Anorexia Nervosa Research Paper

Anorexia Nervosa a Mental Illness
Karla Doane
Salter College

Anorexia is a serious eating disorder in which a person has an irrational fear of getting fat and therefore diets excessively to stay thin. They have an intense fear of weight gain, so they starve themselves, avoid high-calorie foods and exercise constantly. Many people with anorexia can also exhibit the practice of bulimia, which is eating large quantities of food and then forcing her/him to vomit to remain thin. This disorder mainly affects adolescent girls although it can affect both boys and girls of any age group. The weight loss is slowly progressive and often starts with a perfectly normal weight reducing diet. After this has continued for several months
Combinations of psychological, environmental and physiological factors are associated with the development of this disorder. A person’s family, relationships, and stresses at home or school may be a cause of anorexia. Many cases often involve girls who are high achievers academically but suffer from low self-esteem. Studies have shown that the amount of control that parents have over what their child eats, as well as when to eat and how much, can affect the child’s development of normal, healthy eating habits. Some supervision of their eating habits is necessary but instances such as consistently requiring a child to clean his or her plate at the dinner table can affect later eating
Irregular heartbeat, dehydration, kidney stones or kidney failure, muscle atrophy, and osteoporosis are all effects. Being an anorexic puts a major strain on the heart, which affects the body’s normal potassium and sodium levels and creates an electrolyte imbalance. Electrolytes are essential for the body’s muscles and nerves to function properly. This electrolyte imbalance can also result in an irregular heartbeat, known as cardiac arrhythmia and possible heart failure. Another side effect of anorexia is osteoporosis, which is a decrease in bone density. The bones become dry and fragile and break easier. This can be treated with hormone replacement therapy, calcium, and vitamin D, but the bones will never fully heal. A slowed metabolism is also included in the effects of anorexia. This lowers a person’s blood pressure causing organs to possibly shrink and dehydration can cause damage to the kidneys. Severe cases of anorexia include all these effects and can result in death. Nearly 15% of all anorexics will die as a result of