Eating Disorders : Social, Genetics, And Psychological

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

At present, these eating disorders have an effect on roughly 25 million Americans, of which almost 25% are of the male gender. Out of all the psychological disorders, anorexia has the highest mortality rate. The whys and wherefores include malnourishment, substance abuse and reckless suicides. Eating disorders can happen to anyone; no matter whether they’re male or female, rich or poor, old or young. According to many researchers, eating disorders are caused by more than just food. There are numerous

With Anorexia Nervosa, there is a strong fear of weight gain and a preoccupation with body image. Those diagnosed may show a resistance in maintaining body weight or denial of their illness. Additionally, anorexics may deny their hunger, have eating rituals such as excessive chewing and arranging food on a plate, and seek privacy when they are eating. For women, they go through immediate body changes from abnormal to no menstruation periods and develop lanugo all over their bodies. Characteristics of an anorexic individual also consist of extreme exercise patterns, loosely worn clothing, and maintain very private lives. Socially, to avoid criticism or concern from others, they may distant themselves from friends and activities they once enjoyed. Instead, their primary concerns revolve around weight loss, calorie intake, and dieting. In regards to health, many will have an abnormal slow heart rate and low blood pressure, some can develop osteoporosis, severe dehydration which can result in kidney failure, and overall feel weak (Robbins, 27-29). It has been reported that Anorexia Nervosa has one of the highest death rates in any mental health condition in America (www.NationalEatingDisorders.org).

Even if some girls were not classified as having an eating disorder 44% of adolescent girls believed they were heavy and 60% were exercising excessively trying to lose weight. (Katzman et al. Pg. 287). Anorexia and Bulimia nervosa are deemed as medical illnesses or used to describe a psychological disorder by of self-induced starvation in order to become thin. People that have either of these illnesses have an excessive fear of gaining weight although they differ in their causation. Anorexia is when the person starves themselves for days without eating and Bulimia is recurrent binge eating, followed by vomiting, purging, fasting, the use of laxatives, diuretics, and over exercising. Sadly they both cause great harm to the human body.

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

Anorexia nervosa is starving oneself, sometimes even to death, because of a personal believe that one is unattractive or unlovable. People with anorexia have a six fold increase in mortality rates compared to people who aren’t. And many of the deaths are sudden due to irregular heartbeats or coma induced by low blood sugar. Bulimia nervosa is eating and then Vomiting soon afterward or using a laxative to get rid of food in order to avoid weight gain. About 1 to 3 percent of adolescents and college aged women have bulimia. Binge eating disorder involves binge eating but not purging afterwords. About 3.5 percent of all women have this disorder, and it is more common in obese people.

According to the Mayo Clinic (2016), eating disorders are “conditions related to persistent eating behaviors that negatively impact your health, your emotions, and your ability to function in important areas of life.” One such eating disorder is anorexia nervosa. Not to be confused with anorexia, which is simply a general loss of appetite that can be attributed to many medical ailments, anorexia nervosa is a serious eating disorder and mental illness (Nordqvist, 2015). Anorexia nervosa is estimated to affect about .9% of women and .3% of men in their lifetime (“Eating Disorder Statistics & Research,” n.d.). In general, the disorder is commonly characterized by a distorted body image or self-concept, critically low weight (with respect to the patient’s height and age), and an irrational fear of becoming fat or an intense desire to be thin. There are two subtypes to this eating disorder: restrictive and binge/purge. In the restrictive type, the individual limits caloric intake and may compulsively over-exercise. In the binge/purge type, the individual consumes a considerable amount of food in a short period of time (binging) and then deliberately vomits (purging), takes laxatives, or fasts intensely in order to compensate for the food eaten (“General Information: Anorexia Nervosa,” n.d.). In either case, anorexia nervosa is undoubtedly a dangerous and alarming illness.

