Research Paper on Anorexia

Anorexia
Nutrition

05/05/2013
ANOREXIA
Troubled teens are very likely to turn to unhealthy lifestyles when they are unable to cope with their problems.
Anorexia is among the most common unhealthy lifestyles that troubled teens choose to undertake. Anorexia is a condition classified as an eating disorder – a disorder that involves undertaking abnormal eating habits that are unhealthy to a person’s health. Anorexia is an eating disorder characterized by starvation and insufficient eating. Teen anorexics will usually skip meals, eat only small portions, or starve themselves completely. Some will compensate for starvation by taking diet pills, laxatives, or water in place of their meals. In a short time, teen anorexics may begin to suffer from malnourishment – having inadequate amounts of nutrients and vitamins to properly sustain themselves.
The exact cause of teen anorexia is not known. For some reason, teen anorexics become insecure and begin to see themselves as overweight or unhealthy. In general, as a result, teens who are anorexic seek out excessive bodily image goals. However, teen anorexia is not to be confused with dieting. Teens that are anorexic will go to extreme lengths to reach the body image they desire.
In most cases, anorexic teens actually believe they are benefiting themselves by eating less and getting thinner.
Vital teen anorexia statistics and information
Teen anorexia statistics are frightening. In the United States, somewhere between 1 and 2 of every hundred teens, will struggle with anorexia at some time during their life. For some teens, anorexia is motivated by emotional problems, whereas in others, it is motivated by peer pressure or social issues. In any case, far too many teens suffer from anorexia and its unhealthy effects.
Listed below are some of the most striking teen anorexia statistics in the United States: * 90 percent of all Americans afflicted with an eating disorder are female. An estimated five percent of adolescent girls are currently suffering from anorexia. * 53 percent of American girls report that they are unhappy with their bodies at age thirteen. 78 percent are unhappy with their bodies at age seventeen. * Many teens admit that they are influenced to change their body because of popular media * Teen anorexia affects all social classes * In teens, anorexia is often triggered by a traumatic event, such as abuse or rape * Ten percent of teens with anorexia are male * Anorexia is most common during the teen years * Anorexia can start as early as age 8 * Around 15 percent of teenage girls have some type of eating disorder or eating disorder related behavior * More than 5 million Americans suffer from eating disorders every year * Around a thousand women die each year from anorexia * 5 to 20 percent of teens who have anorexia will die for reasons related to the disorder
What to do if a teen you know is anorexic
Teen anorexia statistics prove that left untreated, teen anorexia can be dangerous, even fatal. If you believe that a teen you know suffers from anorexia, consider referring them to a physician or eating disorder specialist. If you are not their parent, make sure that their parent or another adult is aware of their problem and of the anorexia’s dangers.
Many teens struggle with their body image regardless of their size, and anorexia and bulimia are fairly common. Teenage girls look at actresses and models in magazine who are all sample sizes (size 0-4) and believe that this is the attractive ideal of what they should look like. They also face pressure from their peers which impacts their self-esteem further. Pressure can even come from within their family if they have a mother who is constantly worried about her weight or that of her daughter. With all of these negative influences surrounding teenager girls, it’s no surprise they’d have body image issues. If teens think that they should be very thin and that is not their natural body type, they will starve themselves to try and fit their ideal.
Anorexia is not just an issue with teenage girls, it can effect boys as well. The difference is that the ideal body image for a male is not often considered the same as it is for women who are expected to be model thin. That being said, it can extend to both genders even if it is more common with girls than boys.
Signs of Anorexia
Anorexia is characterized by a refusal to eat, and it can sometimes be accompanied with over-the-top exercise. The goal is to ultimately burn as many calories as possible to not only prevent weight gain, but to continue to lose weight. Of course, the most obvious sign is drastic weight loss. Adult figures close to teens may also find that he/she is suffering with body image issues and perceives them as fat regardless of their true size.
In order to avoid eating, those suffering with anorexia will make excuses to skip mealtimes or say they’re not hungry. While they will eat on occasion, they will choose items low in calories and sugar and will often try to eat in private because they’re concerned they’re being judged on their eating habits if they are in the company of other people. There are other physical signs of anorexia that can go hand-in-hand with malnutrition due to lack of vitamins and other essential nutrients. Discolored teeth, hair loss, dull skin, fatigue, mood swings, depression, heart palpitations and these are just a few of the indications that could be suggestive of anorexia.
Anorexia does not always simply relate to eating habits although that’s what’s most often thought about. Anorexics obsess over losing weight and may also exercise to a degree that is unhealthy. They will work out for hours a day and always feel like they should still be doing even more. For teens who already lead active lives, this is a very noticeable sign as extensive exercise is not necessary.
Living with anorexia means you’re constantly hiding your habits. This makes it hard at first for friends and family to spot the warning signs. When confronted, you might try to explain away your disordered eating and wave away concerns. But as anorexia progresses, people close to you won’t be able to deny their instincts that something is wrong—and neither should you.
As anorexia develops, you become increasingly preoccupied with the number on the scale, how you look in the mirror, and what you can and can’t eat.
Anorexic food behavior signs and symptoms * Dieting despite being thin – Following a severely restricted diet. Eating only certain low-calorie foods. Banning “bad” foods such as carbohydrates and fats. * Obsession with calories, fat grams, and nutrition – Reading food labels, measuring and weighing portions, keeping a food diary, reading diet books. * Pretending to eat or lying about eating – Hiding, playing with, or throwing away food to avoid eating. Making excuses to get out of meals (“I had a huge lunch” or “My stomach isn’t feeling good.”). * Preoccupation with food – Constantly thinking about food. Cooking for others, collecting recipes, reading food magazines, or making meal plans while eating very little. * Strange or secretive food rituals – Refusing to eat around others or in public places. Eating in rigid, ritualistic ways (e.g. cutting food “just so”, chewing food and spitting it out, using a specific plate).
Anorexic appearance and body image signs and symptoms * Dramatic weight loss – Rapid, drastic weight loss with no medical cause. * Feeling fat, despite being underweight – You may feel overweight in general or just “too fat” in certain places such as the stomach, hips, or thighs. * Fixation on body image – Obsessed with weight, body shape, or clothing size. Frequent weigh-ins and concern over tiny fluctuations in weight. * Harshly critical of appearance – Spending a lot of time in front of the mirror checking for flaws. There’s always something to criticize. You’re never thin enough. * Denial that you’re too thin – You may deny that your low body weight is a problem, while trying to conceal it (drinking a lot of water before being weighed, wearing baggy or oversized clothes).
Purging signs and symptoms * Using diet pills, laxatives, or diuretics – Abusing water pills, herbal appetite suppressants, prescription stimulants, ipecac syrup, and other drugs for weight loss. * Throwing up after eating – Frequently disappearing after meals or going to the bathroom. May run the water to disguise sounds of vomiting or reappear smelling like mouthwash or mints. * Compulsive exercising – Following a punishing exercise regimen aimed at burning calories. Exercising through injuries, illness, and bad weather. Working out extra hard after bingeing or eating something “bad.”

