Anorexia Research Paper

In the book “Boys Get Anorexia Too : Coping with Male Eating Disorders in the Family,” author Jenny Langley briefly describes about anorexia nervosa, and the short-term and long-term effects of it. Anorexia is a disease involving intentional starvation, an obsession with food and weight related issues, and extreme weight loss. Langley notes that people with anorexia will deprive themselves of vital nutrients through severely restricting food intake. Despite this excessive weight loss, the person will continue to feel overweight. They deny the fact that they are at a dangerously low body weight and fear being fat. Thus, the body is forced to slow down all of its processes to conserve energy, or resulting in serious medical consequences. Langley

Anorexia is a serious mental health condition. It is an eating disorder where people try to keep their body weight as low as possible. DSM5 outlines the key diagnostic features for anorexia. Firstly, people with anorexia will restrict behaviours that promote healthy body weight. This could mean that they are consequentially underweight and this can be due to dieting, exercising and purging. There will also be a significant fear of weight gain, but this fear will not be relieved by weight loss. There will be a persistent fear that interferes with weight gain. Lastly, there will be a disturbed perception of ones weight and/or shape and denial of underweight status and its seriousness. Anorexia accounts for 10% of eating disorders in the UK and has

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder and a mental health condition that could potentially be life-threatening. People with anorexia try to keep their weight as low as possible by restricting the amount of food they eat. They often have a distorted image of themselves, thinking that they're fat when they're not.  Some people with the condition also exercise excessively, and some eat a lot of food in a short space of time (binge eating) and then make themselves sick. People affected by anorexia often go to great attempts to hide their behaviour from their family and friends by lying about eating and what they have eaten. Anorexia is linked to

For many the term “Anorexia” conjures up memories of bone thin, weight obsessed teenage girls, models, and actresses. However, as the spotlight has been shined on Anorexia bringing this secretive and quiet disorder to a wider public perception, many still suffer in silence: either too ashamed to seek treatment, or because of an improper diagnosis.

With Anorexia Nervosa, there is a strong fear of weight gain and a preoccupation with body image. Those diagnosed may show a resistance in maintaining body weight or denial of their illness. Additionally, anorexics may deny their hunger, have eating rituals such as excessive chewing and arranging food on a plate, and seek privacy when they are eating. For women, they go through immediate body changes from abnormal to no menstruation periods and develop lanugo all over their bodies. Characteristics of an anorexic individual also consist of extreme exercise patterns, loosely worn clothing, and maintain very private lives. Socially, to avoid criticism or concern from others, they may distant themselves from friends and activities they once enjoyed. Instead, their primary concerns revolve around weight loss, calorie intake, and dieting. In regards to health, many will have an abnormal slow heart rate and low blood pressure, some can develop osteoporosis, severe dehydration which can result in kidney failure, and overall feel weak (Robbins, 27-29). It has been reported that Anorexia Nervosa has one of the highest death rates in any mental health condition in America (www.NationalEatingDisorders.org).

Because problem resolution of any kind starts from identifying the true nature of problem instead of denial, to define the challenges required to be fought to. And where there is problem, solution lies at the center of that. So instead of deviating through denial, anorexia patients should understand that they direly need to get out of depression and anxiety and they deserve to be happy so one way or the other, they should get it out to understand they don’t need to fight their misconception of being fat, they have to fight the cause arising misconception, anarchy, disgust, anger, isolation, anxiety and deprivation in their lives. And all of these are dissociating themselves from their beautiful surroundings, attention seeking beauties of nature, their family members, their friends, their potentials and all the areas of the community that may be bettered by their exclusive roles.

Anorexia usually begins in adolescence but can start anytime during pre-teen years or early into adulthood (Medline Plus, 2013). Some individuals have only a single episode while others suffer a long-term battle with the disorder. A recent study (Mehler, 2001) indicates that 16 percent of individuals diagnosed continued to show criteria of anorexia over a decade later after their initial diagnosis. Additionally, the longer duration of illness, the less favorable outcomes tend to be. Intervention early on in the illness has been associated with the best outcomes (Attia, & Walsh, 2007). With serious medical complications such as decreased thyroid function, irregular heart rhythm, low blood pressure, brittle bones, dehydration, and reduced muscle mass (Straub, 2007; Whitbourne, 2013; Attia, 2007), there is a large concern surrounding prognosis and outcomes in individuals that go undiagnosed. Research shows that early detection and treatment improve prognosis and outcome, but clinical diagnosis of anorexia can often times be obscured making it hard to give a proper diagnosis (Mehler, 2001).

One out of every 200 Americans suffers from anorexia. It can be a lifetime issue that many have to deal with, seventy-seven percent of individuals with eating disorders report that the illness can last anywhere from 1 to 15 years or even longer in some cases. It is estimated that approximately six percent of serious cases die from the disease. Anorexia is an eating disorder that causes people to obsess about their weight and what they eat.

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

A lot of people think that Anorexia is just for selfish people. As if one day I woke up and decided not to eat because I wanted attention. This is far from the truth. As some of you know

Self-esteem is reliant upon body shape and weight. Physical implications may include disruption of the menstrual cycle also known as amenorrhea, signs of starvation, thinning of hair or hair loss, bloated, yellowish palms/soles of feet, dry and pasty skin. The risks that people take while indulging in anorexia can also become physiologically and mentally damaging. There are several effective treatments. One of which is hospitalization, this occurs when the weight loss is greater than 30% in 3 months time. Some other effects to be taken into consideration when hospitalizing a patient are the risk of suicide and depression, severe binging and purging, and serious metabolic disturbance. Therapy and counseling is used to help the patients with depression and family complications that may have led to the state they’re in. Clinical studies have not yet identified a medication that could improve the core symptoms of anorexia.

Anorexia is a dangerous disorder and should not be taken lightly. People with anorexia are just like anyone else with a drug addiction, that being they don’t want to admit they have a problem. The longer they have this problem though the worse off their body is going to be and if the person has it really bad it could lead to death. It is not hopeless there are treatments and people willing to help out there, they just have to be willing to help themselves. If the person follows all the steps to recovery then he or she should be able to live a normal

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

     Another widespread misconception about the disease of anorexia is that it is a new disease. Actually, doctors say that anorexia has its roots centuries ago. Through different time periods, people have fasted for a number of reasons, they say. People fasted in Biblical times to pay reverence to God or just to exercise self-discipline. Anorexia has been around almost as long as man.(Deth and Vandereycken, 1990)

Finally, we will look at possible treatments for anorexia. People that suffer can get better and gradually learn to eat normally again. Anorexia involves both mind and body. Therapy or counseling is a critical part of treating eating disorders. In many cases family therapy is one of the keys to eating healthily again. Parents and other family members are important in helping the person see that his or her