Essay on Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia Nervosa Term Papers

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In American society women are given the message starting from a very young age

that in order to be successful and happy, they must be thin. Eating disorders

are on the rise, it is not surprising given the value which society places on

being thin. Television and magazine advertising that show the image of glamorous

and thin model are everywhere. Thousands of teenage girls are starving

themselves daily in an effort to attain what the fashion industry considers to

be the “ideal” figure. An average female model weighs 23% less than the

recommended weight for a woman. Maintaining a weight 20% below your expected

body weight fits the criteria for the emotional eating disorder known as

anorexia (Pirke & Ploog, 1984). According to medical weight standards, most

models fit into the category of being anorexic (Garfinkle & Garner, 1990).

Physicians now believe that anorexia has existed for at least 300 years (Pirke

& Ploog, 1984). It was however only about one hundred years ago that

Professor Ernest Lasegue of the University of Paris finally identified anorexia

as an illness (Pirke & Ploog, 1984). The term "anorexia nervosa"

literally means nervous lose of appetite. Most researchers and physicians agree

that the number of patients with this life threatening disease is increasing at

an alarming rate. Garfinkle & Garner define anorexia as “an emotional

disorder characterized by an intense fear of becoming obese, lack of self-esteem

and distorted body image which results in self-induced starvation” (1990). The

development of this disease generally peaks between the age of 14 to 18 but can

occur later in life and is not uncommon to see it in women in to their early

40’s. Recent estimates suggest that 1% of American girls between this age span

will develop anorexia to some degree (Garfinkle & Garner, 1990). It has also

propagated in many college campuses, and it is spreading. Studies have shown

that nearly 20% of college women may suffer from anorexia or bulimia (Pirke

& Ploog, 1984). The disease develops slowly over a period of months to years

during which the sufferer changes her eating patterns to a very restricted diet.

As stated previously above, an anorexic is diagnosed by having a body weight 20%

below the expected body weight of a healthy person at the same age and height of

the eating disorder patient. The anorexic may often becomes frightened of

gaining weight and even of food itself. The patient may feel fat, even though

their body weight is well below the normal weight for their height. Some may

even feel they do not deserve pleasure out of life and will deprive themselves

of situations offering pleasure, including eating. This fear becomes so

difficult to manage that the sufferer will gradually isolate themselves from

other people and social activities. This happens so the sufferer can continue

the exhausting anorexic behaviors. Although the mortality rate is high (30% of

anorexics will eventually die from the disease), approximately one third are

able overcome the disease with psychiatric help (Pirke & Ploog, 1984).

Warning signs to look for in someone you suspect of anorexia. Physical signs are

intolerance of cold due to the absence of the body’s natural insulator (fat),

dizziness and fainting spells, dry skin, loss of muscle, and the most obvious, a

weight loss of about fifteen percent. There are also behavioral changes in a

person when they becomes anorexic including restricted food intake, odd food

rituals, an increased fear of food, hyperactivity, dressing in layers, and

regular weighing. Some "odd food rituals" include things like cutting

food into small pieces, counting bites or even talking to their food. Anorexics

are not repelled or revolted by food, in fact their minds are often dominated by

thoughts of food. While the exact cause of anorexia is still unknown, a

combination of psychological, environmental, and physiological factors is

associated with the development of this disorder (Cove, 1998). The most common

cause of anorexia in a woman is an incorrect self-perception of her weight.

Anorexics feel as if they are heavier than the others around them, and believe

the quickest way to lose weight is to simply stop eating. Anorexia survivor

Nanett Pearson (Miss Utah 1996) explains “I became obsessed with body image. I

kept journals and in one pathetic passage I described how I went for sixteen

days on water, and only about two glasses a day” (1998). At first, this method

may seem to work and the subject loses weight, but their bodies will soon adjust

to the lack of food it learns to use the energy it receives more efficiently.

Ironically, starvation is a very inefficient way to lose weight. When a person

stops eating, their body goes...

Cove, Dr. Judy. (1998). Anorexia Nervosa General Information. Mental Health
Net. (http://www.cmhc.com) Pearson, Nanett. (1998) A Personal Recovery Story:
Starving for Attention. Laureate (http://www.laureate.com/) Pirke, K.M., &
Ploog, D. (Eds.). (1984) The Psychobiology of Anorexia Nervosa. New York:
Springer-Verlag. Thompson, Colleen. (1996). Society and Eating Disorders. Mirror
Mirror. (http://www.mirror-mirror.org/) Garfinkle, P. E., & Garner, M.
(1990). Anorexia Nervosa: A multi-dimensional perspective. New York: Guilford
Press. You should cite this paper as follows:

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