Anorexia Nervosa Research Paper

Three supporting details: beauty expectations are based on how models look, media influencing the fact that thinness is considered beautiful, family and friends influencing eating habits and causing eating disorders to develop.

Anorexia nervosa is a deadly disease in which any one, at any age or any time in their life can develop. Mayo clinic says “it is an eating disorder characterized by an abnormally low body weight, intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted perception of body weight.” This compulsive disorder brings symptoms that are developed and can be minor to even death

A combination of genetic, physical, social, and psychological factors may contribute to the development of an eating disorder, such as Anorexia. Anorexia is an emotional disorder characterized by an obsessive desire to lose weight by refusing to eat. Eating disorders effect ten million females and one million males in the United States. Also 0.3 percent of the eating disorders occur in teenage children.

Eating disorders are severe disturbances in eating behaviors, such as eating too little or eating too much. “Anorexia nervosa affects nearly one in 200 Americans in their lives (three-quarters of them female)” (Treating anorexia nervosa). Anorexia, when translated into Greek means “without appetite” which is not true for all suffering from anorexia most people with this disorder have not lost their appetite they simply have to ignore it. People with anorexia have an intense fear of gaining weight and have convinced themselves that they are overweight even if they are the opposite of overweight. Since the way that they view themselves is in a negative light they starve themselves and put their lives at risk. “In the most severe

I thought the eating disorders, such as “extreme reduction of food intake or extreme overeating” are interesting because it means we have a lot of food nowadays. If the person become Bulimia Nervosa, he can eat too much food because there are more than enough food recent years, on the other hand, if the person become Anorexia Nervosa, he rejects to eat even there are lots of food. In my opinion, it is very fortunate environment to live. There are still some people who cannot eat properly in some developing countries. Moreover, about one hundred years ago, even people in developed countries could not eat too much because of world war.

I can still remember the first time I heard the words “Anorexia Nervosa”. I was Year 9, English class, and a (still to this day) good friend pulled me to one side after I questioned her on why she had been gone from class, and had come back teary eyed. She hastily pulled me aside. After we were a safe distance from prying ears, she apprehensively remarked “I am Anorexic”, while clutching and anxiously twisting her hands as she looked at me. It seemed as though I was meant to immediately know of the enormity of the circumstances she was facing. I was confused, concerned and had trouble grasping the situation. Once explained to me, through the aid of a drawing of a girl looking in the mirror, and seeing a distorted

A major devastating weight related disorder is anorexia nervosa which literally means “lack of appetite induced by nervousness” (Hooley, p.304). This is something of a misnomer as the heart of this disorder is a pursuit of thinness and involves destructive behaviors that result in major dieting. It is a severe eating disorder in which people may refuse to eat while denying that their behavior and appearance- which can be come skeleton like- are unusual. There are two types of anorexia nervosa: the restricting type which afflicts individuals from ages 16 to 20, in both men and women though it can develop from an age as young as 7 (Hooley, p.310) and the binge eating/purging type. The major difference between these two sub-types is the way patients

Prevalence of anorexia nervosa (AN) continues to be on the rise. AN has the highest lethality of all psychiatric conditions; its chronicity is due to high levels of psychiatric morbidity, common relapse, unknown etiology, and great variability in the course of illness and final outcome (Guarda, 2008). Characterized by pathological food-restraining behaviors, intense fear of gaining weight, and distorted perceptions of one’s body weight and size (Hooley, Butcher, Nock, & Mineka, 2016), this paper will examine the etiology, assessment, prognosis, and treatment of anorexia nervosa.

Firstly, family factors; some parents overvalue physical appearance which unwittingly contribute to children being uncomfortable with their own bodies. Appearance-obsessed friends or romantic partners also create pressure that encourages eating disorders. Secondly, psychological factors such as being a perfectionist lead to one having unrealistic expectations of one self. Perfectionists never feel satisfied despite of their achievements. Thirdly, cultural pressures such as women experiencing unrealistic cultural demands for thinness encourage women to become thin. Last but not least, the media portrays happy successful people by actors and models that are thin and young. "The music industry has set unrealistic expectations for what a body is supposed to look like, and I started becoming overly critical of my own body because of that,” said Kesha, American singer, as she opened up about her eating disorder in an emotional essay on entertainment news. There is no single cause of eating disorders. All these factors combined make it seem like an individual's worth is measured by how they look. Physical appearance may be important, but in reality, happiness comes from loving yourself for who you truly

We see beauty in abounding people all over the media, yet the technology of photoshop can trick us sometimes and that is why I am writing this letter about countless ladies being influenced into having the 'perfect' body for the approval of superficial ideas. Consequently, young woman being pressured to have the 'ideal' body or face is inappropriate, for they can become mentally or physically ill, the parents of the child suffer conjointly and the girls will no longer regard what is truly imperative to have a successful and joyful life.

Many may see someone who has an eating disorder as someone who wants 'attention,' while disregarding all of the several factors that play a part in causing someone to take this path in their life. The list of causes goes on and on, yet the basics are right under our noses. Vaguely speaking, biological factors, psychological factors, and environmental factors all take a place on the stand for being causes ("Disorder Hope").

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

Learning About Anorexia Anorexia. What is it? The dictionary describes anorexia nervosa as ''a mental illness in which a person has an intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted perception of their weight and body shape''. In simple terms, this means that people with this illness believe themselves to be fat even when their weight is so low that their health is in danger. Also, a person with anorexia nervosa strictly controls what he/she eats and usually becomes extremely thin.

Goldberg (2016) notes that although anorexia essentially means "loss of appetite," this definition is inaccurate as people with this disorder are in fact, hungry, but refuse to eat. Individuals suffering from anorexia, tend to have an obsessive fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, so they start behaving in ways that causes them to lose an excessive amount of weight, by either restricting the amount of food consumed, exercising too much, or starving themselves (Anorexia Nervosa: Signs, Symptoms, Causes, And Treatment; Smith, Melinda, M.A., and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D). These individuals have a distorted perception of themselves, believing that they are too fat, when they are in fact underweight, as well as overly weighing themselves to see if they gained any weight, overly obsessing over food labels and nutrition, and developing "strange eating habits," such as "cutting food into tiny pieces, eating alone, and/or hiding food;" In addition. people struggling with this disorder tend to have a low self esteem, feel hopeless, and become socially withdrawn from family, friends, and activities they once enjoyed. ("Anorexia: Signs, Symptoms, Causes & Treatment Help;" Smith, Melinda, M.A., and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D; Goldberg, Joseph, MD).

Victims of anorexia nervosa, rarely admit that they have a problem. Typically, it is left up to the victim’s family and friends to get help for them. People who have anorexia weight much less than a healthy person. Victims are afraid of gaining weight and refuse to stay at a normal, healthy weight; they think that they are overweight, even when they are dangerously thin. People who face anorexia nervosa become focused on controlling their weight. They obsess about food, weight, and dieting. Victims strictly limit how much they eat, excessively exercise, and often vomit or use laxatives or water pills to avoid gaining weight.