Thin Documentary Summary

There are many different psychological illnesses in the world, each with different causes. While eating is an key function of life, some people may be doing harm to their body with their eating habits. Eating disorders occur when a person has a bad relationship with food and can be deadly. The book Elena Vanishing, by Elena Dunkle and Clare B. Dunkle, gives a better understanding of the background of eating disorders and many reviewers are impacted by the book’s vital message.

Keeping in mind that she has always strove for perfection, some irrational thoughts and psychological symptoms have developed concerning her standards for both food consumption and weight. These irrational fears have led her to believe that food is bad, and since she is terribly scared of getting fat, she finds fulfillment by abiding by her restrictive diet and maintaining her abnormal weight by restricting food and using laxatives when necessary to avoid weight gain. It’s easy to see that Joan has developed an obsession with both food and her weight that has taken over her life. All of these psychological symptoms have also caused some social symptoms which have negatively impacted her relationships, mainly stemming from concern of friends and family which usually result in arguments about eating. Joan’s physiological systems are also reflecting concerning symptoms such as dry, inelastic skin, liver problems, unhealthy hair, dizziness, amenorrhea, and of course, excessive

When she wasn’t focused on drinking, her addiction turned to self-loathing in a different form of control. Anorexia. At her lowest weight of 80 pounds, she had gone through months of using food and exercise as forms of self-control, much like the way she used alcohol in the most destructive way, she was trying to cure, medicate or eliminate the feelings of self-hatred, shyness and anxiety that loomed over her like a dark cloud.

Behavior observations: ms. Kristie Anthony was a 44-year-old married Caucasian female who presented for interview and testing in a timely manner. She reported to be 5 '6" tall weighing 310 pounds. She presented herself as one who tends to minimize greatly. This was heavily challenged with her during this interview. Testing yielded very little emotional or psychological distress except in a couple of areas. Mrs. Anthony was oriented and alert with bright mood and congruent affect. There were no gross indicators of anxiety, depression, hallucinations, delusions or thought disorder. Her speech was clear logical and goal directed. Mrs. Anthony presented as one who has good awareness and motivation to make positive changes in her life forWeight management.

The documentary “Dying to be Thin” is about women that suffer from eating disorders and their success stories of how they overcame their disorders. All of the major eating disorders are covered through out the film, which include: Anorexia, Bulimia, and Binge-eating disorder. These are all represented through real life examples presented in the film. I felt many emotions while watching this film.

Shelly, Polly, Brittany, and Alisa all suffer from anorexia. Anorexia is an eating disorder characterized by an abnormally low body weight, intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted perception of body weight. People with anorexia place a high value on controlling their weight and shape, using extreme efforts that tend to significantly interfere with activities in their lives. To prevent weight gain or to continue losing weight, people with anorexia tends to severely restrict the amount of food intake. They may control calorie intake by vomiting after eating or by misusing laxatives, diet aids, diuretics, or enemas. They may also try to lose weight by exercising excessively. Some people with anorexia binge and purge, similar to individuals who have bulimia nervosa. However, people with anorexia generally struggle with an abnormally low body weight, while individuals with bulimia typically are normal to above normal weight. No matter how weight loss is achieved, the person with anorexia has an intense fear of gaining weight. All the women in the video were purging.

The film “Dying to be Thin” followed the cases of several individuals who have struggled with an eating disorder at some point in their lives, showing the different factors that play a role in eating disorder onset. Different individuals in the film have different reasons for developing an eating disorder but there are some over-arching themes such as the media’s influence, career-related pressures, and certain personality types.

In Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia (1999), Marya Hombacher's testimonial delves into the dark underbelly of her illness; her battle is regurgitated within the text with the same fervor as the disease besieging her body and mind. Marya, divulges her fourteen year long struggle with Anorexia and Bulimia with often macabre honesty. Her story is terrifyingly painful and provides a glimpse into the devastating progression of her illness.

People taking care of her said that she was unstable, as she hasn’t taken good care of herself her whole life. But she could take care of herself even though she wouldn’t eat much. For example, Mr. D’Alessandro, her court appointed lawyer, states, “Force-feedings would keep the woman alive but would do nothing to cure the anorexia, Mr. D'Alessandro said. (Wall Street Journal Online).” Even after the force feedings that the hospital wanted to give her all it wouldn’t cure the anorexia, and would only keep her alive. She knew that if she didn’t go along with the force feedings that she would die, and she still didn’t want them. Her lawyer also says, “She gained weight, at one point reaching 90 pounds, but the force-feedings damaged her heart and were discontinued. (Wall Street Journal Online).” She was court order to force feed and as it was helping her with her weight, It could have also easily killed her. After going against her wish they ended up hurting her. Her lawyer Mr. D’Alessandro, also states, "There's no path to overcoming her eating disorder," he said. "She...understands the potential consequence of not having treatment is that she may die." No matter how hard they tried to eliminate her disorder they couldn't. She knew that she could die, and still didn’t want the treatment, and if force feeding could hurt her then it shouldn’t

Eating disorders are in no way, to be considered “no big deal”. It affects the lives of many poor unsuspecting human beings and in some cases, fatally takes lives. This topic presents many things that most people don’t know. Such as the fact that bulimia nervosa has similar symptoms to using the drug heroin! Rotten teeth, pale and dry skin, and even failing organs are usually signs that someone may have bulimia. There are always key signs and factors to recognizing an eating disorder. Eating disorders are serious. We all should be aware of the affect it has on an individual, and if anyone knows or sees a person struggling with an eating disorder, outreaching and a simple hand in the right direction can save a life. Eating disorders get in the mind of an individual, then ruin the body, then finally ruin the mind.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders, Volume 5 (DMS-5), Shelly’s low body weight, her lack of food intake, and her purging were all qualifying symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa. In addition to these symptoms, she exhibited the additional symptom of a fear of gaining weight. She explained to her therapist that she feared weighing as much as her twin sister, even though her sister only weighed 100 pounds.

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

Beidel, D. C., Bulik, C. M., & Stanley, M. A. (2014). Feeding and Eating Disorders. In D. C. Beidel, C. M. Bulik, & M. A. Stanley, Abnormal Psychology DSM5 (pp. 234-268). Upper Saddle River: Pearson.

As Brandy got into Oklahoma State University, she lost control of her disorder. She no longer had any normal eating habits. She is becoming quite miserable with herself, despite appearing to be thriving in everything she attempts at Oklahoma State. Her disorder has caused her to become susceptible to social pressures of thinness. She has finally sought

“There’s no magic bullet, there’s no pill that you take that makes everything great and makes you happy all the time. I’m letting go of those expectations, and that’s opening me up to moments of transcendent bliss. But i still feel the stress over ‘Am i thin enough? Am I too thin? Is my body in the right shape?’ “