they cry, and they try to cope their pain with either food, harm, anger etc. They shut themselves away from the world because they believe that they are imperfect. However, they are not the imperfect ones, it is society. Society raises the rates of depression within victims of eating disorders. There are three main reasons for developing an eating disorder: social, genetics, and psychological. The society today brings many people to the belief that to obtain the perfect body they must put their bodies through unhealthy habits which can lead to the harm of themselves

Eating disorders have become an increasing public health problem once thought to be an affliction amongst young women, now an epidemic across culture and gender boundaries. Anorexia gives rise to serious socio-economic and bio-psychological circumstances of our ever vast, growing society. Awareness of eating disorders have increased but perhaps only in proportion to its advancement of its research and treatment. That which still leaves us in a position for a much greater demand for education and heightened awareness of this perplexing disease.

Contrary to popular believe, eating disorders are not a thing of the past. They are unfortunately very prevalent; eating disorders affect up to 30 million Americans and 70 million individuals worldwide. The Renfrew Center Foundation for Eating Disorders, "Eating Disorders 101 Guide: A Summary of Issues, Statistics and Resources," published September 2002, revised October 2003, http://www.renfrew.org. What an extremely disturbing fact! With so many people are struggling, why are the differences between anorexia and bulimia so misunderstood by the majority of the population? Anorexia and Bulimia are very severe eating disorders that are described as an unnatural relationship with food. The body of the individual that is diagnosed goes through extreme changes that ultimately cause havoc on the body and its systems. People who often suffer from these disorders tend to be overly concerned with perfection and the attainment of it. They may feel as if they have absolutely no control when it comes to some parts of their lives, so they achieve control through one of these eating disorders. Anorexics and bulimics often use the eating disorder as a way to muddle through problems from the past, as well as those of present times. Any person can have anxieties when it comes to his or her weight however, for anorexics and bulimics, it’s a life altering obsession. The sufferer may be known to become isolated from friends and family, not realizing that the disease affects not only his or

The eating disorder anorexia nervosa is one of complex nature that is caused and sustained by many interconnected factors of life. Characterized by strict dieting, an unrealistic perception of body image, excessive exercise, depression, and OCD, this disorder has the ability to boycott the lives of many individuals (Pinel, 2014). In order to understand the effects that this disorder has, it is essential to look at the socio-cultural, psychological, and physiological factors this disorder can entail. In addition, gender discrepancy is evident in relation to anorexia nervosa, with females presenting anorexia nervosa more often than males due to the differing “ideal” body types of both sexes.

This disorder greatly varies from one person to the next and a contributor can be from cultural factors. Where one country accepts this severe form of thinness another may not. The media is also a major contributor for people accepting this extreme weight problem. Individuals then strive to make themselves exactly as these people depicted on TV are in fear that they are not perfect enough. It has also been shown that anorexia can cause heart problems such as irregular heartbeat, stomach problems, and a major reduction in bone density making it easier break a bone. Individuals that suffer from anorexia nervosa are often severely underweight due to the fact that they choose not to eat or eat so little that the amount of cariole’s that they are taking in isn’t enough to sustain their body. Individuals suffering from anorexia nervosa have a distorted image of the way there body looks otherwise called a body dimorphic disorder. They always see themselves as fat and they turn to starving themselves to help lose the weight. These individuals also have a great fear of gaining weight but because they choose either not to eat or eat very little there is no chance of them to gain any form of weight. Anorexia effects both men and women but with women this serve drop in weight effects there ability to be able to menstruate. This is a condition otherwise known as amenorrhea. An example of

In addition to the history of anorexia nervosa, the causes of this eating disorder play a major role in their mentality. This is important to examine because people with anorexia are often using food and eating as a way to gain control when parts of their lives are stressful or overwhelming. According to Eating Disorders: An Encyclopedia of Causes, Treatment, and Prevention, “The causes of eating disorders are multifaceted and usually include a combination of psychological, familial, sociocultural, and biological or genetic factors rather than a sole determinant of the disorder. “(103). When it comes to the psychological causes of anorexia many individuals often have low self-worth, low self-esteem, and strive for perfectionism. Having a low

As many as 10 million woman and girls suffer from anorexia or bulimia in the United States (Steele). Anorexia and bulimia are very serious eating disorders. Many women and young girls feel that these disorders are the only way for them to be accepted by others. However the strive for acceptance only ends up causing pain, emotional harm, or death to those affected. Being a sufferer of anorexia, I know the emotional and physical damage this disease can cause. The root cause of having an eating disorder is still undetermined, yet some doctors and physiologist believe the new focus on a perfect body, shown by the media is to blame. Society’s portrayal and promotion of a thin body image as the ideal female body contributes to eating

Fear is the motivation for individuals to become anorexic. It can be fear of becoming fat, or of ‘giving in’ to appetite and eating. It could also be that the fear of losing control of body shape, size, or weight (Comer, 2013).

Strengths of the article: This article looks at both sexes and anorexia nervosa. It is also a randomised control trial where interviewers were blinded, therefore the results are more reliable and less likely to be biased.

Men with anorexia sometimes display other psychological problems. While affected women tend to be more perfectionistic and displeased with their body. Children and adolescents who suffer from anorexia are at risk for a slow growth and development.“Anorexia tends to affect the middle and upper socioeconomic classes and Caucasians more often than less advantaged classes and ethnic minorities in the United States” (Stockwell, 1990). “People with anorexia lean towards compulsive behaviors, obsession with food, and or addiction characteristics in efforts to overly control their food intake and weight” (Harries, 1992). According to ANAD, statistics show that “0.9% of American women suffer from anorexia in their lifetime.1 in 5 anorexia deaths is by suicide”. (Carney, 2009)

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 affect many people and overcoming eating disorders can be a very difficult task. Anorexia Nervosa is a serious, deadly eating disorder that many people are diagnosed with every year, especially females. Women are seven to ten times more likely to develop an eating disorder than men. What would make someone want to go to the extent to starve themselves to lose weight? There are many reasons why people with Anorexia Nervosa refuse their bodies to eat. Treating the psychological disorder can be a very difficult task, but it is important to help people get back to a normal, healthy life.