In our world today, there isn’t a place you can go without constantly being reminded of your physical appearance. From advertisements all over town such as in magazines and newspapers to late night paid programming, it seems you can’t get away from messages entering your subconscious mind about your appearance. Magazines are full of pictures of beautiful slim women with perfect curves and these images make women strive to get the “perfect body”. But how far do some women actually go to maintain and achieve their goal weight? It is estimated that over ten million women in the United States suffer from anorexia and/or bulimia and a shocking twenty-five million people are affected by binge eating disorder. As of May 2013, The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) recognized the following eating disorders: Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge Eating Disorder. The three major eating disorders are now to blame for having the highest mortality rate, killing more people than any other mental illness. Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder that affects over 10 million women in the United States alone. Women are most commonly linked to anorexia (95% of people with anorexia are women) with mostly a heavy impact on teenagers. The disorder is a mixture of distorted body perception, an obsession with body weight, and fear of weight gain. A person suffering from anorexia nervosa may exercise excessively and/or eat very small portions. They may experience symptoms such as extreme weight loss, insomnia, dizziness or fainting, constipation, intolerance to cold, low blood pressure, hair thinning, and dry skin. Because of their strong fear of weight gain, a person suffering may refuse to eat, deny or lie about thei... ... middle of paper ... ...ltural causes of it. The media can easily influence people’s perception of the world and create negative or positive ideas that contribute to the formation of thoughts and opinions of what is considered beautiful. Only five percent of the women in the United States have the “ideal body” advertised to the public through the media. When woman learn about these stereotypes of beauty and how they are viewed, they may then see themselves differently and further change their eating habits. They may feel differently about themselves, which will alter their self-confidence. After conducting several studies a shocking eighty-one percent of ten year olds feared of becoming fat! “Of American, elementary school girls who read magazines, 69% say that the pictures influence their concept of the ideal body shape. 47% say the pictures make them want to lose weight.” (Martin, 2010.)
Anorexia Nervosa may be described directly as an eating disease classified by a deficit in weight, not being able to maintain weight appropriate for one’s height. Anorexia means loss of appetite while Anorexia Nervosa means a lack of appetite from nervous causes. Before the 1970s, most people never heard of Anorexia Nervosa. It was identified and named in the 1870s, before then people lived with this mental illness, not knowing what it was, or that they were even sick. It is a mental disorder, which distorts an individual’s perception of how they look. Looking in the mirror, they may see someone overweight
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.
To begin with, Anorexia Nervosa is an on going problem around the world. People with Anorexia need to get treatment because symptoms are bad for their health. Anorexia is mainly seen in women in their late teens to early twenties. According to Mayo Clinic Staff, a group of physicians, scientists, and other medical experts from Arizona, Florida and Minnesota, "...symptoms of anorexia nervosa are related to starvation, but the disorder also includes emotional and behavior issues related to an unrealistic perception of body weight and an extremely strong fear of gaining weight or becoming fat". Physical symptoms are not the only symptoms or damages done to the body. When thinking of anorexia, one typically thinks that physical symptoms are the only symptoms, such as a person so skinny you can see their bones. That is not the case with Anorexia Nervosa. One does not only suffer from, "...Extreme weight loss...Thin appearance...Dehydration...Swelling of arms or legs" but also suffer from emotional and behavioral issues such as, "...Refusal to eat...Fear of
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.
