Anorexia Nervosa Research Paper

Anorexia Nervosa is a very dangerous eating disorder that is all too common in many different societies and cultures; its prevalence has been noted in our society and has had a marked increase across the United States and the world. It is highly reported in different media sources and many young women and men are reportedly suffering from the disorder. Over the last 10 years the disorder has had a marked increase in attention by clinics and physicians across many health disciplines. It has been agreed that it is no longer suffered by a select few but instead is quite common, especially among the young female population (Garner, Olmstead & Polivy, 1983). The root causes for anorexia have been a topic of great debate, many questionnaires, tests

and surveys have been developed to try and figure out exactly what causes a young man or woman to engage in anorexic behaviors.
There are several tools available for diagnosing and assessing the presence of an eating disorder. Clinicians have at their disposal the use of self-report measures, structured interviews, and nutritional assessments (Guez, Lev-Wiesel, Valetsky, Kruszewski Sztul & Pener, 2010). Projective tests can also be used to measure and asses the degree of an eating disorder, in these tests a patient will draw his or herself as they see fit and the piece of paper will be their environment. In Anorexic patients research showed that drawings indicated they were disconnected with themselves and had no autonomy and a very low self-esteem. The results were congruent with previous research in which patients talked to a mental health professional and were asked to describe how they saw themselves as a person and why they thought they were suffering from the disorder (Guez, Lev-Wiesel, Valetsky, Kruszewski Sztul & Pener, 2010).
The Eating Disorder Inventory (EBI) developed by Garner, Olmstead, and Polivy (1983), has found that in Anorexia the central attitudes and behaviors related to the disorder are a drive for thinness, Bulimia and body dissatisfaction.

It is also worth noting that the media does in fact play a vital and unfortunate role in the development of an eating disorder like Anorexia Nervosa. Media plants the idea for thinness in young men and women; the emphasis on the “perfect body” is showcased all around the country, this resulting in many adolescents overestimating their own body size and driving the development of eating disorders (Myers & Biocca, 1992). Childhood anxiety has also been attributed to causing or at least facilitating in the development of an eating disorder later in adolescence and young adulthood. Anxiety is a phenotype that is highly prevalent among young females that suffer from Anorexia; they believe themselves to be something they are not and tend to develop body dysmorphic disorder as a result which is a winding road leading to the appearance of symptoms relating to Anorexia. (Dellava et al., 2010). In college females a highly reported behavioral attribute that has been linked to a wide array of eating disorders. Research has found that impulsivity is plays a role in disordered eating patterns because of the role it plays on how young adolescents in college make decisions (Lilienthal & Weatherly, 2010). The attitudes and behaviors that are exhibited by young

women that suffer from Anorexia Nervosa have been found to be very similar; clinicians have described these young women to be very rigid, emotionally and behaviorally over controlled and obsessive (Klump et al., 2000).
The effects that Anorexia has on the bodies on the adolescents that suffer from the disorder are not only traumatic but in fact very dangerous to their health.

Research has shown that Anorexia has a very high mortality rate because of the malnutrition endured by the bodies of the people suffering from it (Papadopoulos, Ekbom, Brandt & Ekselius, 2009). The body is a system that needs constant nutrition or it can begin to fail and develop abnormalities that are put a person in sever danger of losing his or her life. In severe cases of malnutrition linked to Anorexia Nervosa patients experienced marked changes in muscle contractions and relaxation. The patients also experienced changes in mood; specifically they found themselves to be tired more often and had a lack of energy that could be described as anhedonic. Symptoms of depression are also very common among those suffering from Anorexia, the constant need to be reach perfection and in their eyes, constantly failing, drives these patients into a depressive cycle (Russel et al.,

1983).
There have been several proposed treatments for Anorexia Nervosa. Inpatient treatment programs have been found through research to have a successful impact on those recovering from the disorder. Nurses that work with the anorexic patients play an imperative role in the day to day life of a patient hospitalized for Anorexia; they are able to listen to the patients, provide comfort, respect and empathy; all of which are very important for a patient in the recovery process for an eating disorder (Bakker et al., 2011). Four of the main areas that health professionals agree are the most important in treating a patient with Anorexia are: Resumption of normal eating patterns, Resumption of healthy exercising, development of social skills and parent counseling (Bakker et al., 2011). Perhaps the most commonly used treatment and one of the most effective treatments for Anorexia Nervosa is Cognitive Behavior Therapy (Garner & Bemmis, 1982).
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) has been used for quite some time, when all other therapies seemed to fail or have less effect in longitudinal studies this new type of therapy emerged for people suffering from Anorexia Nervosa and other eating/anxiety disorders. This therapeutic model aims to change the way a person thinks about themselves and their actions all while aiming to mold different behaviors; behaviors which in the long run will benefit the client and allow him or herself to live a normal life (Garner & Bemmis, 1982). A therapist treating a client suffering from Anorexia nervosa must follow certain steps to ensure that the client will both overcome the disorder and not relapse at a later date. It is important for both parties to foster a healthy therapeutic relationship, building a warm and empathetic rapport builds trust and allows a client to open up freely to a therapist. Clinicians should also accept that fact that their clients accept their own beliefs as the truth; therapists should not challenge or undermine their client’s opinions. In beginning the therapeutic process a therapist should begin to introduce some questions and try to plant some doubt about the clients beliefs that they hold to be true. It is also imperative that a therapist educate the client on what the disorder is and how it affects its victims; educating the client on CBT will also facilitate the therapy (Garner & Bemmis, 1982).
The end result of the therapy should be to reach a healthy weight and maintain the weight. Setting a target weight will allow there to be a goal to strive for and challenge a client to reach it. Modifying behavioral problems can be done by role playing certain situations, such as seeing weight gain on a bathroom scale or looking in the mirror and seeing body curves and modifying the negative thoughts and reaction about the body change. Scheduling pleasant events is another technique that is widely used by CBT therapists; this involves basic behavior analysis techniques by using positive reinforcement to reward accomplishment or reaching a certain threshold. Increasing self-body image and basic self-esteem are some of the cognitive techniques that are most important when a therapist treats a client with Anorexia Nervosa (Garner & Bemmis, 1982).
The effectiveness of CBT has been widely accepted, coupled with medication the therapeutic process seems to be the most effective in treating the disorder (Garner & Bemmis, 1982). It continues to be one of the most recommended evidence based treatments for eating disorders, including but not limited to Anorexia Nervosa (Bowers, 2001). The therapeutic process has been shown to reverse the negative schemas that Anorexic patients have created both about their bodies and their self-persona (Bowers, 2001). There have been slight variations to the CBT process over the years, a new version that has been garnering more attention in the therapeutic world has come to be known as Enhanced Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT-E). This form of CBT is more focused to specific cognitions and behaviors that the client is exhibiting; it also uses new strategies and process that are specifically designed to improve treatment adherence and the overall outcome in the long run for the client. One of the main differences from traditional therapy is that CBT-E is designed to be a quick and effective form of therapy; the therapy is designed to last 20 weeks, in certain cases however the therapy may be extended, dependent on how underweight a client is (Karbasi, 2010 ). Clearly based on research that has been conducted over the previous years, females are the population that are most affected by Anorexia Nervosa; specifically females of adolescent age. Given these observations, how effective is Cognitive Behavior Therapy in facilitating weight gain and overall improvement in self-reported anorexic females between the ages of 15-25?