Anorexia Nervosa Research Paper
Anorexia Nervosa
Abstract
Anorexia nervosa, the starving disease, has gained national attention in the last ten years due to its increasing victims each year. Many people keep their disease to themselves until it’s too serious to treat which may lead to death. Lots of people suffer from eating disorders and of that, 90 percent are believed to be women. Recent researchers suggest that anorexia can be caused by a mix of biological, psychological and social behaviors such as metabolism and coping skills. However, several envious teens become anorexic because they want to be as skinny as the celebrities they look up to. Treatment of anorexia is costly due to the fact that both mental and physical problems are involved. Males are often …show more content…
denied treatment and are denied being diagnosed because it is far less common.
Eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa, have a variety of conditions that focus on a person’s lack of ability to deal reasonably with food. Research believes the problem is not with the food itself but the attitude of the person and is generally viewed as psychological in nature, driven by an obsession of as-yet-undetermined origin that goes beyond the scope of drive as we know it. ("Anorexia and other," 1985) Individuals with anorexia can become so obsessed with thinness they may starve themselves to death.
Anorexics typically see themselves as fat even though they are dangerously skinny, and usually only eat enough food to keep them alive. ("Anorexia and other," 1985) Anorexia typically appears in early adolescence among girls who are high achievers academically but suffer from low self-esteem. Scientists have found that many girls have been unable to accept menstruation as a natural part of their development and may be uncomfortable with the changes in their appearance, particularly the enlargement of breasts and hips, regarding them as signs of early obesity ("Anorexia and other," 1985) According to the article in CQ Researcher (1985), a survey in 1981 was conducted by ANAD and the results concluded the median age of women suffering with anorexia was 27; for men it was 29. 41 percent of the anorexics are from families earning less than $30,000 a year, revealing that this disorder is not limited to upper-income earners. ("Anorexia and other," 1985)
Athealth.com describes anorexia as an eating disorder, saying that people with anorexia have a problem keeping their body weight in a normal range or even above a minimal weight level considered to be healthy.
They say that there are two types of anorexia: Restricting Type and Binge-Eating/Purging Type. The Restricting Type is when the anorexic limits their intake of calories, and excessively exercise. The Binge-Eating/Purging Type is where the anorexic will eat an abundant amount of food at once and then vomit, using their finger, a toothbrush, or laxatives. However, Binge-Eating/Purging Anorexia would easily be well known as Bulimia …show more content…
Nervosa.
Celebrities play a big role in the cause of so many anorexic teens. Teens tend to become anorexic because they feel the need to be as skinny and beautiful as everyone on the television. There was a survey conducted on 185 female college students. More than half of them felt pressure to be a certain weight and 83 percent of them dieted on a regular basis to lose weight. Of that 83 percent, more than half of them were of normal weight. ("Eating disorders statistics," 2010) When someone tries dieting but with no success, they just stop eating all together to lose the weight quickly. Even celebrities themselves have anorexia; some of which came out publicly.
Here are a few examples of female celebrities that are open about their problem. Tara Reid suffered from anorexia after her breakup with Carson Daly. Calista Flockhart went anorexic because of her hectic schedule. Also on the set of Ally McBeal, Courtney Thorn-Smith suffered from anorexia because of all the pressure to be thin. However, there have been cases of males suffering from anorexia nervosa as well.
Dennis Quaid went through an anorexic phase, going from 180 lbs. to 138 lbs. Daniel Johns went through an anorexic phase when he was a teen that almost led to suicide.
There are a few mental signs of an anorexic, such as their eating habits and their tolerance level. You may notice a person saying they are full after a few bites whereas usually it would take that person a plate and a half. A person may be irritated much easier, possibly, by some things that she/he himself would usually do. There are several physical signs however. The most obvious sign on an anorexic is seeing them constantly exercising. Since they are on a mind-set of being outrageously thin, they will over exercise, thinking any little bit of calories burned is for the better. After a while of someone suffering with anorexia nervosa, one may notice their muscle tone has practically disappeared. Since anorexics don’t eat much, they lack essential nutrients and vitamins their body needs which leads to dry hair and skin and brittle nails. Some notable signs of an anorexic in your household are constipation due to lack of fiber in their diet, cold sensitivity due to loss of body fat and muscle and slowed reflexes because of the drastic change in their body’s intake. Anorexia is very difficult to treat and treatment usually is ineffective due to the fact that physical and mental problems are occurring.
