Azizi,Melissa
Mehr, Sheila
Fata, Shekiba
Hbio/Per. 1
Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia is a disorder that affects
millions of people in the United States, but mostly young women. Anorexia is
defined as, "the inability to maintain a weight at or above the normal
weight range for height and body build, usually accompanied by an intense fear
of being overweight--even after excessive
weight. What this disorder is, is a cycle of eating huge quantities of
food, thousands of calories in one sitting, then ridding the body of this food
through some form of self purging. For the most part the there is no general
view of the causes of Anorexia. But there are quite a few typical views, and
they all seem to psychologically related. For example, almost every website,
states that the media as a main cause of this disorder. The media and cultural
contributions seem to plant into young women's head that a slim body is ideal.
Other things such as anxiety, depression, and loneliness are other causes of
anorexia. Some causes that are related more based on how valuable a person may
feel such as low self-esteem, or feeling inadequate. There are also cause that
are not controllable such as genetics; and also there may be situations where a
person may have gone through hard times so as a result their stress has made
them resort to this.
Individuals suffering from an eating
disorder may be unaware that they have a disease or may have difficulty asking
for help. The usual symptoms are thoughts about “feeling fat,” the fear of
gaining weight, a body image obsession, sneaking food, guilt or shame of eating,
and compulsive exercise. These symptoms usually lead to depression, fasting, a
low body weight, the use of diet pills or Ipecac, and restrictive eating. The
age usually tends to be from the teen years into the late thirties, though
there are cases outside from these age intervals. Any actual gain or even perceived gain of weight is met with
intense fear by the Anorexic. Not only is there a true feeling of fear, but
also once in the grasp of the disorder, Anorexics experience body image
distortions. Those areas of the body usually representing maturity or sexuality
including the buttocks, hips, thighs and breast are visualized by the Anorexic
as being fat. For some Anorexics, weight loss is so severe there is a loss of
menses. In the obsessive pursuit of thinness, Anorexics participate in
restrictive dieting, compulsive exercise, and laxative and diuretic abuse. If
Anorexia Nervosa is left untreated, it can be fatal. Sources of effects during
this disease can be found at www.raderprograms.com/anorexia.htm.
Medical complications indefinitely
follow with the Anorexia disorder. Starvation experienced by the individual can
cause damage to vital organs, such as the heart and the brain. Effects are made
to breathing, pulse, and blood pressure rates drop, which can lead to irregular
heart rhythms or heart failure. The nutritional deprivation conceived by the
victim will cause calcium loss from bones. The worst effect that leads to death
with this type of disease is starving one to death.
Furthermore, treatment is an option
that can reverse these complications. It’s vital for an individual diagnosed to
be treated as soon as possible because the success rate has proven to be high
for victims treated early on in the disease. Hospitalization is an option to
stabilize dangerously low weight, where patient will regain weight at a rate of
1-3 pound per week. Psychotherapy is also needed to deal with underlying
emotional issues, as well as cognitive-behavioral therapy to change abnormal
thoughts. Groups or family therapy is advised so people can share their
experiences with others. Medications are often prescribed to treat the
disorder, and a nutritionist is needed to advise the patient about proper diet
and eating regimens.
Anorexia
will forever be a eating disorder effecting millions of young adults and teens,
but if the youth starts to gain knowledge on the facts and the irony of
anorexia, such as, it ruins vital features to one’s body, maybe the rate of the
disease will decrease.
Bibliography:
-http://www.bodycage.com/visaidpopup.html
-http://www.lifespan.org/Services/MentalHealth/Articles/eating/anx_causes.htm
-http://av.fshn.wsu.edu/faculty/beerman/nuted43601/wwwHoward/causes.html
-http://www.nami.org/helpline/anorexia.htm