Anorexia Nervosa (AN) was the first eating disorder to be classified, with some specific diagnostic criteria developed in the 1970s (Fairburn & Brownell, 2002). AN is a serious psychiatric disorder in terms of aetiology and epidemiology. 0.48% of prevalence of AN is estimated in girls who fall under the 15-19 age group (Lock et al., 2012). In AN, pathological thoughts and behaviours concerning food and weight, as well as emotions about appearance, eating and food co-occur (Lock et al., 2012). These thoughts, feelings and behaviours lead to changes in body composition and functions that are the direct results of starvation (Lock et al., 2012). The illness in adolescents causes severe affects physically and emotionally, and affects the social development of the individual. The causes of AN are not known but most of the researchers and clinicians agree that AN has multiple determinants (Garner et al., 1982) that emerge in a developmental sequence. Many physiological symptoms, common to semi-starvation irrespective of causes such as depressed mood, irritability, social withdrawal, loss of sexual libido, preoccupation with food, obsessional ruminations and rituals, as well as reduced alertness and concentration are also associated with Anorexia nervosa (Fairburn & Brownell, 2002). The illness is also associated with premorbid perfectionism, introversion, poor peer relations, and low self-esteem (Fairburn & Brownell, 2002). Patients suffering from AN, are also known to suffer from other physical consequences of starvation and other weight losing behaviours. The body’s response to starvation includes bone marrow suppression with increased susceptibility to overwhelming infection, which in the longer term may lead to health consequences s...
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)
When an individual refuses to eat enough food to maintain a healthy body weight, he or she is dealing with a serious illness known as anorexia nervosa. People with this illness maintain strict control over food intake. About ninety percent of anorexia nervosa cases are women, particularly teenagers. (Alters & Schiff, 2003, p.37). For every one in one hundred that develops this illness, it most commonly evolves in their high school years. The symptoms of anorexia nervosa are:
Eating Disorders (EDs) are a series of often life-threatening mental health disorders which are commonly used as coping mechanisms or as ways to mask one’s problems. The causes of these illnesses are still being researched, and the effects they have on a person’s physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing can often be as long as the sufferer’s life.
Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by severe restriction of food, an intense fear of gaining weight, a distorted body image and a body mass index of less than 18.5 (Kring, Johnson, Davison, Neale, 2013). There are two subtypes of anorexia, Restricting and Binge Eating/Purging. An individual who falls under the Restricting subtype severely restricts food intake, while an individual who falls under the Bing Eating/Purging subtype regularly engages in binge eating and purging. Anorexia typically begins in adolescence and primarily affects women. The disorder is more common in women than in men mainly because of the cultural emphasis that is placed on women’s beauty. Individuals with anorexia generally have a low self-esteem, a very critical self-evaluation and a belief that they can never be too thin. Due to the seriousness of the disorder, the issue of whether or not an individual should have the right the refuse life-sustaining treatment is highly debated.
(Weiten, 2017). Anorexia nervosa is a serious eating disorder that results in unhealthy, often dangerous weight loss. While it is most common among adolescent women, anorexia can affect women and men of all ages and is characterized by a refusal to maintain a healthy body weight, an intense fear of gaining weight, and a distorted body image. Weiten (2017) states that the three syndromes of eating disorders are: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and a new syndrome added to DSM-5 called binge-eating
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.
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).?
In civilized societies, there are continuous prizing of thinness than ever before. Occasionally, almost everyone is watchful of their weight. Individuals with an eating disorder take extreme measures to concern where they ultimately shift their mode of eating, this abnormal eating pattern threatens their lives and their well-being. According to Reel (2013), eating disorders are continually misapprehended as all about food and eating. However, there is more to that as the dysfunction bears from emotion concealing a flawed relationship with food, physical exercise and oneself. Persons with eating disorders convey fault-finding, poor self- esteem and intense body discontent. This can lead to extreme distress of gaining weight,
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder in which the individual has reached a body weight that is abnormally low, has created a distorted view of their own body weight and deeply fears gaining any weight at all. Risk factors for the disorder include females, athletes, dancers and models, experiencing media and socio-cultural influences, drastic life transitions and being in the teenage years. Anorexia nervosa is a disorder that, if not noted and attended to with urgency, can quickly put the individual in a downward spiral, leading to negative consequences and ultimately, if not treated, death. One of the biggest effects that the disorder has is on the brain, the most powerful organ in the human body.
“Anorexia Nervosa is a serious eating disorder, primarily of young women in their teens and early twenties, that is categorized especially by a pathological fear of weight gain, leading to faulty eating patterns, malnutrition, and usually excessive weight loss.” ("Anorexia Nervosa")