Introduction Eating disorders are psychological problems marked by an obsession with food and weight. There are four general categories of eating disorders these are; Anorexia nervosa, Binge eating and Bulimia nervosa. However this disorder affects individuals of various age groups; it has become more popular among teenagers these days. For the purpose of this research plan the writer will focus on age group of ages 15 to 19 because teenagers most vulnerable to eating disorders fall into this age group. Moreover, in doing so it will also be possible to determine the significance of this research and apply it to today’s lifestyle. Anorexia is a medical condition in which youngsters, mainly during the onset of puberty, begin to starve themselves thinking they are overweight, even though they are not. They remain under this illusion and as a result of being cautious they become extremely thin, bordering on ill health or sometimes death. Eating disorder in teenagers has become an area of concern as it is a disease which is affecting the youth of today’s society. The purpose of this research is to identify the main cause of eating disorder in teenagers and help the young generation as they play a vital role for tomorrow’s future. Literature review Causes of anorexia The causes of anorexia are complex and no single factor has been identified. The actual cause of these disorder appear to result from many factors, including those that are genetic, media leading disorders, parental behaviours, psychological factors and negative family influence. Anorexia Nervosa Parentlink (2008) describes anorexia as a disease where the individual person starves himself/herself even though he/she is hungry and is seen to be very thin. Furt... ... middle of paper ... ...d happy life themselves. If taken care of for instance proper care from the family, teenagers are less likely to suffer from the eating disorders. This then means parents can control teenagers eating habits with maximum supervision. Since family lifestyle tends to affect teenagers eating habits. In recent studies by Fornari and Dancyger (2003) notes that family whereby parents are overly controlling, a teenager tends to put on a lot of emphasis on looks, diet them or criticizes their body appearance can cause anorexia. In this case it’s the family’s duty to provide support and care to the general development of the teenagers for a better future. Yoon et al. (2005) argued that families, friends, and dating partners play a role in the development of anorexia and other eating disorders by the generation and transmission of different messages about the thin-ideal.
Anorexia Nervosa has been a problematic disease many women suffer from. The article “The Slender Trap” was composed by Trina Rys who is a stay at home mother with a husband and one daughter. Rys writes the main reasons a woman may develop anorexia from. She states that the psychological pressures, expectations of friends and family and influences of the media all are factors when a woman is inflicted with the disease. I strongly agree with Rys persuading argument that anorexia could be caused by an unknown identity and the overall main focus of the ideal image of a woman. Although, I believe Rys requires a stronger argument on whether food restrictions executed by parents are a major step to developing the harmful illness. She seems to put emphasize on mainly women but does not shine any light on men.
Anorexia nervosa is a psychosociological disease which affects young women. Anorexia is mainly a female's disease which has been evident for centuries-however, in the past twenty years, the incidence of this disorder has risen to horrifying proportions. It is characterized by the refusal to maintain body wight over a minimal normal weight for age and height; intense fear of gaining weight; a distorted body image; and, amenorrhea. (http://www.pgi.edu/hagopian.htm) This disorder becomes a disease when the mind starts to cause problems with one's physical well-being. A connection has been found between sociocultural pressures to achieve, familial characteristics, and individual personality traits.
In light of what is going on in the world today, eating disorders seem farfetched and frivolous. Anorexia Nervosa could be considered a classic example of a serious eating disorder as it is defined as having a fatal a...
As defined by the National Eating Disorders Association, “Anorexia Nervosa is a serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss.” (NEDA). The term “Anorexia Nervosa” literally means “neurotic loss of appetite”, and could be more generally defined as the result of a prolonged self-starvation and an unhealthy relationship regarding food and self-image. It is characterized by “resistance to maintaining body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height”, “intense fear of weight gain or being “fat”, even though underweight”, “disturbance in the experience of body weight or shape, undue influence of weight or shape on self-evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of low body weight”, and “loss of menstrual periods in girls and women post-puberty.”(NEDA) Among women on a range of 15 to 24 years old, AN has been proved to have 12 times the annual mortality rate of all death causes, and from premature deaths of anorexic patients, 1 in every 5 is caused by suicide, which gives a rise of 20% for suicide probability. (EDV)
Anorexia is a serious and life threatening condition. It can result in death due to starvation, heart failure, or electrolyte imbalance. The first step in helping someone suffering with anorexia is to diagnose the physical characteristics attributed with the disease...
There is argument about whether or not Anorexia can be incited by environmental factors and whether the occurrence of Anorexia is increasing at all. The article “Not Our Stars But Ourselves” stated, “Some of these causes may overlap with one another, but biomedical researchers are virtually unanimous that Anorexia has physical roots” (Schwarz). The article also question whether growing a...
