Common Themes Of Anorexia Nervosa

703 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Similarities between bulimia and anorexia

Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa are two common eating disorders that seem to have evolved from societal pressures to be thin. The short video, “Dying to be thin and the two articles, Serpell 1999 Anorexia Nervosa and Serpell 2002 Bulimia Nervosa illustrate common themes that manifest from the disorder. These common themes have positive and negative reinforcers that led me to believe that the disorder has environmental, psychological and biological implication that impacts the individual core beliefs. I could also see that there is more to the disorder than just the desire to be thin. The positive and negative reinforcers of the disorder were revealed when the clinician asked the clients to describe how they felt about the weight …show more content…

The positive reinforcers from the disorder helped them with their boredom by giving them something to do; they felt pleasure knowing that they could eat whatever they wanted and not gain weight; they felt attractive and in control. I found this surprising because there are plenty of things to do. Why aren’t they receiving any satisfaction from normal activities? I am wondering where is the sense of being powerless coming from. The video provided prime examples of people from various walks of life that suffered from this eating disorder. Dancers, models and some religious figure have fallen victim to this disorder. In the 1800’s being thin was equated with being spiritual. Many religions teach that the body is a temple and practice disciplines to maintain the upkeep, however, the discipline should not be taken to the extreme to cause death. I can say the same for the dancers and models who pushed themselves near the point of death. Some of the negative reinforcers associated with disorder were also discussed. To name a few Anorexics felt taken over by the disorder, cheated and tired of the weight obsession; Bulimics felt shame, lack of confidence, and an obsession with weight and …show more content…

The client is asked to write two letters. One letter addresses the disorder as a friend and the other letter addresses the disorder as an enemy. It aims at addressing the issues of what purpose the eating disorder serves. I can see that like addiction this disorder serves as a means for the client to escape from trauma; escape from emotions and feelings; and serves as a way to feel in control. Although the treatment is successful I think that we need to go a step further and address those family and environmental stressors that are pushing our children and adults into this

Show More
Related

  • Brandy Case Study

    834 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although Brandy does not go on direct binges, she does pig out on candy and related junk food occasionally. Second, she tries to eat healthy and has defaulted to purging in order to stay skinny. Therefore, Brandy meets the second condition on the DSM-5 checklist for bulimia nervosa: “inappropriate behavior in order to prevent weight gain” (Comer, 2013, p.320). Nonetheless, instead of her symptoms lasting longer than a week, the side-effects of her condition continue endlessly. Lastly, all the signs and symptoms negatively impact Brandy’s self-esteem and self-concept. One could say the entire problem has an “undue influence of weight or shape on self-evaluation” (Comer, 2013, p.320). For example, Brandy believes no one wants to be around her because they are disgusted by her weight and overall appearance. Therefore, she shuts herself off from her friends and society. When individuals start paying too much attention, she begins to feel nervous and

    Read More

  • 'Anorexia Nervosa And Bulimia' Written By Penelope A.

    560 Words  | 2 Pages

    However, these views don’t take social process into consideration. Therefore, they organized a self-help group for bulimics and anorexics known as BANISH in order to determine what societal aspects cause these disorders. The author’s group consisted mostly of college age females which is significant because this is group primarily affected by these disorders. Interestingly, the backgrounds of the women in the BANISH group are strikingly similar in that they are excellent students, good children who have very close parental relationships, from “functional” families - all having been brought up with an emphasis on thin physical appearance. The authors also allude to the fact that in today’s society, slimness is considered attractive and most worthy, while being overweight is viewed as both morally and physically wrong. Society labels heavy people as “lazy, obscene, and unhealthy”. (244) It is noted that when members of the group lost weight, they reported feeling more accepted and

    Read More

  • Thin Documentary Summary

    1190 Words  | 3 Pages

    The documentary Thin focuses on women who suffer from eating disorders in a treatment facility. Currently not many women are educated on the problems they may face when they have an eating disorder. Not only do women themselves understand what is happening to them, the people around them fail to understand why they may have these problems. Throughout the film we are able to focus closely on some of the patients more closely. The patients the film allows us to see closely are Polly, Alisa, Shelly and Brittany. These ladies are all of different ages and are all at different points in treatment.

    Read More

  • Anorexia Nervosa Case Study

    743 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

    1034 Words  | 3 Pages

    The author’s intended audience is most likely to people who are experiencing the disorder or are interested in knowing more about eating disorders. When Lia was admitted to New Seasons, her rehabilitation facility, she relates her experience to someone who has gone through the struggles in that kind of facility. Lia was expected to be “a good girl [by not poking holes] or write depressing poetry and [eat and eat]” (Anderson 18). Her struggles in the facility allowed the audience who experienced this disorder to relate their experiences. In addition, people who choose to starve...

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Movie Dying To Be Thin

    794 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Anorexia Nervosa, AN, the most visible eating disorder, is a serious psychiatric illness characterized by an inability to maintain a normal body weight or, in individuals still growing, failure to make expected increases in weight (and often height) and bone density.” (cite textbook) The behaviors and cognitions of individuals with AN adamantly defend low body weight.

    Read More

  • Wasted: A Memoir Of Anorexia And Bulimia By Marya Hornbacher

    1249 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Eating disorders are ‘about’: yes, control, and history, philosophy, society, personal strangeness, family fuck-ups, autoerotics, myth, mirrors, love and death and S&M, magazines and religion, the individual’s blindfolded stumble-walk through an ever-stranger world.” (Hornbacher, 4)

    Read More

  • Family Dysfunction and Anorexia: Is there a correlation?