In my research, I explored the world of eating disorders. I wanted to see if there was anything specifically encouraging eating disorders and if there was a way to stop it. Eating disorders affect the community greatly because often times, they go unchecked or unrecognized. As a recovered anorexic, I feel it’s very important to address this issue. It’s a very big problem that is often not addressed at all, or is seen as normal, like counting calories. I hoped to find a way to improve the way that eating disorders are viewed and explain to people about what defines an eating disorder, because many people will never know if it is not explicitly explained to them. My study’s purpose is to bring light into the dark world of eating disorders

Anorexics put other people’s feelings in front of theirs. They also feel that the only thing in their lives is food and their weight and this shows that they have low self-esteem for themselves. “Signs and symptoms are noticeable weight loss, becoming withdrawn, excessive exercise, fatigue, always being cold, and muscle weakness” (www.mirror-mirror.org 1). There are many more signs and symptoms for this illness. “An estimated 10

While Bulimia is known by many names, the term “bulimia” did not enter the English language until the 1970s, “perhaps representing lingering uncertainty about its essence” (Gordon, 2000). Bulimia, as we know it, is a modern disease, however, there is some evidence of binging and purging in ancient times; for example, in ancient Egypt, “physicians would recommend periodical purgation as a health practice” (Gordon, 2000). There has also been documentation of wealthy families in the middle ages vomiting during meals in order to continue eating large amounts of food. At this point, you may be wondering why these examples are not considered Bulimia Nervosa. According to Dr. Richard Allan Gordon, author of Eating Disorders: Anatomy of a Social

Behaviors of eating disorders have been around for centuries, but it has only been two hundred years since eating disorders have been named and considered a mental illness. Eating disorders can be a fatal illness that can affect a person's eating behaviors. Doctors have established over a dozen types of eating disorders, the two main types that patients are most often diagnosed with are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. According to the new statistics found that almost “ 50% of people in the world either know someone who is suffering from an eating disorder, or they are suffering from an eating disorder” (The Center Of Eating Disorders). When these people get

Eating disorders seem to have become more common during the latter half of the 20th century, during a period of American beauty icons becoming thinner and women’s magazines publishing more articles on methods for weight loss (Garner, Garfinkel, Schwartz, & Thompson, 1980). Dissatisfaction with one’s own body a result of the increasingly thin depictions of female body shapes in the mass media has been mainly attributed to the Caucasian young female population (Striegel-Moore, Silberstein, & Rodin, 1986). To date, there has been relatively little empirical research investigating the prevalence, etiology, and treatment of eating disorders in ethnic minorities. Additionally, studies investigating the direct link between acculturation of Asian American individuals in Western societies and eating disorder symptomology have failed to find a consistent correlation. Intuitively, researchers have suggested a positive relationship between acculturation, the adoption of characteristics, beliefs, ideals and values of the host culture (Gowen, Hayward, Killen, Robinson, & Taylor, 1999), and disordered eating symptomology in Asian Americans but the studies have yielded mixed findings. Therefore, there appear to be other factors influencing the development of eating disorder symptomology in Asian Americans, including self-esteem and the drive for thinness.

Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia are two separate disorders, but share many commonalities and differences. Both of these eating disorders have biological and psychological consequences which can motivate the development of eating disorders. Three is a no adaptive perception of one’s body shape and it is evident that people suffering from both anorexia and bulimia believe they weigh too much, regardless of their actual weight and appearance.

There is no doubt that both genetics and environmental risk factors are involved with the pathogenesis of those disorders. According to Stice, the main etiological and maintaining factors includes genetic predisposition, a study made by Strober et al., shows that female relatives of those with anorexia nervosa are 11.4 times more likely to suffer from the same disorder than control subjects; previous severe life stressed (70% of cases are triggered by those events or difficulties, according to Schmidt et al.); socio-cultural factors (thinness became synonymous of beauty and the sexist society puts pressure over girls to standard-beautiful). Further, besides low self-esteem and impulsivity, the perfectionistic personality trait have been seen as risk factors to the onset of those disorders.

Eating disorders do not discriminate to gender or body type, but rather is a matter of negative body image and a morphed self perception. Men are pushed into masculinity, taught to be competitive and strong, while women are forcefully “influenced” to be feminine and delicate. We convince ourselves that only other people are attractive, and our body size or shape is a sign of personal failure. An eating disorder is defined by abnormal eating habits that can threaten your health or even your life. My mother is a certified nutrition consultant, educated in planning and conducting nutritional programs to assist in the promotion of health and control of disease. Although she has raised me to have a healthy perception of health vs. beauty, I'm still affected by the body that I could have. I have found there to be three main factors that cause eating disorders: biological factors, psychological factors, and social factors/cultural pressures.