Anorexia nervosa is a life threatening eating disorder defined by a refusal to maintain fifteen percent of a normal body weight through self-starvation (NAMI 1). Ninety-five percent of anorexics are women between the ages of twelve and eighteen, however, “…in the past twenty years, this disorder has become a growing threat to high school and college students”(Maloney and Kranz 60). Anorexia produces a multitude of symptoms, and if not treated, anorexia can lead to permanent physical damage or death.
Today, as many as 10 out of 100 young teens struggle with an eating disorder. Each year, many teens develop eating disorders, or problems related to their weight, body image, and food. Anorexia is a serious eating disorder associated with an intense fear of weight gain and food. People who suffer from anorexia limit the amount of food they eat and have a distorted view of their body size and shape and may become dangerously thin. That is because the disorder affects not only their body but also their mind. Although the cause of anorexia is not fully understood, there is evidence that physical, biological, and social triggers are part of problems in anorexia. All of these causes revolve around the society we are living in today.
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is an disorder that has been most commonly diagnosed in adolescence with the highest at-risk group being women between ages 15 and 22 years old (Hodes, et al., 2000). In the United States, the occurrence of anorexia nervosa is estimated between 0.5% and 2% of the general population, and 0.8 million of the juvenile population (Fisherman, 2006). AN is an illness that has been around for quite some time but has recently become progressively more relevant in society today. This increase could be due to social factors such as the pressure to fit into society’s ideal body image, environmental, psychological, or other social factors may be contributing to the more rapidly development of AN. The exact causes of this disorder are unknown but anorexia has become the third most common chronic illness among adolescents and currently the incidents of AN are increasing in western countries (ANAD, 2014).
With children as early as age 7 showing dissatisfaction with their body, and as young as 9 starting dieting, eating disorders are a serious issue in our society. Taking a look at perceptions, behaviors, and medical issues associated with the disorders of anorexia and bulimia, scholars have tried to categorize and find answers to the problems which certain adolescents suffer. In this paper I focused on the two major eating disorders of anorexia and bulimia.
Eating disorders is a problem any one can get; it doesn’t matter what age they are. Eating Disorders can include many diseases, obesity, anorexia, bulimia, and many more. Some of this diseases can occur in an open and close of eyes sometimes it’s not noticeable on how it really occurred. Eating and hunger are a complex phenomena and it’s controlled by numerous of psychological, biological, and social factors. Sometimes it doesn’t really matter if people go to therapies it can be helpless for some people. Even though they keep going and going to therapies, it’s no use because they have that image of them self’s the wrong way even though he or she is very skinny. They see themselves with allot of weight, and the people who are overweight or obese, they eat too much because they don’t feel welcomed in any group of friends and eating helps them feel better. Many symptoms are seen and also felt when the person is going through. If a family member sees something strange with either a brother, sister, son or daughter, sometimes even the parents can be going through this. It is very important to talk to them or take them to a doctor. Sometimes culture can be a cause of eating disorders and how the research has proven this. Not only can this cause eating disorders but many more. Some of the time this kind of diseases can risk the life of an individual and when a doctor tries to help him or her it would be too late. All the damage has been done, and there is no way to go back in time and fix all the mistakes make once, to have that one alive and with his or her family. (Huffman. K.)
Prevalence rates are difficult to calculate in adolescents due to adolescents not admitting that they have certain eating disorder symptoms. Another problem is that adolescents may not fully meet the criteria of diagnosis causing an underestimation of prevalence rates. Even with these limitations, epidemiologists were able to estimate the prevalence rates. Incidence rates for anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating in adolescen...
The stage of adolescence contains major changes which can bring stress, confusion, and anxiety. Feelings of self-consciousness, low self esteem and comparison with peers start occurring during this time. Along with the physical changes there is also hormonal and brain changes that affect the adolescent physically, mentally, emotionally, and psychologically. During this time a person can feel tremendous pressure to find their place in the world among a great deal of confusion (“Eating Disorders and Adolescence,” 2013). Body image concerns and peer pressure are heightened during the period of adolescence, and are potential risk factors in the development of an eating disorder. While eating disorders can affects males and females of all ages, the average age of onset for Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and disordered eating takes place during adolescence. These disorders are often a coping mechanism for people to attempt to gain control of their situation when they feel helpless among other aspects of life (“Eating Disorders and Adolescence,” 2013). Eating disorders in children and teens can lead to a number of serious physical problems and even death (Kam, n.d.).
Anorexia nervosa usually begins in adolescence, but can develop at any time throughout one’s life. It...
People who have anorexia will often deny that anything is wrong. Almost half of people who have anorexia will eventually develop symptoms, binge-purge behav...