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Cause and effects essay of eating disorders
Social and cultural factors of eating disorders
Eating disorders and its effects
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Fingerprints mark the glass. She stands, glaring at that girl. She glares at the round rolls that fall over her arms, thighs, and stomach. Flabs call her to attention, releasing flowing bile up her throat. She gags and sputters. So hideous. So disgusting. So obese. She takes a step backwards. She takes another, and another, and another. Her feet catch on the floor and she falls, a Goliath falling to the ground. Screams echo from the walls. She covers her ears, but she can’t escape the noise. She screams back at that girl, who went from frightened to raving. They shout at each other. A battle of gruesome words. Tears trickle down both sets of cheeks. She stops. She looks back to that girl, that fat girl. That girl who doesn’t exercise enough. That girl who can’t put a fork down. That girl who she couldn’t help, but detest. That girl who stared back, defiantly. Together, they crawl to the glass and lay hand over hand. Their moves are perfectly mimicked, perfectly timed. And then they raise their fists, and they shatter the mirror. Common sense seems to dictate that it’s completely reasonable for people to wish to look different or to fix a certain aspect of themselves. However, the moment this “healthier lifestyle” becomes an obsession, when it dominates your thoughts, eating habits, and life, the signs indicate a possibility of an eating disorder (www.helpguide.org, 2013). According to a study done by colleagues at the American Journal of Psychiatry (2009), the mortality rate of those suffering from anorexia nervosa is 4%. Because of the outrageously large mortality rate, more attention should be placed on the awareness of anorexia nervosa in the female population (as it estimates that the majority of 85-... ... middle of paper ... .../anorexia-nervosa/anorexia-nervosa-cause Husney, A., Agras, S. (2011, August). Pro-anorexia web sites: the thin web line. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/anorexia-nervosa/features/pro-anorexia-web-sites-thin-web-line National Association of Anorexia and Associated Disorders. (2013). Anorexia nervosa. Retrieved from http://www.anad.org/get-information/about-eating-disorders/anorexia-nervosa/ Rogge, T., Zieve, D., Blackman, B., Slon, S., Wang, N. (2013, February). Anorexia nervosa. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001401/ Savage, M. (2009, November). Bullying link to eating disorders. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/10003054 Smith, M., Segal J. (2013, December). Anorexia nervosa signs, symptoms, causes, and treatment. Retrieved from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/anorexia_signs_symptoms_causes_treatment.htm
Pro-Anorexia Websites Cyberspace, something that was once considered a fad, has developed into a tool that allows people struggling with anorexia to potentially find sanctuary from the regulatory systems in popular culture that are applied to women’s bodies. Cyberspace provides an alternative space for women with eating disorders or body issues. The space created by cyberspace is potentially safer for women to meet because it allows anonymity while simultaneously being part of a community that the built environment is unable to provide. The components that make up pro-anorexia websites are usually considered abnormal, repugnant, or deviant within popular culture, because popular culture does not accept the way anorexics interpret images of the body. This popular view of people with anorexia does not allow anorexics to function as an accepted part of public space or popular culture.
Rastam, Maria. (1992). Background factors in anorexia nervosa. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 1, 54-64.
Borzekowski DL, Schenk S, Wilson JL, Peebles R. “e-Ana and e-Mia: A content analysis of pro-eating disorder Web sites.” Am J Public Health. June (2006): 1526-34. Web. 23 Mar. 2011.
Out of all mental illnesses found throughout the world, eating disorders have the highest mortality rate. Anorexia nervosa is one of the more common eating disorders found in society, along with bulimia nervosa. Despite having many definitions, anorexia nervosa is simply defined as the refusal to maintain a normal body weight (Michel, 2003). Anorexia nervosa is derived from two Latin words meaning “nervous inability to eat” (Frey, 2002). Although anorexics, those suffering from anorexia, have this “nervous inability to eat,” it does not mean that they do not have an appetite—anorexics literally starve themselves. They feel that they cannot trust or believe their perceptions of hunger and satiation (Abraham, 2008). Anorexics lose at least 15 percent of normal weight for height (Michel, 2003). This amount of weight loss is significant enough to cause malnutrition with impairment of normal bodily functions and rational thinking (Lucas, 2004). Anorexics have an unrealistic view of their bodies—they believe that they are overweight, even if the mirror and friends or family say otherwise. They often weigh themselves because they possess an irrational fear of gaining weight or becoming obese (Abraham, 2008). Many anorexics derive their own self-esteem and self-worth from body weight, size, and shape (“Body Image and Disordered Eating,” 2000). Obsession with becoming increasingly thinner and limiting food intake compromises the health of individuals suffering from anorexia. No matter the amount of weight they lose or how much their health is in jeopardy, anorexics will never be satisfied with their body and will continue to lose more weight.