Treatment for Anorexia
Parents and other adult figures of authority are most often the ones to identify anorexia. Friends of teens may not say anything, as they might be having similar struggles themselves. If a teacher suspects anorexia then they should talk to the student’s parents. Help is available and is necessary as anorexia can have long-term effects on the health of a teen. Rehab can address body image issues through counseling, while they work to overcome an aversion to food and slowly help the patient become healthy again. Without treatment, teens will continue a decline and may carry their deep body image issues straight into adulthood at which time they may have their unhealthy habits more engrained and find them harder to break with help or no help.
One of the problems faced by millions of pre-teens and teens across the globe is anorexia. Though teen anorexia dangers are numerous, they can be treated and corrected medically with the help of professional attention, treatment centers and family support. Anorexia is a particular type of the eating disorders faced by many teens and young adolescent adults. Teen anorexia is also known as anorexia nervosa.
Why is Teenager Anorexia Dangerous?
Teen anorexia nervosa is psychological and emotional disorder that affects the young girls more than the boys (although there are some report cases among boys).
This eating disorder is characterized by weight loss or failure to gain weight. Teen anorexics believe that they are fat and have an obsession to lose weight by depriving their body of nutrients and healthy food. This can damage the body in the long run.
The anorexics experience fatigue and weakness. Studies reveal that they are also hungry but abstain from eating because of fear from putting on excess weight.
When your body is deprived of the necessary nutrients, it affects the hormone secretion of the body. There is a complete shut down of hormones because of the lack of body fat. When body stops hormone production, it will affect the menstrual cycle leading to infertility problems in girls. When minerals such as sodium, zinc, calcium and potassium are denied to the body through healthy diet, it can cause heart failure due to abnormal heart beats. There is also a possibility of death due to abnormal heart beats and the failure of key internal organs. Loss of body fat and ceasing of hormone secretion can lead to hair loss, brittle nails and dry skin. In the long run, it can cause osteoporosis.
Losing 25 percent of your body weight without any signs of illness is a sign of anorexia. Weight loss coupled with irregular periods and low RBC count is another sign of anorexia. Reduced intake of foods rich in carbohydrates and fat is also a warning sign of anorexia. These points are not only the warning signs of starvation but it also highlights the intense dangers of the condition.
Relationship between Anorexia and Obsessive Compulsion Disorder (OCD)
OCD is one of the most common anxiety disorders and a victim of this disease suffers from a repetitive pattern of unhealthy thoughts. They have a persistent fear that somebody may harm them. Some victims display compulsive behavioral patterns such as counting and recounting and also arranging and then rearranging objects on the table. They want perfection in what they do.
Remember, anxiety is one of the teenage anorexia dangers. A teen anorexic displays fear and anxiety for no reason. They are also obsessed with weight loss. They take weight loss supplements along with strenuous physical exercises to help them reduce weight.
Teen anorexics have an aversion towards food and are very calculative about the intake of calories. They follow a strict regime of diet and they have certain eating patterns. The anorexics display a pattern of cutting their food into tiny bits before consumption. Studies reveal that anorexics exhibit a pattern of compulsions and obsessions that are co-related to order and symmetry. Therefore, researchers opine anorexia is modern manifestation of obsessive compulsive disorder.
Another eating disorder is the bulimia anorexia. Here the anorexics will over eat and due to the fear of putting on weight would induce vomiting. Self-induced vomiting can result in erosion of enamel. This is one of the bulimia anorexia dangers. Teen anorexia dangers can sometimes lead to death. Hence, if someone you know suffers from anorexia, get medical help and rehab treatment help soon as possible.
Anorexia is not about weight or food
Believe it or not, anorexia isn’t really about food and weight—at least not at its core. Eating disorders are much more complicated than that. The food and weight-related issues are symptoms of something deeper: things like depression, loneliness, insecurity, pressure to be perfect, or feeling out of control. Things that no amount of dieting or weight loss can cure.
What need does anorexia meet in your life?
It’s important to understand that anorexia meets a need in your life. For example, you may feel powerless in many parts of your life, but you can control what you eat. Saying “no” to food, getting the best of hunger, and controlling the number on the scale may make you feel strong and successful—at least for a short while. You may even come to enjoy your hunger pangs as reminders of a “special talent” that most people can’t achieve.
Anorexia may also be a way of distracting yourself from difficult emotions. When you spend most of your time thinking about food, dieting, and weight loss, you don’t have to face other problems in your life or deal with complicated emotions.
Unfortunately, any boost you get from starving yourself or shedding pounds is extremely short-lived. Dieting and weight loss can’t repair the negative self-image at the heart of anorexia. The only way to do that is to identify the emotional need that self-starvation fulfills and find other ways to meet it. The difference between dieting and anorexia | Healthy Dieting | Anorexia | Healthy dieting is an attempt to control weight. | Anorexia is an attempt to control your life and emotions. | Your self-esteem is based on more than just weight and body image. | Your self-esteem is based entirely on how much you weigh and how thin you are. | You view weight loss as a way to improve your health and appearance. | You view weight loss as a way to achieve happiness. | Your goal is to lose weight in a healthy way. | Becoming thin is all that matters; health is not a concern. |