When approaching a situation to treat anorexia willingly, first the psychological problems have to be noted. Antidepressants are often used to make the patient happily go through with the action. The patient has to learn the consequences of anorexia and how harmful they are to your body because then he/she will be more likely to actually want to stop starving themselves. Once the patient knows the facts and the psychological problems are known, a healthy eating habit is developed. Usually a diet plan will be set and has to be strictly followed so that he/she will steadily gain weight until he/she is healthy and
stable. When a person resists treatment, however, depending on legal rights, involuntary actions are made. One may be hospitalized and force-fed with physical restraints. There are numerous reasons one would resist treatment. They could be too severely depressed to where they would rather commit suicide than gain weight. Some may think they truly don’t have an eating disorder, and everyone is overreacting to the weight loss. – “I’m losing weight because I’m exercising.” (Yeager, 2002)
Since eating disorders are so commonly found in women, symptoms of an eating disorder may be easily overlooked in males. A male over eating is not as suspicious as a female overeating. Males are found less likely to be diagnosed with anorexia than a female visiting a doctor. Because so many males are disregarded for anorexia and simply not analyzed, only about 35 percent are actually given treatment. Research also shows that over 20 percent of gay men show signs of anorexia.
Anorexia is the third most prolonged disease among adolescents and up to 24 million people in the U.S suffer from it. Approximately 20 percent of people suffering from anorexia will die prematurely, including suicide and heart problems. Children as young as ten years old are already concerned about being fat in the future; about 50 percent of kids in the fifth grade are already dieting. ("Eating disorders statistics," 2010)
Anorexia will still be a primary issue with many people so an understanding of anorexia is the key in helping others learn. Joining a fitness center for normal dieting and exercise can be a preventative method. Many people are dieting because of a distorted self-image portrayed by the media. People need to know that it’s what’s on the inside that counts. I feel that if the consequences of anorexia and other eating disorders are taught to children at an early age, they will be less likely to develop the disorder.Anorexia will still be a primary issue with many people so an understanding of anorexia is the key in helping others learn. Joining a fitness center for normal dieting and excersie can be a preventative method. Many people are dying because a distorted self image portrayed by the media. People need to understand it’s what’s on the inside that counts. I feel that if the consequences of anorexia and other eating disorders are taught to children at an early age, they will be less likely to develop the disorder
Anorexia and other eating disorders. (1985). CQ Researcher, Retrieved from http://library.cqpress.com.ezproxy.saintleo.edu Anorexia. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.athealth.com/consumers/disorders/anorexia Yeager, J. (2002). Anorexics Often Resist Treatment. United States: Gurze Books. Eating Disorders Statistics. (2010). Retrieved from http://anad.org/get-information/about-eating-disorders
Abstract
Anorexia nervosa, the starving disease, has gained national attention in the last ten years due to its increasing victims each year. Many people keep their disease to themselves until it’s too serious to treat which may lead to death. Lots of people suffer from eating disorders and of that, 90 percent are believed to be women. Recent researchers suggest that anorexia can be caused by a mix of biological, psychological and social behaviors such as metabolism and coping skills. However, several envious teens become anorexic because they want to be as skinny as the celebrities they look up to. Treatment of anorexia is costly due to the fact that both mental and physical problems are involved. Males are often …show more content…
denied treatment and are denied being diagnosed because it is far less common.
Eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa, have a variety of conditions that focus on a person’s lack of ability to deal reasonably with food. Research believes the problem is not with the food itself but the attitude of the person and is generally viewed as psychological in nature, driven by an obsession of as-yet-undetermined origin that goes beyond the scope of drive as we know it. ("Anorexia and other," 1985) Individuals with anorexia can become so obsessed with thinness they may starve themselves to death.
Anorexics typically see themselves as fat even though they are dangerously skinny, and usually only eat enough food to keep them alive. ("Anorexia and other," 1985) Anorexia typically appears in early adolescence among girls who are high achievers academically but suffer from low self-esteem. Scientists have found that many girls have been unable to accept menstruation as a natural part of their development and may be uncomfortable with the changes in their appearance, particularly the enlargement of breasts and hips, regarding them as signs of early obesity ("Anorexia and other," 1985) According to the article in CQ Researcher (1985), a survey in 1981 was conducted by ANAD and the results concluded the median age of women suffering with anorexia was 27; for men it was 29. 41 percent of the anorexics are from families earning less than $30,000 a year, revealing that this disorder is not limited to upper-income earners. ("Anorexia and other," 1985)
Athealth.com describes anorexia as an eating disorder, saying that people with anorexia have a problem keeping their body weight in a normal range or even above a minimal weight level considered to be healthy.
They say that there are two types of anorexia: Restricting Type and Binge-Eating/Purging Type. The Restricting Type is when the anorexic limits their intake of calories, and excessively exercise. The Binge-Eating/Purging Type is where the anorexic will eat an abundant amount of food at once and then vomit, using their finger, a toothbrush, or laxatives. However, Binge-Eating/Purging Anorexia would easily be well known as Bulimia …show more content…
Nervosa.
