The Psycho Social Aspect Of The Disorder Essay

Dr. Levenkron talks about Anorexia Nervosa as a pathological distortion of today’s society of being “Fashion-model thin.” This source is reliable because it is told from a doctor's/psychotherapists perspective of the disease. It informs and broadens my research on the pathological aspect of the disease. Dr. Steven Levenkron uses case studies and specific strategies to explain and help cure the disease.

According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, “the body type portrayed in advertising as the ideals is possessed naturally by only 5% of American females.” (“ANAD”) Body image has been a controversial theme because of the influence of the media. It is a widely known fact that eating disorder cases are on the rise. The concept of body image is a subjective matter. The common phrase, “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder,” holds true meaning in this sense. One’s view and value of their body is self-imposed. Falling into the destructive eating disorders reveals much about a person’s psychological and emotional state. Examining the mental, physical, and emotional conditions behind recognized eating

This article is relevant to the research on anorexia nervosa because it explains the hidden factors behind eating disorders along with a detailed study on how traumatic events can affect body image. The study ascertained that self-image, emotional stability, and trauma history are all influences on psychological disorders such as anorexia

The unrealistic body image leads them to the unhealthy eating habits. However, these things that a person with this eating disorder does in order to “avoid being fat” will not be fixed with weight loss. No matter how much fat is lost, a person with anorexia nervosa will view themselves as fat, even when they are dangerously underweight. The person may either feel fat all over or focus it on a more general region such as the thighs or the stomach (APA, 2013). Their body image issues could be evident by obsessive weighing or

“Michelle M. Lelwica author of The Religion of Thinness: Satisfying the Spiritual Hungers Behind Women’s Obsession with Food and Weight declared that ‘Thinness is worshipped in American culture. Unrealistic body images are promoted in the media and entertainment resulting in greater numbers of women and men who feel ‘too fat’ and suffer from eating disorders’” (Shell 1). Eating disorders are characterized by abnormal or disturbed eating habits such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating. Eating disorders have several causes including behavioral, psychological, and social factors, and they frequently appear during adolescence or early adulthood, but it may also develop earlier or later in life. In today’s culture media has a more powerful presence than ever before; this causes the individual to be constantly bombarded by what the media portrays as a “good” body. The mass communication transmits both positive and negative messages about body image to the public. The general public unaware of what a positive or negative body image can do in mental and physical health end up trying to meet those unrealistic standards, thus, so inducing harmful lifestyles. Eating disorders can be caused by sociocultural incitements such as unrealistic standards, set by society and culture, and lack of knowledge about positive and negative body image, but regulations and education must be established to help reduce the problems.

The media’s false portrayal of body image has a great influence on the development of eating disorders. There are three types of eating disorders; anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge eating. Eating disorders are major issues in today’s society. Instead of people using the media to influence good eating habits, they use it to influence bad eating habits. The numbers of people who have an eating disorder are rising at an alarming rate. It affects not only women, but also men, teens, and young children of all ages. It is not surprising that the number of young children who have an eating disorder is increasing each year. This is an issue that people do not take seriously. The media gets the attention to continue to

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that consists of self-regulated food restriction in which the person strives for thinness and also involves distortion of the way the person sees his or her own body. An anorexic person weighs less than 85% of their ideal body weight. The prevalence of eating disorders is between .5-1% of women aged 15-40 and about 1/20 of this number occurs in men. Anorexia affects all aspects of an affected person's life including emotional health, physical health, and relationships with others (Shekter-Wolfson et al 5-6). A study completed in 1996 showed that anorexics also tend to possess traits that are obsessive in nature and carry heavy emotional

Much to our perceived attention is the idealised image that most aspire to have. In attempting to achieve such a look involves drastic measures for some and possibly fatal. There is ample of evidence to suggest that such measures revolve around an individual’s eating habits thus leading to unhealthy disordered eating patterns. Eating disorders refer to abnormal eating habits characterised by excessive or insufficient intake of food and develop from a number of interrelated issues. Much of the research into eating disorders has focused particularly on anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa and its developmental causes. Anorexia nervosa is a psychological disorder characterised by delusions of being overweight resulting in conspicuous

One in every seventeen people in America suffers from a mental disorder. These disorders inhibit the afflicted person from functioning properly and coping normally with daily life. Many afflicted with a psychological disorder do not exhibit obvious symptoms, as medical advancements have made it possible for these disorders to be suppressed or even nonexistent. Today, however, harsh stigmas exist that unfairly categorize those with a mental illness as violent, unfriendly, and abnormal. The media and federal government are culprits in fabricating the unrealistic depictions of mental disability that define the portrayal of those who are mentally or psychologically disadvantaged.

There are varieties of eating disorders. The main ones are Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge Eating Disorder. In one sample, the prevalence was as high as 80 % for patients diagnosed with restrictive anorexia nervosa, 43 % in anorexia nervosa binge-eating/purging subtype, 39. % in bulimia nervosa, and 32 % in eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS). I am currently acquainted with a friend who has been diagnosed with, and is currently in treatment for, Anorexia Nervosa, also known as Anorexia. Anorexia is the most dangerous eating disorder because it can be unseen, it is very unhealthy, and the effect it has on the victim’s life is devastating.

Unfortunately, a not so uncommon problem in American society regarding body image is the development of eating disorders. Though the causes are not always known, a seriously negative perception of body image may result in unhealthy eating patterns. The two most widely known eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Those with anorexia believe that thinness is the key to self-worth and most are never satisfied with their own body image. Contrary to popular belief, anorexia does not deal directly with food; it has been described that anorexia is an unhealthy way to “cope with emotional problems” (Mayo Clinic). Dieting occupies most of their day, and many purposely starve to lose weight. Many of those affected refuse to maintain a healthy weight and become extremely thin, due to being intensely afraid of gaining weight.

Eating disorders are not just about food and weight; they affect someone both psychologically and emotionally. “Anorexics punish themselves for their perceived failures and self-hatred by restricting their food intake.” (Engel). Although this may be the case, people with anorexia don’t just take food from their lives, the fact that they have self-hatred to trigger it causes many more complications and long-term effects. Clearly, anorexia is not just a weight issue. Individuals mainly use food to control how they are feeling if they are placed in a conflict or feel insecure.

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

Anorexia nervosa can come from having been sexually abused or having family that are too controlling over what they do. “Most often diagnosed in females (up to 90%), Anorexia is characterized by failure to maintain body weight of at least 85% of what is expected, fear of losing control over your weight or of becoming fat” (“Anorexia Nervosa,” 2015). The person with the disorder often visualizes themselves in a mirror and seeing an overweight person staring back at them which is their reflection. Treatment for anorexia nervosa involve restoring their health, after that is

Fairborn (2005) points out that there is a range of treatment options and a variety of treatment settings for anorexia nervosa, however there is inadequate empirical support for this abundance of options as what minimal research on the treatment has been inconclusive. One reasoning behind this is that anorexia nervosa has been an uncommon disorder and sample sizes for studies have been low. Furthermore, the lack of evidence based treatment research can be attributed to the individual’s avoidance of treatment and dropping out of treatment. Many individuals with anorexia nervosa are unwilling to change as their identity and self-worth are intertwined with their distorted body image; they tend to deny that anything is wrong with their weight and are ambivalent on changing (Abbate-Daga, Amianto, Delsedime, De-Bacco & Fassino,