Annotated Bibliography: Anorexia Nervosa

Many people are unaware of the background of eating disorders. Women are more likely than men to develop an eating disorder and they usually develop in childhood before the age of 20 (Ross-Flanigan 1). Women as well as men can develop an eating disorder; it is just more likely for a woman to develop one. Eating disorders are usually developed in adolescent or childhood years when a person is influenced the most. Also “Eating disorders are psychological conditions that involve overeating, voluntary starvation, or both. Anorexia nervosa, anorexic bulimia, and binge eating are the most well-known types of eating disorders” (Ross-Flanigan 1). Many people assume that an eating disorder is when a person staves themselves; they do not realize that it can involve overeating as well. Some eating disorders also involve purging, but not all. People with an eating disorder fear gaining weight even when they are severely underweight. They do not lack an appetite (Ross-Flanigan 1). These people are

The authors noted that 30% of the eating disordered women reported sexual traumata; however, such traumata was prevalent among bulimics (particularly those with no anorexic history), but was rare among anorexic restricters. Furthermore, subjects showing mixed anorexic and bulimic symptoms, showed prevalence of sexual

For some, the world can be a lonely and scary place. When an individual is challenged with a life altering experience, such as recovering from childhood exploitation, rape, incest, or being held up at gunpoint, it is almost always difficult to improve without any guidance. Occasionally, a person can be resilient, while others countlessly suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and develop self destructive behaviors such as an eating disorder. When in harm’s way, you have two responses, commonly known as “flight-or-flight.” You are either going to avoid danger or face it head on. With PTSD, this recoil of a decision is altered or impaired. PTSD is established when a terrifying incident places you in jeopardy of being harmed, which later interferes with a person’s life or health. With many PTSD patients, they have developed eating disorders because they find that this is the only way to control their physical and emotional manifestations. Studies have shown dramatically the relation between patients who suffer from PTSD and those who develop eating disorders. In Timothy D. Brewerton’s “The Links Between PTSD and Eating Disorders”, he shares some statistics. “74% of 293 women attending residential treatment indicated that they had experience a significant trauma, and 52% reported symptoms consistent with a diagnosis of current PTSD based on their responses on a PTSD symptom scale.” What are the effects that PTSD have on eating disorders? It is important to keep in mind

There is a focus on helping patients to observe and label their emotional reactions to trauma, validation and acquiring a balance between acceptance and change. This is a fairly new type of approach which is being modified for the treatment of eating disorders. (Santucci, 2010) This form of therapy, according to the data is appropriate for any individual afflicted with this condition as well as many others, but currently does not have a depth of research behind it to prove it individually effective specifically for AN.

There are behavioral similarities among individuals suffering from Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa such as feeling they are in control where they may have lacked power or control in their lives, feeling more confident, and the ability to avoid uncomfortable emotions through disordered eating behavior. However, there are also significant differences. According to the articles, those who suffer from AN consistently communicate this disordered eating behavior makes them feel more attractive, increases confidence and elicits a feeling of superiority, where as those who suffer from BN more often communicate a negative self-image and feelings of shame and defectiveness. BN patients also conveyed their desire to keep their illness a secret whereas AN patients are generally more concerned with their thinness being obvious to others and gaining attention. BN is frequently accompanied by depression, and feelings of self-loathing indicating a high prevalence of comorbidity, and those suffering from this illness experience a disturbance in feeling satisfied with a

Some studies have shown a correlation between physical, sexual and/or emotional abuse and eating disorders, but there appears to be no casual link. (Tripp, 2001). Between 30 to 50% of adult women report an unwanted sexual experience in either childhood or adulthood. This paper explores the connection between sexual abuse, specificity during childhood, and eating disorders. Eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating and over exercising. Because of the complex nature, factors such as family interactions, self-esteem, core beliefs, body mass, depression, body image and laxative

The Eating Disorder Inventory was developed in 1983 by David M. Garner, Marion P. Olmstead, and Janet Polivy but was officially published in 1984. The original Eating Disorder Inventory assessment was created for the sole purpose of evaluating the “psychological and behavioral traits common in anorexia nervosa and bulimia” (Garner, Olmstead, & Polivy, p.15, 1983). The researchers wanted to develop yet another instrument aimed at eating disorders because the previous instruments were only used for inpatient clients or intended for the behavioral aspects of anorexia nervosa in particular. The researchers felt that bulimia was not being accounted for in previous assessments and that the depth of these disorders was much more complex than the previous assessments were exploring. They felt that they needed to develop an instrument to measure various other traits in order to properly treat individuals with eating disorders.

The Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q; Fairburn & Belgin, 1994) is a 36 item, self-report measure of the core cognitive and behavioural features of eating disorders. It can be used in the diagnosis of Anorexia, Bulimia Nervosa and Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) (Allen, Byrne, Lampard, Watson, & Fursland, 2011). It can also be used to measure change in symptoms over the course of treatment. It is a parallel form of the Eating Disorders Examination (EDE; Fairburn & Cooper, 1993), a widely used semi-structured interview of eating disorder psychopathology, providing a more efficient and cost-effective

This paper reviews the relationships among eating disorders, trauma, and comorbid psychiatric disorders, with a particular focus on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). There have been a number of significant conclusions in the literature, applicable to clinical practice, which are essential to the understanding of the relationships between generic eating disorders and some types of trauma. These are summarized as follows: a) children's sexual assault is a non-specific risk factor for most eating disorders; b) the level of trauma linked to those eating disorders has been extended from the child's sexual assault to include a multitude of different forms of assault/abuse and; c) trauma is much more common in bulimic eating disorders compared to a non-bulimic disorder; d) As such, those findings linking eating disorders with traumatic ones have been extended to both male and female children and adults with eating disorders; e) findings linking eating disorders with trauma have been extended to both male children and adult males with eating disorders; f) several episodes or types of trauma are associated with eating disorders; g) All trauma is not always associated with severe eating disorders; h) trauma is associated with greater comorbidity (including

In 1987 The American Psychiatric Association, provided a list of signs and symptoms that may indicate anorexia nervosa, these include the refusal to maintain the normal body weight, feeling disturbed by body image, and the absence of three menstrual cycles in females. (Phelps & Bajorek, 1991). Other symptoms associated with anorexia nervosa according to Medline Plus are exercising all the time, the refusal to eat in front of other people, loss of bone strength, depression, and extreme sensitivity to cold (MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia,

Scope of the research: This study focuses on adolescents (aged 12-18 years) of both sexes meeting the criteria for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Anorexia Nervosa.

The sample consisted of groups of females in the young adult age range. The test reflecting the common populations affected by eating disorders. This sample included subjects from Australia, Europe, Canada, and the United States (Atlas & Kagee, 2007). It is not always necessary that the test be administered by a professional. The simplicity of administration and scoring allows the test to be given by anyone who understands the test. 983 Americans and 662 people from the nations listed above

This research paper discusses why anorexia nervosa is a disease and not a lifestyle choice. The paper explains what anorexia nervosa is and the misconceptions people have about it which leads them to blame those with AN. These misconceptions can result from a misunderstanding of what AN is, particularly due to the pro-ana movement which promotes AN as a positive lifestyle choice. It then brings down the biological factors behind anorexia nervosa and the awful symptoms those with AN suffer through. The paper contains a lot of in depth understanding of the inner pain an anorexic person goes through and it includes quotes from personal narratives such as Emily Troscianko’s (2010) “Portrait of Hunger” and excerpts from

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders 5th edition defines anorexia nervosa as an eating disorder characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss; it is a serious and potentially life-threatening disorder. According to the DSM 5, the typical diagnostic symptoms of anorexia nervosa are: dramatic weight loss leading to significant low body weight for the individuals age, sex, and health; preoccupation with weight; restriction of food, calories and fat; constant dieting; feeling “fat” or overweight despite weight loss and fear about gaining weight or being “fat.” Many individuals with anorexia nervosa deny feeling hungry and often avoid eating meals with others, resulting in withdrawal from usual friends and activities

“Research Review” was written with the purpose of analyzing the several causes of eating disorders and utilizes accredited sources from each discipline to do so. Throughout the article, the authors synthesized available data and literature on PubMed, which is a service provided by the United States National Library of Medicine. Because this is a national database that is updated daily, it is credible and can be cited. In addition, other reliable sources such as the American Psychiatric Association are referred to. Authors refuse to include factors that have not been approved based on several criteria, including “if less than two studies were conducted or findings have been inconsistent, we emphasize the need for replication and refrained from classifying the factor” (Culbert 1143). These criteria increase the strength of the argument, but also weaken the authors’ ability to expand on certain subtopics due to the fact that formal testing of causation models is limited. For this reason, behavior genetic data is thoroughly analyzed; “epigenetic effects have been tested by examining differences in mRNA expression and/or DNA methylation between cases and controls, primarily during the ill state (see Table 5)” (Culbert 1150).