Celebrities play a big role in the cause of so many anorexic teens. Teens tend to become anorexic because they feel the need to be as skinny and beautiful as everyone on the television. There was a survey conducted on 185 female college students. More than half of them felt pressure to be a certain weight and 83 percent of them dieted on a regular basis to lose weight. Of that 83 percent, more than half of them were of normal weight. ("Eating disorders statistics," 2010) When someone tries dieting but with no success, they just stop eating all together to lose the weight quickly. Even celebrities themselves have anorexia; some of which came out publicly.
Here are a few examples of female celebrities that are open about their problem. Tara Reid suffered from anorexia after her breakup with Carson Daly. Calista Flockhart went anorexic because of her hectic schedule. Also on the set of Ally McBeal, Courtney Thorn-Smith suffered from anorexia because of all the pressure to be thin. However, there have been cases of males suffering from anorexia nervosa as well.
Dennis Quaid went through an anorexic phase, going from 180 lbs. to 138 lbs. Daniel Johns went through an anorexic phase when he was a teen that almost led to suicide.
There are a few mental signs of an anorexic, such as their eating habits and their tolerance level. You may notice a person saying they are full after a few bites whereas usually it would take that person a plate and a half. A person may be irritated much easier, possibly, by some things that she/he himself would usually do. There are several physical signs however. The most obvious sign on an anorexic is seeing them constantly exercising. Since they are on a mind-set of being outrageously thin, they will over exercise, thinking any little bit of calories burned is for the better. After a while of someone suffering with anorexia nervosa, one may notice their muscle tone has practically disappeared. Since anorexics don’t eat much, they lack essential nutrients and vitamins their body needs which leads to dry hair and skin and brittle nails. Some notable signs of an anorexic in your household are constipation due to lack of fiber in their diet, cold sensitivity due to loss of body fat and muscle and slowed reflexes because of the drastic change in their body’s intake. Anorexia is very difficult to treat and treatment usually is ineffective due to the fact that physical and mental problems are occurring.
When approaching a situation to treat anorexia willingly, first the psychological problems have to be noted. Antidepressants are often used to make the patient happily go through with the action. The patient has to learn the consequences of anorexia and how harmful they are to your body because then he/she will be more likely to actually want to stop starving themselves. Once the patient knows the facts and the psychological problems are known, a healthy eating habit is developed. Usually a diet plan will be set and has to be strictly followed so that he/she will steadily gain weight until he/she is healthy and
stable. When a person resists treatment, however, depending on legal rights, involuntary actions are made. One may be hospitalized and force-fed with physical restraints. There are numerous reasons one would resist treatment. They could be too severely depressed to where they would rather commit suicide than gain weight. Some may think they truly don’t have an eating disorder, and everyone is overreacting to the weight loss. – “I’m losing weight because I’m exercising.” (Yeager, 2002)
Since eating disorders are so commonly found in women, symptoms of an eating disorder may be easily overlooked in males. A male over eating is not as suspicious as a female overeating. Males are found less likely to be diagnosed with anorexia than a female visiting a doctor. Because so many males are disregarded for anorexia and simply not analyzed, only about 35 percent are actually given treatment. Research also shows that over 20 percent of gay men show signs of anorexia.
Anorexia is the third most prolonged disease among adolescents and up to 24 million people in the U.S suffer from it. Approximately 20 percent of people suffering from anorexia will die prematurely, including suicide and heart problems. Children as young as ten years old are already concerned about being fat in the future; about 50 percent of kids in the fifth grade are already dieting. ("Eating disorders statistics," 2010)
Anorexia will still be a primary issue with many people so an understanding of anorexia is the key in helping others learn. Joining a fitness center for normal dieting and exercise can be a preventative method. Many people are dieting because of a distorted self-image portrayed by the media. People need to know that it’s what’s on the inside that counts. I feel that if the consequences of anorexia and other eating disorders are taught to children at an early age, they will be less likely to develop the disorder.Anorexia will still be a primary issue with many people so an understanding of anorexia is the key in helping others learn. Joining a fitness center for normal dieting and excersie can be a preventative method. Many people are dying because a distorted self image portrayed by the media. People need to understand it’s what’s on the inside that counts. I feel that if the consequences of anorexia and other eating disorders are taught to children at an early age, they will be less likely to develop the disorder
Anorexia and other eating disorders. (1985). CQ Researcher, Retrieved from http://library.cqpress.com.ezproxy.saintleo.edu Anorexia. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.athealth.com/consumers/disorders/anorexia Yeager, J. (2002). Anorexics Often Resist Treatment. United States: Gurze Books. Eating Disorders Statistics. (2010). Retrieved from http://anad.org/get-information/about-eating-disorders