Teen Essay, Research Paper

Anorexia Nervosa

In American society, women are given the message starting from a very young age that in order to be

successful and happy, they must be thin. Eating disorders are on the rise. It is not surprising given the value which

society places on being thin. Television and magazine advertising that show the image of glamorous and thin model

are everywhere.

Thousands of teenage girls are starving themselves daily in an effort to attain what the fashion industry

considers to be the ideal figure. An average female model weighs 23% less than the recommended weight for a

woman. Maintaining a weight 20% below your expected body weight fits the criteria for the emotional eating

disorder known as anorexia .According to medical weight standards, most models fit into the category of being

anorexic. Physicians now believe that anorexia has existed for at least 300 years . It was however only about one

hundred years ago that Professor Ernest Lasegue of the University of Paris finally identified anorexia as an illness .

The term “anorexia nervosa” literally means nervous lose of appetite. Most researchers and physicians

agree that the number of patients with this life threatening disease is increasing at an alarming rate. Garfinkle &

Garner define anorexia as an emotional disorder characterized by an intense fear of becoming obese, lack of self-

esteem and distorted body image which results in self-induced starvation . The development of this disease

generally peaks between the age of 14 to 18 but can occur later in life and is not uncommon to see it in women in to

their early 40 s. Recent estimates suggest that 1% of American girls between this age span will develop anorexia to

some degree .It has also propagated in many college campuses, and it is spreading.

Studies have shown that nearly 20% of college women may suffer from anorexia or bulimia . The disease

develops slowly over a period of months to years during which the sufferer changes her eating patterns to a very

restricted diet. As stated previously above, an anorexic is diagnosed by having a body weight 20% below the

expected body weight of a healthy person at the same age and height of the eating disorder patient. The anorexic

may often becomes frightened of gaining weight and even of food itself. The patient may feel fat, even though their

body weight is well below the normal weight for their height. Some may even feel they do not deserve pleasure out

of life and will deprive themselves of situations offering pleasure, including eating. This fear becomes so difficult to

manage that the sufferer will gradually isolate themselves from other people and social activities. This happens so

the sufferer can continue the exhausting anorexic behaviors. Although the mortality rate is high 30% of anorexics

will eventually die from the disease. Approximately one third are able overcome the disease with psychiatric help .

Warning signs to look for in someone you suspect of anorexia. Physical signs are intolerance of cold due to the

absence of the body s natural insulator (fat), dizziness and fainting spells, dry skin, loss of muscle, and the most

obvious, a weight loss of about fifteen percent. There are also behavioral changes in a person when they becomes

anorexic including restricted food intake, odd food rituals, an increased fear of food, hyperactivity, dressing in

layers, and regular weighing. Some “odd food rituals” include things like cutting food into small pieces, counting

bites or even talking to their food. Anorexics are not repelled or revolted by food, in fact their minds are often

dominated by thoughts of food. While the exact cause of anorexia is still unknown, a combination of psychological,

environmental, and physiological factors is associated with the development of this disorder .The most common

cause of anorexia in a woman is an incorrect self-perception of her weight. Anorexics feel as if they are heavier than

the others around them, and believe the quickest way to lose weight is to simply stop eating. Anorexia survivor

Nanett Pearson .Miss Utah 1996 explains I became obsessed with body image. I kept journals and in one pathetic

passage I described how I went for sixteen days on water, and only about two glasses a day .At first, this method

may seem to work and the subject loses weight, but their bodies will soon adjust to the lack of food it learns to use

the energy it receives more efficiently. Ironically, starvation is a very inefficient way to lose weight. When a person

stops eating, their body goes into an emergency conservation mode burning very small amounts of energy, food is

then stored away as fat until more food is obtained. Another factor contributing to anorexia is the need to obtain

perfection.

A perfectionist desires excellence in all aspects of their life. When they cannot achieve perfection in their

endeavors, they punish themselves by restriction or starvation. Anorexics may also desire control over their lives,

including their physical and emotional surroundings. Miss Pearson explains this I loved the power I felt in starving

myself (1998). People who fall in to the trap of anorexia often feel they have a lack of control over their lives and

the only thing they can control is what they eat. They have control over their body and eat exactly what they want

and as little as they want. It is common for an anorexic to feel a high from periods of starvation. Overall, anorexia

can have a very numbing effect and give its victims a feeling of power over their own emotions. Deep emotional

conflicts can also contribute to the disease. When a child (or any person) is told that they are fat, ugly or dumb often

enough they begin to believe it. As a woman grows into an adolescent, comments such as fat, ugly, dumb tend to

take greater effect and when she looks in the mirror she begins to see only what others tell her to see, at fat, ugly,

dumb girl. This image will prevail even when anorexia has brought a persons weight down to the point were the

person is at risk of death. The effects of anorexia nervosa are severe and sometimes irreversible. It can cause

changes externally, internally, and psychologically. The external changes include obviously dramatic weight loss but

also can include rotting teeth, receding gums, dry skin, fainting spells, hair loss, and growth of fine body hair on face

and back. The internal changes include loss of menstrual cycle, infertility, headaches, swelling, loss of bone density,

kidney infections, liver damage, constipation, diarrhea, extreme temperature sensitivity, cramps, poor circulation,

dehydration, low blood pressure, slowed or irregular heart rate, bowel tumors, hypoglycemia, throat infections, and

low blood sugar. Psychologically, the anorexic suffers with isolation from others, mood swings, insomnia,

hyperactivity, low self esteem, fatigue, depression, self-hatred, electrolyte imbalance and loss of sexual desire. 30%

of anorexics will either die from complications due to the eating disorder or commit suicide as a result of the

emotional turmoil caused by anorexia in their lives .Many support groups and associations are helping the fight

against anorexia and other eating disorders. The Anorexia Bulimia Nervosa Association (ABNA) and the National

Association for Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) are major organizations in the fight against

these disorders. These groups are paving the way for research and new and better treatments. These groups help in

providing family counseling and psychotherapy. Treatment for anorexia nervosa usually consists of nutritional

therapy, individual psychotherapy, and family counseling. A team made up of pediatricians, psychiatrists, social

workers administers treatment. Some physicians hospitalize anorexia patients until they are nutritionally stable,

while others prefer to work with patients in a more safe and secure family setting. The most urgent concern of the

physician is getting the patient to eat and gain weight, this is accomplished by gradually adding calories to the

patient s daily intake (Cove, Judy). When hospitalized, privileges are sometimes granted as a reward in return for

gaining weight. Individual psychotherapy is also necessary in the treatment of anorexia to help the patient

understand the disease process and its effects. Therapy focuses on the patient s relationships with her family,

friends, and the reasons she may have fallen into the trap of anorexia. As a patient learns more about their condition,

they are more often willing to try to help themselves recover. In treating anorexia nervosa, it is extremely important

to remember that immediate success does not guarantee a permanent cure. Many times, even after successful

hospital treatment and return to normal weight, patients suffer relapses. Follow-up therapy lasting three to five years

is recommended if the patient is to be successfully treated .Finally I have a few words to say. Anorexia Nervosa is a

debilitating and cruel disease that targets hundreds of thousands worldwide and kills thousands each year. If you

know of someone with it or if you just have suspicions please try to get them some help through one of the many

organizations out their. Anorexia nervosa is very treatable. With earlier detection and a comprehensive treatment

plan the successes rates are high. Anorexia is more treatable then cancer. So I urge you don t wait, act now.