Anorexia Nervosa
There are different kinds of eating disorders; some of the examples of eating disorders are Bulimia Nervosa, Rumination Disorder, Anorexia Nervosa, Binge eating, and Xylophagia. A number of experts have pointed out that eating disorders disturb the psychological, physical and mental health of an individual; it can be either excessive or restrictive. Two of the most popular eating disorder is Anorexia and Bulimia. This paper focuses on Anorexia Nervosa and discusses what kind of disorder, and why do people especially young girls develop this particular disorder. An interview on a 20 year old girl from Hong Kong suffering from Anorexia was conducted and this paper explores the reasons why the girl developed the disorder.
In the runways of New York, Paris and London Fashion Week, models that are almost in the size 0 are walking dressed in designer clothes and gowns. The trend of being thin is evident on teen Hollywood stars; photographs of the young stars have shown a number of them shrinking. The concept of beauty, not just in the United States but around the world is “thin is beautiful.” The society is obsessed with getting thin and the media is to blame for, advertisement, television shows, movies all sorts of media campaigns have stick thin models. However, is insecurity regarding weight the only reason why more and more individuals and not just females, including males are having Anorexia Nervosa? What exactly is this disorder and how dangerous it is? And how does Anorexia Nervosa develop in an individual?
An interview on a 20 year old girl from Hong Kong was conducted. She requested not to reveal her name in this particular study. On the interview she said that, the disorder was developed during her last year in senior high school. And during that time her weight totally shrinks at the same time, her grades became very low, added to the fact that her mother was so strict with her studies and grades. She also said that she is a consistent honor student and one of the top students in her class ever since primary school that is the reason why her mother is very strict so that she would be able to maintain her grades and enter into a top university in Hong Kong. She certainly has no problems with her mother being strict with regards to her school performance. But it was definitely one of the reasons why she developed Anorexia Nervosa. She told the interviewer that weight was not an issue for her since she is already thin and her eating habits are also normal, dismissing the factor of insecurity with regards to her weight, however when she have problems especially in school, she does not eat enough or not eat at all and she would rather sleep.
Her anorexia began on when she was 18 years old and was already on the last year of high school, prior to that particular school year she was consistently on top of her class, especially during examinations wherein she only obtains 3 mistakes as a maximum, her mother was satisfied on her performance and was expecting the same performance especially on her last year. However, during the last school year, her grades started to become low and she no longer tops the class. At first she thought that it was just normal but when she received low grades in almost all of her subjects she started to feel depressed, plus the fact that her mother was always scolding her and restricting her to do a lot of things such as watching a movie and surfing the internet. And that is how her Anorexia Nervosa started, and progressed from eating the regular meals everyday to not eating at all in the whole day. Her anorexia lasted for a whole year but was already cured when she seek help from a specialist.
The perception of a lot of people on individuals suffering from Anorexia Nervosa is that these individuals are insecure with their weight and they want to be thin like a supermodel, but on the case of the interviewed girl, weight was not an issue on her part. Different factors trigger an individual to have Anorexia Nervosa, some because of weight issues and others pointed genetics.
Anorexia Nervosa according to (1996) is a “biologically based self-starvation syndrome that is triggered by diet and exercise.” In most cases too much exercise and dieting is the cause why people are acquiring this disorder, the obsession of losing weight and achieving the desired weight can lead to this disorder. Moreover, (2000) stated that anorexia is a complicated disorder because it involves the psychological, neurobiological and sociological factors.
In order to determine if the individual has anorexia nervosa, the American Psychiatric Association has the criteria of the following: (2006)
- Refusal to maintain body weight at or above the minimal normal weight for age and height.
- Fear of obtaining weight or becoming fat although underweight.
- Denying the seriousness of the low body weight.
- The absence of three consecutive menstrual cycles for postmenarcheal females.
The cause of Anorexia Nervosa still puzzles researchers, but nowadays some of the underlying reasons have already been determined. (1986) discusses some of the theories why Anorexia develops. One of the theories is that a number of females feel a huge pressure to be thin and achieve the ideal weight that is usually portrayed on the pages of magazine and televisions. Moreover, Dr. has suggested that some biological factors which are associated with clinical depression may also partake in the development of Anorexia. Another biological factor is the malfunction of the hypothalamus. Another theory is that the inability of an individual to cope with a situation in life such puberty, death of a loved one, ridicule over weight and separation from family may initiate Anorexia.
Aside from the theories mentioned by Farley, there are still factors that could contribute to Anorexia Nervosa. According to (2000), genetics play a big factor in developing anorexia and it contributes to almost 50% of the probability for the progress of the disorder.
In the study of (2005), the researchers have pointed out that there is a great association between the neurotransmitter serotonin and the different psychological symptoms like vomiting, appetite and mood and is suggested that anorexia is related to the damaged serotonin system.
The researchers (2005) found out that Anorectics have particular personality traits that are thought to influence the development of anorexia this includes high levels of obsession with regards to weight and food, high levels of restraint and high levels of perfectionism.
The social and cultural factors can also contribute to the development of Anorexia Nervosa. In the study of Lindberg and Hjem (2003) gender, ethnicity and economic status have great impacts on the probability of having anorexia nervosa, and individuals with non-European parents are least likely to have anorexia and wealthy, white families having greater chances.
Treatment of anorexia nervosa must start from the person who has the disorder; anorectics must first admit that they have a disorder and then followed by seeking treatment to a specialist or a facility. A number of studies have suggested ways in treating anorexia nervosa. (2006), suggested that undergoing psychotherapy is a very efficient form of treatment that usually leads to gaining back the weight and improving the psychological and social function.
According to hospitalization is only required for patients having life threatening complications. And if the patient’s life is not in danger, hospitalization is no longer required. In addition, having a support group can also help in coping up with Anorexia Nervosa.
A number of studies pointed out that Anorexia can be neurobiological, psychological or sociological. Different theories have pointed out that different mechanisms trigger the development of Anorexia in an individual. Anorexia is a serious disorder that needs to be address immediately to avoid complications in health and even early death especially for young women and men.
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