    1225 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • An Overview of Anorexia Nervosa

    1876 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Binge Eating Disorder Essay

    1030 Words  | 3 Pages

    1. Eating disorders in our present society can be viewed as a multi-determined disorder for various reasons. The current definition of a multi-determined disorder is when there is more than one factor with a wide range of causes that creates the disorder to form. Negative influences from family members, friends, the western culture, or even a specific cultural may harshly impact a person and influence how he or she should live their life. Anorexia and Bulimia are both to be considered as a multi-determined disorder that is influenced greatly by socio-cultural, biological and psychological factors. Subcultures create large pressures and restraints to diet and become thin. For instance, the Asian culture, if a person is overweight, they are frowned upon and considered almost as a disgrace to the community. Studies have also proven that family histories that have a weight loss disorder are more likely to also develop depression and anxiety disorders and are more likely found in women. Daily habits in a household also greatly impact the way a child is raised. Factors such as being over protective or having excessive control may also lead to forming an eating disorder, which anorexia becomes more susceptible for children. Psychological factors are most commonly formed when other views and living habits become more influential than our own. The way others perceive a person is defined as a schema. Once schemas are formed they may store in a person’s long-term memory and create self-schemas. Negative self-schemas will change an individual’s personality to become unstable and believe they are constantly being judged. Self-concept then forms leading to more harmful disorders such as poor self-esteem, depression and inability ...

    Read More

  • Anorexia Nervosa, Binga And Binge Eating Disorders

    1086 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Anorexia Nervosa

    1563 Words  | 4 Pages

    Anorexic behavior is complex because it is all about the need for control. Someone suffering from anorexia has a distorted body image of himself or herself. He/she believes to be overweight, even though twenty percent of the time he/she is not (Yancey 59). The image of being overweight causes a low self-esteem. Symptoms of low self-esteem are loneliness, inadequacy in talents, a lack of trust in people and themselves, insecurity, identification with a specific peer group, and sadness. The media displays the ideal human body as thin and beautiful. Anorexic’s lives are full of confusion and lack of control. To the anorexic, to be thin is to be in control. The state of control to the anorexic is the ideal life without confusion and difficulties. In most cases, the anorexic is intelligent; popular among his/her peers, athletic, talented, and viewed as a role model to most people he/she comes in contact with. In reality, the issues in daily living are too difficult for the anorexic resulting in a lack of control in his/her life. The anorexic’s answer to a confusing life is to starve the body. The behavioral symptoms of the anorexia are counting calories, eating little food, baking treats for everyone and giving them away in hope of controlling not only the anorexic’s intake of his/her food, but also others. “Playing” with food at meal times is common behavior of the anorexic. When the meal is complete, the anorexic has disguised food intake by pushing the food around on the plate and hiding food in napkins. To dress in layers to hide the distinct weight loss and to avoid social activities where eating is involved are common behavioral symptoms. Behavioral symptoms of the anorexic can go unnoticed by most people. These symptoms are very secretive and oblivious to outsiders because the behavior is not out of the ordinary. Although the behavioral symptoms of the anore...

    Read More

  • Thin Documentary Summary

    849 Words  | 2 Pages

    Referring back to the symptoms and warning signs of Anorexia Nervosa , these young women explained methods and ways they tried to self-harm. Some examples of signs of Anorexia Nervosa include, withdrawal from friends and activities, low self-esteem, feelings of guilt after eating, abuse of diuretics, and the intense anxiety of gaining weight. Each of these four women showed these signs and more throughout their treatment. I was surprised to learn that after they left the treatment facility, they relapsed and went back to being underweight. Another thing that also caught my attention was Alisa’s drawing of her body. She labeled everything that was wrong with her such as saddlebags, muffin top, and areas that she needed to tone up just to name a few. Each woman mentioned that their goal was to be thin. The thought of weighing more than a hundred pounds was the worst thing they could

    Read More

  • Muscle Dysmorphia Research Paper

    489 Words  | 1 Pages

    I believe this is a problem in the USA and any part of the world where physical appearance is exploited. We are all human, and there is a common mindset to want the most out of things in life. If someone puts exercise and physical appearance at a high priority, it is possible they may form habits displayed in this condition. I don’t think this is a region specific mentality, but one that can be seen in any individual across the globe. The characteristics of men from this video that are relatable are the mentality to pursue everything worthwhile with 110%. We are raised hearing that the only way to be successful is to try harder than anyone else, and to become passionate about areas of interest. It is understandable that one may see exercise in this light due to the way it is depicted, and the negative stigma placed on being overweight. I would suggest a way to prevent bigorexia would be to put a greater focus on achieving a healthy lifestyle, versus achieving a certain body image. I believe that if

    Read More

  • Comparing the Similarities and Differences Between Anorexia and Bulimia

    1014 Words  | 3 Pages

    Both bulimics and anorexics are motivated by a desire to lessen weight. Anorexia is explained in Eating Disorders as: “Anorexia nervosa is a condition in which a person starves him or herself. The key feature of this disorder is the refusal to eat enough food, resulting in a body weight that is far below a healthy level” (Keel and Levitt, 3). While bulimia is explained as: “Bulimia is characterized by episodes of binge eating in which an individual feels a loss of control over food consumption and eats very large amounts of food in single sittings” (Keel and Levitt, 7). From this, it is obvious that patients of both disease resort to measures of losing weight.

    Read More

More about Common Themes Of Anorexia Nervosa

Open Document