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)
Look in the mirror. Do you like what you see? Most of us have come to appreciate ourselves for who we are. While other’s struggle to achieve the perfect body. They strive to be what is depicted in fashion magazines and movies. The never ending obsession to be the perfect size zero. This inevitably can lead to eating disorders. Eating disorders can cause someone to have an unhealthy image of themselves and food is the enemy. In a national survey at the Mclean Hospital in Massachusetts it was estimated that over 9 million people suffer with eating disorders. They can struggle with anorexia, bulimia or binge eating. A study conducted by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders states that most of these diseases start before the age of twenty. Another growing problem in the United States is obesity. Over 60 million Americans suffer from this disease, this according to the American Obesity Association (gale opposing viewpoints: eating disorders 2010).
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.
I suffer from anorexia nervosa. I am one of 24 million people in the United States that suffers from an eating disorder and I am only one in ten of those people that has received treatment for my lifestyle (Noordenbox, et al). Multiple doctors, therapists, social workers, and treatment facilities have put forth their time and effort to try and put me and others like me on a path towards recovery. Every educated mind fighting this battle though is waging a war that cannot be won on the current grounds it is being fought. A steady torrent of magazines glamorizing thigh gaps, movies showing perfectly sculpted bodies, photographs showcasing flawless models, and an unrelenting advertising market built around fake and unrealistic projections of perfection is constantly pouring into young eyes and washing through young minds. The greed fueled monster known as the American media is fostering a more welcome environment for eating disorders in the American youth and undermining kind-hearted efforts to save lives from the lifestyle with the highest mortality rate of any mental illness (Noordenbox, et al).
Today, America is plagued with eating disorders such as Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Compulsive Eating Disorders. Each has its own characteristics that distinguish the illness yet there are some similarities that they also share. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, as with most mental illnesses, eating disorders are not caused by just one factor but by a combination of behavioral, biological, emotional, psychological, interpersonal and social factors. Shockingly, they also report that in the United States, there are as many as 10 million females and 1 million males that are battling with eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia. Additionally, another 25 million are struggling with binge eating disorders (www.NationalEatingDisorders.org). Typically, psychological factors such as depression and low self-esteem contribute to eating disorders...
Eating disorders are described as an illness involving eating habits that are irregular and an extreme concern with body image or weight. Eating disorders tend to appear during teenage years, but can develop at any age. Although more common in women, eating disorders can affect any age, gender or race. In the United States, over 20 million women and 10 million men are personally affected by eating disorders. There are many different causes of eating disorders such as low self esteem, societal pressures, sexual abuse and the victims perception of food. Eating disorders are unique to the sufferer and often, their perception of themselves is so skewed, they may not be aware they have an eating disorder. Media, for quite some time now, has played a significant part in eating disorders. Magazines with headlines ‘Summer Body’, or ‘Drop LB’s Fast!’ attract the attention of girls who may be insecure with themselves. Television productions such as the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show or American’s Next Top Model, show airbrushed and photoshopped women who have body types that may be unachievable. Those who are suffering from eating disorders can suffer dangerous consequences, and it is important to seek help.
Smith, Melinda, and Jeanne Segal. "Anorexia Nervosa." Signs, Symptoms, Causes, And Treatment. Help Guide, n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2014.
An eating disorder is a serious health condition involving extremely unhealthy dietary habits. There are a number of accepted eating disorder treatments that depend on the symptoms and severity of the illness. The most effective treatments involve both psychological as well as physical issues with the ultimate goal being a healthy dietary lifestyle. The team approach to treatment involves professionals with experience in eating disorders that usually includes a medical provider, mental health workers, registered dieticians and case managers. These individuals work together in hopes of avoiding a life threatening situation.
In 1978, Brunch called anorexia nervosa a 'new disease' and noted that the condition seemed to overtake ?the daughters of the well-to-do, educated and successful families.? Today it is acknowledged and accepted that anorexia affects more than just one gender or socio-economic class; however, much of the current research is focused on the female gender. ?Anorexia nervosa is characterized by extreme dieting, intense fear of gaining weight, and obsessive exercising. The weight loss eventually produces a variety of physical symptoms associated with starvation: sleep disturbance, cessation of menstruation, insensitivity to pain, loss of hair on the head, low blood pressure, a variety of cardiovascular problems and reduced body temperature. Between 10% and 15% of anorexics literally starve themselves to death; others die because of some type of cardiovascular dysfunction (Bee and Boyd, 2001).?
The Web. The Web. 10 Mar. 2011. The. http://www.umm.edu/patients/articles/what_symptoms_of_eating_disorders_000049_6.htm>. Morris, Jane, and Sara Twaddle.
Long, Phillip W. "Anorexia Nervosa." Internet Mental Health. Jan. 1997. St. Joseph Medical Center. 19 Aug. 1998 .