Signs and symptoms of anorexia
Living with anorexia means you’re constantly hiding your habits. This makes it hard at first for friends and family to spot the warning signs. When confronted, you might try to explain away your disordered eating and wave away concerns. But as anorexia progresses, people close to you won’t be able to deny their instincts that something is wrong—and neither should you.
As anorexia develops, you become increasingly preoccupied with the number on the scale, how you look in the mirror, and what you can and can’t eat.
Anorexic food behavior signs and symptoms * Dieting despite being thin – Following a severely restricted diet. Eating only certain low-calorie foods. Banning “bad” foods such as carbohydrates and fats. * Obsession with calories, fat grams, and nutrition – Reading food labels, measuring and weighing portions, keeping a food diary, reading diet books. * Pretending to eat or lying about eating – Hiding, playing with, or throwing away food to avoid eating. Making excuses to get out of meals (“I had a huge lunch” or “My stomach isn’t feeling good.”). * Preoccupation with food – Constantly thinking about food. Cooking for others, collecting recipes, reading food magazines, or making meal plans while eating very little. * Strange or secretive food rituals – Refusing to eat around others or in public places. Eating in rigid, ritualistic ways (e.g. cutting food “just so”, chewing food and spitting it out, using a specific plate).
Anorexic appearance and body image signs and symptoms * Dramatic weight loss – Rapid, drastic weight loss with no medical cause. * Feeling fat, despite being underweight – You may feel overweight in general or just “too fat” in certain places such as the stomach, hips, or thighs. * Fixation on body image – Obsessed with weight, body shape, or clothing size. Frequent weigh-ins and concern over tiny fluctuations in weight. * Harshly critical of appearance – Spending a lot of time in front of the mirror checking for flaws. There’s always something to criticize. You’re never thin enough. * Denial that you’re too thin – You may deny that your low body weight is a problem, while trying to conceal it (drinking a lot of water before being weighed, wearing baggy or oversized clothes).
Purging signs and symptoms * Using diet pills, laxatives, or diuretics – Abusing water pills, herbal appetite suppressants, prescription stimulants, ipecac syrup, and other drugs for weight loss. * Throwing up after eating – Frequently disappearing after meals or going to the bathroom. May run the water to disguise sounds of vomiting or reappear smelling like mouthwash or mints. * Compulsive exercising – Following a punishing exercise regimen aimed at burning calories. Exercising through injuries, illness, and bad weather. Working out extra hard after bingeing or eating something “bad.”

www.webmd.com
www.mayclinic.com