Anorexia Essay
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It would seem today that eating disorders are on the rise. While this may be true, the numbers may appear to grow only because more cases are being brought out into the open. One interpretation of an eating disorder is termed as a relationship between the person and food that appears abnormal. Anorexia Nervosa is one of the most prevalent eating disorder diseases. The word Anorexia itself means, "lack of appetite," and as for the definition of Anorexia, Anorexia is an all encompassing pursuit of thinness, occurring most often in adolescents and young adult women. This is accomplished by avoidance of eating by any means possible. The person affected by Anorexia has an absolutely terrifying fear of becoming obese. In short, food becomes the enemy, this is described as weight phobia. The person feels too fat when in reality the person is terribly underweight. Anorexia affects all kinds of people, especially teenagers, and is the third most common chronic illness that can be found in adolescent women. An estimated amount of between ½% and 3% of teenagers will be diagnosed with Anorexia. This may not sound like very many people, but numbers have increased, between the 1950's and mid 1970's, the incidences of Anorexia increased by almost 300%. Of all the patients that visit doctors for Anorexia, about 90% are women. Anorexia, though, does not plague only women. This disorder is not exclusive to one gender. Since this problem does not only include women, men are also referred to as being caught in the trap of Anorexia. The percentage of males diagnosed with the disorder have grown to 10%, and of children dealing with Anorexia, 25% are boys. The mean onset age of Anorexia in males is between the ages of 17 and 24. Men are actually more likely to hide an eating disorder, and it may be in an advanced stage before a diagnosis has been made. Anorexia in males may not be as detectable, due to the misinterpretations of physicians in the patients' diagnosis. Much of the same risk factors may be found in both men and women.
Looking at the psychological perspective, a few reasons can be seen. There are people who have personality disorders such as obsessive-compulsive problems like perfectionism, obsession with appearances, and weight. A person such as this can often be seen standing in front of a mirror for long periods of time, is often critical of his
or her physical appearance and is afraid to lose control of what is going on in day to day life. Low self-esteem, depression, stress and anxiety are also major reasons why a person might suffer from an eating disorder. The effects of surroundings or environment can greatly influence eating disorders. The family also plays a major role, since close relationships with people influence ones' attitudes and behaviors. Also, suffering physical and sexual abuse may lead a person to an eating disorder because they see it as a way to control something in their lives. Aside from family, pressure from peers and the society around us can contribute to the growing number of Anorexics. Since surroundings are so influential on us all, what surrounds us more than the media? When one looks at the media today, it is difficult not to notice the fashion industry. To look at the fashion models, who are 15% thinner than the average American woman, one can clearly see that underneath the season's hottest new trends the taller-than-average women are very, very slender almost to the point of being gaunt. Society seems to teach the people that they have to look a certain way to be successful and accepted.
Anorexia itself has certain characteristics, concerning the thought processes, the physical aspects, and the eating patterns related to it. The previously discussed psychological factors that lead up to an eating disorder like depression, low self-esteem, and obsession, all may lead to insomnia, mood swings, hyperactivity, and suicide. The physical signs are quite startling as well, such include an irregular heartbeat, the person is often cold and has frequent headaches, a tingling sensation in the hands, feet, and face, dizziness, lightheadedness, blood in a person's vomit, bruised knuckles and fingers from induced vomiting, dry skin, brittle hair and loss of hair. Victims lose 15% of their total body weight with a failure to gain the weight back. Other symptoms include hypertension, dry skin, brittle hair and nails, dental deterioration and muscle wasting. The eating behavior of the anorectic may be cutting food into tiny pieces, eating extremely slow, and aimlessly pushing food around on his/her plate.
As devastating as Anorexia is, it can be...
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