Overcoming Anorexia Nervosa

Body dissatisfaction has become normative in today’s society, and we are seeing it emerge at younger and younger ages. Women and men alike surrounded by social influences that mandate thinness at every turn is becoming all too common. With distorted body perceptions being portrayed in such ways, it is no wonder that so many have fallen victim to the pressures of wanting to be thin. Portia de Rossi describes a moment in her book talking about the struggle she faced with her eating disorder. Even at a young age she knew there was some sort of internal draw for her need to keep pushing herself to lose weight. Whitboune & Halgin (2013) write:

Since I was a twelve-year-old girl taking pictures in my front yard to submit to modeling agencies, I’d never known a day where my weight wasn’t the determining factor for my self-esteem. My weight was my mood, and the more effort I put into starving myself to get to an acceptable level, the more satisfaction I would feel as the restriction and the denial built into an incredible sense of accomplishment. (p. 240)

There are many theories surrounding eating disorders. Are they biological, are they more prevalent in western or industrialized societies, do they affect people in different cultures or ethnic groups? One thing is for sure eating disorders do not discriminate. Even the most public of figures battle the struggle of a glamorous portrayal to be thin only to be faced with a life long struggle both physically and emotionally.

This paper will discuss the etiology, effects, and criteria needed for the diagnosis of anorexia nervosa from a biopsychosocial approach. In addition, this paper will discuss the treatments, approaches and multicultural issues associated with this multifaceted...

... middle of paper ...

...t, 90(3), 319-329.

Jenkins, J., Ogden, J. (2012). Becoming 'whole' again: A qualitative study of women's views of recovering from anorexia nervosa. European Eating Disorders Review, 20(1), 23-31.

Medline Plus. (2013). Anorexia Nervosa. Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000362.htm

Mehler, P. (2001). Diagnosis and care of patients with anorexia nervosa in primary care settings. Annals Of Internal Medicine, 134(11), 1048-1059.

Miller, M., & Pumariega, A. (2001). Culture and eating disorders: A historical and cross-cultural review. Psychiatry, 64(2), 93-110.

Straub, R. (2007). Health psychology: A biopsychosocial approach. New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

Whitbourne, S., & Halgin, R. (2013). Abnormal psychology: Clinical perspectives on psychological disorders with dsm-5 update. McGraw-Hill Humanities Social.